Bill Text: IL SB2225 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates the Classrooms First Commission. Provides for the membership and support of the Commission. Requires the Commission to make recommendations to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the electorate on the number of school districts in this State and where reorganization and realignment of school districts into unit districts would be beneficial. Sets forth what areas the recommendations must focus on, including drafting recommendations to reduce the statewide total number of school districts through the reorganization of school districts into unit districts. Provides that, on or before May 1, 2024, the Commission must vote on its recommendations and file a report with the Governor and the General Assembly. Provides that if the Commission adopts the recommendations by an affirmative vote of at least 13 of its members, then the Commission's specific recommendations for reorganization of school districts into unit districts shall be filed with the appropriate regional superintendent of schools. Sets forth the regional superintendent's and State Superintendent of Education's duties with respect to the recommendations. Repeals these provisions on January 31, 2026. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2023-03-31 - Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments [SB2225 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB2225-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB2225 Introduced 2/10/2023, by Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/11E-140 new
Creates the Classrooms First Commission. Provides for the membership and support of the Commission. Requires the Commission to make recommendations to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the electorate on the number of school districts in this State and where reorganization and realignment of school districts into unit districts would be beneficial. Sets forth what areas the recommendations must focus on, including drafting recommendations to reduce the statewide total number of school districts through the reorganization of school districts into unit districts. Provides that, on or before May 1, 2024, the Commission must vote on its recommendations and file a report with the Governor and the General Assembly. Provides that if the Commission adopts the recommendations by an affirmative vote of at least 13 of its members, then the Commission's specific recommendations for reorganization of school districts into unit districts shall be filed with the appropriate regional superintendent of schools. Sets forth the regional superintendent's and State Superintendent of Education's duties with respect to the recommendations. Repeals these provisions on January 31, 2026. Effective immediately.
LRB103 30694 RJT 57167 b
A BILL FOR
SB2225 LRB103 30694 RJT 57167 b
AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. This Act may be referred to as the Classrooms
First Act.
Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
11E-140 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/11E-140 new)
Sec. 11E-140. Classrooms First Commission.
(a) The Classrooms First Commission is created. The
Commission shall consist of all of the following voting
members:
(1) one member appointed by the Governor, who shall
serve as the chairperson;
(2) one member appointed by the State Board of
Education;
(3) one member appointed by the Speaker of the House
of Representatives;
(4) one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the
House of Representatives;
(5) one member appointed by the President of the
Senate;

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(6) one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the
Senate;
(7) a representative appointed by the head of the
largest statewide professional teachers' organization, as
measured by the number of members reported in its most
recent federal Form LM-2 Labor Organization Annual Report;
(8) a representative appointed by the head of the
second largest statewide professional teachers'
organization, as measured by the number of members
reported in its most recent federal Form LM-2 Labor
Organization Annual Report;
(9) a representative appointed by the head of an
organization that represents school boards, appointed by
the head of that organization;
(10) a representative appointed by the head of a
statewide organization that represents school principals,
appointed by the head of that organization;
(11) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
administrator employed by a school located in the West
Cook region of the State Board of Education's Statewide
System of Support Fiscal Agents (Region 1-B-B), appointed
by the chairperson of the Commission;
(12) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
administrator employed by a school located in the South
Cook region of the State Board of Education's Statewide
System of Support Fiscal Agents (Region 1-B-C), appointed

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by the chairperson of the Commission;
(13) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
administrator employed by a school located in the North
Cook region of the State Board of Education's Statewide
System of Support Fiscal Agents (Region 1-B-D), appointed
by the chairperson of the Commission;
(14) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
administrator employed by a school located in the
Northeast region of the State Board of Education's
Statewide System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 1-C),
appointed by the chairperson of the Commission;
(15) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
administrator employed by a school located in the
Northwest region of the State Board of Education's
Statewide System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 2),
appointed by the chairperson of the Commission;
(16) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
administrator employed by a school located in the West
Central region of the State Board of Education's Statewide
System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 3), appointed by the
chairperson of the Commission;
(17) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
administrator employed by a school located in the East
Central region of the State Board of Education's Statewide
System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 4), appointed by the
chairperson of the Commission;

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(18) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
administrator employed by a school located in the
Southwest region of the State Board of Education's
Statewide System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 5),
appointed by the chairperson of the Commission;
(19) a parent of a child enrolled in or a teacher or an
administrator employed by a school located in the
Southeast region of the State Board of Education's
Statewide System of Support Fiscal Agents (Area 6),
appointed by the chairperson of the Commission;
(20) a representative appointed by the head of an
association that represents school business officials;
(21) a representative appointed by the head of an
association that represents school administrators;
(22) a representative appointed by the head of an
association that represents administrators of special
education;
(23) a representative appointed by the head of a
statewide parent organization;
(24) a representative appointed by the head of an
organization that represents high school districts; and
(25) a representative appointed by the head of an
association that represents regional superintendents of
schools.
Members shall serve without compensation, but shall be
reimbursed for their reasonable and necessary expenses from

