Bill Text: IL SB1905 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Amends the Educational Service Regions Article of the School Code. Provides that when a vacancy occurs in the office of regional superintendent of schools and more than 28 months remain in that term and the vacancy occurs at least 130 days before the next general election, appointment to fill the vacancy shall be until the next general election (rather than if more than 28 months remain in that term, the appointment shall be until the next general election). Provides that if the vacancy occurs during the time provided for filing nomination papers for county offices for the primary in the next even-numbered year following commencement of the term of office in which the vacancy occurs, the time for filing nomination papers for the primary shall not be more than 120 (rather than 91) days nor less than 113 (rather than 85) days prior to the date of the primary.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2025-06-02 - Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments [SB1905 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-SB1905-Introduced.html

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB1905

Introduced 2/6/2025, by Sen. Sally J. Turner

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/3A-6    from Ch. 122, par. 3A-6

    Amends the Educational Service Regions Article of the School Code. Provides that when a vacancy occurs in the office of regional superintendent of schools and more than 28 months remain in that term and the vacancy occurs at least 130 days before the next general election, appointment to fill the vacancy shall be until the next general election (rather than if more than 28 months remain in that term, the appointment shall be until the next general election). Provides that if the vacancy occurs during the time provided for filing nomination papers for county offices for the primary in the next even-numbered year following commencement of the term of office in which the vacancy occurs, the time for filing nomination papers for the primary shall not be more than 120 (rather than 91) days nor less than 113 (rather than 85) days prior to the date of the primary.
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A BILL FOR

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1    AN ACT concerning education.
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
53A-6 as follows:
6    (105 ILCS 5/3A-6)    (from Ch. 122, par. 3A-6)
7    Sec. 3A-6. Election of Superintendent for consolidated
8region - Bond - Vacancies in any educational service region.
9    (a) The regional superintendent to be elected under
10Section 3A-5 shall be elected at the time provided in the
11general election law and must possess the qualifications
12described in Section 3-1 of this Act.
13    (b) The bond required under Section 3-2 shall be filed in
14the office of the county clerk in the county where the regional
15office is situated, and a certified copy of that bond shall be
16filed in the office of the county clerk in each of the other
17counties in the region.
18    (c) When a vacancy occurs in the office of regional
19superintendent of schools of any educational service region
20which is not located in a county which is a home rule unit,
21such vacancy shall be filled within 60 days (i) by appointment
22of the chairman of the county board, with the advice and
23consent of the county board, when such vacancy occurs in a

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1single county educational service region; or (ii) by
2appointment of a committee composed of the chairmen of the
3county boards of those counties comprising the affected
4educational service region when such vacancy occurs in a
5multicounty educational service region, each committeeman to
6be entitled to one vote for each vote that was received in the
7county represented by such committeeman on the committee by
8the regional superintendent of schools whose office is vacant
9at the last election at which a regional superintendent was
10elected to such office, and the person receiving the highest
11number of affirmative votes from the committeemen for such
12vacant office to be deemed the person appointed by such
13committee to fill the vacancy. The appointee shall be a member
14of the same political party as the regional superintendent of
15schools the appointee succeeds was at the time such regional
16superintendent of schools last was elected. The appointee
17shall serve for the remainder of the term. However, if more
18than 28 months remain in that term and the vacancy occurs at
19least 130 days before the next general election, the
20appointment shall be until the next general election, at which
21time the vacated office shall be filled by election for the
22remainder of the term. Nominations shall be made and any
23vacancy in nomination shall be filled as follows:    
24        (1) If the vacancy in office occurs before the first
25 date provided in Section 7-12 of the Election Code for
26 filing nomination papers for county offices for the

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1 primary in the next even-numbered year following
2 commencement of the term of office in which the vacancy
3 occurs, nominations for the election for filling the
4 vacancy shall be made pursuant to Article 7 of the
5 Election Code.    
6        (2) If the vacancy in office occurs during the time
7 provided in Section 7-12 of the Election Code for filing
8 nomination papers for county offices for the primary in
9 the next even-numbered year following commencement of the
10 term of office in which the vacancy occurs, the time for
11 filing nomination papers for the primary shall not be more
12 than 120 91 days nor less than 113 85 days prior to the
13 date of the primary.    
14        (3) If the vacancy in office occurs after the last day
15 provided in Section 7-12 of the Election Code for filing
16 nomination papers for county offices for the primary in
17 the next even-numbered year following commencement of the
18 term of office in which the vacancy occurs, a vacancy in
19 nomination shall be deemed to have occurred and the county
20 central committee of each established political party (if
21 the vacancy occurs in a single county educational service
22 region) or the multi-county educational service region
23 committee of each established political party (if the
24 vacancy occurs in a multi-county educational service
25 region) shall nominate, by resolution, a candidate to fill
26 the vacancy in nomination for election to the office at

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1 the general election. In the nomination proceedings to
2 fill the vacancy in nomination, each member of the county
3 central committee or the multi-county educational service
4 region committee, whichever applies, shall have the voting
5 strength as set forth in Section 7-8 or 7-8.02 of the
6 Election Code, respectively. The name of the candidate so
7 nominated shall not appear on the ballot at the general
8 primary election. The vacancy in nomination shall be
9 filled prior to the date of certification of candidates
10 for the general election.    
11        (4) The resolution to fill the vacancy shall be duly
12 acknowledged before an officer qualified to take
13 acknowledgments of deeds and shall include, upon its face,
14 the following information: (A) the name of the original
15 nominee and the office vacated; (B) the date on which the
16 vacancy occurred; and (C) the name and address of the
17 nominee selected to fill the vacancy and the date of
18 selection. The resolution to fill the vacancy shall be
19 accompanied by a statement of candidacy, as prescribed in
20 Section 7-10 of the Election Code, completed by the
21 selected nominee, a certificate from the State Board of
22 Education, as prescribed in Section 3-1 of this Code, and
23 a receipt indicating that the nominee has filed a
24 statement of economic interests as required by the
25 Illinois Governmental Ethics Act.
26The provisions of Sections 10-8 through 10-10.1 of the

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1Election Code relating to objections to nomination papers,
2hearings on objections, and judicial review shall also apply
3to and govern objections to nomination papers and resolutions
4for filling vacancies in nomination filed pursuant to this
5Section. Unless otherwise specified in this Section, the
6nomination and election provided for in this Section is
7governed by the general election law.
8    Except as otherwise provided by applicable county
9ordinance or by law, if a vacancy occurs in the office of
10regional superintendent of schools of an educational service
11region that is located in a county that is a home rule unit and
12that has a population of less than 2,000,000 inhabitants, that
13vacancy shall be filled by the county board of such home rule
14county.
15    Any person appointed to fill a vacancy in the office of
16regional superintendent of schools of any educational service
17region must possess the qualifications required to be elected
18to the position of regional superintendent of schools, and
19shall obtain a certificate of eligibility from the State
20Superintendent of Education and file same with the county
21clerk of the county in which the regional superintendent's
22office is located.
23    If the regional superintendent of schools is called into
24the active military service of the United States, his office
25shall not be deemed to be vacant, but a temporary appointment
26shall be made as in the case of a vacancy. The appointee shall

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1perform all the duties of the regional superintendent of
2schools during the time the regional superintendent of schools
3is in the active military service of the United States, and
4shall be paid the same compensation apportioned as to the time
5of service, and such appointment and all authority thereunder
6shall cease upon the discharge of the regional superintendent
7of schools from such active military service. The appointee
8shall give the same bond as is required of a regularly elected
9regional superintendent of schools.
10(Source: P.A. 96-893, eff. 7-1-10.)
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