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funds appropriated for that purpose. Members shall be
reimbursed for their travel expenses from appropriations to
the State Board of Education available for that purpose and
subject to the rules of the appropriate travel control board.
The Commission shall meet at the call of the Chairperson, with
the initial meeting of the Commission being held within 90
days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
103rd General Assembly, and shall hold public hearings
throughout this State, including at least one hearing in each
of the nine school district support regions that do not
include Chicago (Region 1-A). The State Board of Education
shall provide assistance and necessary staff support services
to the Commission.
(b) The purpose of the Commission is to make
recommendations to the electorate, the Governor, and the
General Assembly on whether the number of school districts in
this State is appropriate and whether reorganization and
realignment of those districts would be beneficial. The
Commission's recommendations must take into consideration the
school needs and conditions of the affected districts and in
the area adjacent to the district, the division of funds and
assets that will result from the action described in the
petition, the best interests of the schools of the area, and
the best interests and the educational welfare of the pupils
residing in the district, and shall focus on all of the
following areas:

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(1) reducing the money spent on the duplication of
efforts;
(2) improving the education of students by having
fewer obstacles between qualified teachers and their
students;
(3) lowering the property tax burden;
(4) providing recommendations on what the net cost
savings of realignment is to this State;
(5) with a view toward reducing unnecessary
administrative costs, improving the education of students
and lowering the property tax burden, drafting specific
recommendations to reduce the statewide total number of
school districts by no less than 25% through the
reorganization of school districts into unit districts as
provided by Section 11E-25. Each recommendation under this
paragraph (5) must include all of the following:
(A) a request to submit a proposition at the next
general election for the purpose of voting for or
against the establishment of a combined unit district;
(B) a description of the territory comprising the
districts proposed to be dissolved and those to be
consolidated into unit districts, which, for an entire
district, may be a general reference to all of the
territory included within that district; and
(C) a specification of the maximum tax rates the
proposed unit district or districts are authorized to

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levy for various purposes and, if applicable, the
specifications related to the Property Tax Extension
Limitation Law, in accordance with Section 11E-80.
The Commission may not make any recommendations under this
subsection that would provide for the consolidation of
individual schools.
(c) On or before May 1, 2024, Commission must vote on its
recommendations and file a report with the Governor and the
General Assembly. If the Commission adopts the report by an
affirmative vote of at least 13 of its members, then the
Commission's specific recommendations for reorganization of
school districts into unit districts under paragraph (5) of
subsection (b) shall be filed with the appropriate regional
superintendent of schools in the same form as petitions filed
under Section 11E-35. A copy of the Commission's specific
recommendations shall be provided to the regional
superintendent of schools of each educational service region
situated in the territory described in the specific
recommendation or that part of the territory in which the
greater percentage of equalized assessed valuation is
situated. Petitions submitted by the Commission under this
Section shall be treated as properly filed petitions under
Section 11E-35, but the petitions submitted are not subject to
the requirements under subsection (a) of Section 11E-35.
(d) Upon receiving the filed petition as provided in
subsection (c) from the regional superintendent of schools,

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each school board of the affected school districts shall
publish a copy of the petition on its official Internet
website, if available, with a link to the recommendation shown
prominently on the homepage of the website until the date of
the next upcoming general election.
(e) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of Section 11E-50,
within 14 days after the conclusion of the hearing under
Section 11E-45 regarding a petition filed by the Classrooms
First Commission, the regional superintendent shall, upon
determining that the petition is in compliance with all
applicable requirements set forth in the Election Code,
through a written order, approve the petition, or, if the
regional superintendent determines that the amended petition
is not in compliance with the Election Code, the regional
superintendent shall deny the petition.
(f) Notwithstanding subsection (b) of Section 11E-50,
within 21 days after the receipt of the regional
superintendent's decision regarding a petition filed by the
Classrooms First Commission under this Section, the State
Superintendent of Education shall, upon determining that the
petition is in compliance with all applicable requirements set
forth in the Election Code, through a written order, approve
the petition, or, if the State Superintendent determines that
the amended petition is not in compliance with the Election
Code, the State Superintendent shall deny the petition.
(g) The Classrooms First Commission shall serve as and

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take on the responsibilities of the designated Committee of
Ten for the purposes of petitions filed under this Section,
except that notwithstanding paragraph (10) of subsection (a)
of Section 11E-35, any amendments to petitions filed by the
Commission and any binding stipulations made to any question
with respect to a petition under this Section shall be made by
at least 13 members of the Commission.
(h) Incentive payments required under Section 11E-135
shall be made for the purposes of this Section, subject to
appropriation by the General Assembly. The failure of the
General Assembly to appropriate incentive payment funds under
Section 11E-135 shall not be a bar to reorganization under
this Section.
(i) This Section is repealed on January 31, 2026.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.