When a petition for emergency financial assistance for a school district is allowed by the State Board under Section 1B-4, the State Superintendent shall within 10 days thereafter appoint 3 members to serve at the State Superintendent's pleasure on a Financial Oversight Panel for the district. The State Superintendent shall designate one of the members of the Panel to serve as its Chairman. In the event of vacancy or resignation the State Superintendent shall appoint a successor within 10 days of receiving notice thereof. Members of the Panel shall be selected primarily on the basis of their experience and education in financial management, with consideration given to persons knowledgeable in education finance. A member of the Panel may not be a board member or employee of the district for
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When a petition for emergency financial assistance for a school district is allowed by the State Board under Section 1B-4, the State Superintendent shall within 10 days thereafter appoint 3 members to serve at the State Superintendent's pleasure on a Financial Oversight Panel for the district. The State Superintendent shall designate one of the members of the Panel to serve as its Chairman. In the event of vacancy or resignation the State Superintendent shall appoint a successor within 10 days of receiving notice thereof. Members of the Panel shall be selected primarily on the basis of their experience and education in financial management, with consideration given to persons knowledgeable in education finance. A member of the Panel may not be a board member or employee of the district for which the Panel is constituted, nor may a member have a direct financial interest in that district. Panel members shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for travel and other necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties by the State Board. The amount reimbursed Panel members for their expenses shall be charged to the school district as part of any emergency financial assistance and incorporated as a part of the terms and conditions for repayment of such assistance or shall be deducted from the district's general State aid or evidence-based funding as provided in Section 1B-8. The first meeting of the Panel shall be held at the call of the Chairman. The Panel may elect such other officers as it deems appropriate. The Panel shall prescribe the times and places for its meetings and the manner in which regular and special meetings may be called, and shall comply with the Open Meetings Act. Two members of the Panel shall constitute a quorum, and the affirmative vote of 2 members shall be necessary for any decision or action to be taken by the Panel. The Panel and the State Superintendent shall cooperate with each other in the exercise of their respective powers. The Panel shall report not later than September 1 annually to the State Board and the State Superintendent with respect to its activities and the condition of the school district for the previous fiscal year. Any Financial Oversight Panel established under this Article shall remain in existence for not less than 3 years nor more than 10 years from the date the State Board grants the petition under Section 1B-4. If after 3 years the school district has repaid all of its obligations resulting from emergency State financial assistance provided under this Article and has improved its financial situation, the board of education may, not more frequently than once in any 12 month period, petition the State Board to dissolve the Financial Oversight Panel, terminate the oversight responsibility, and remove the district's certification under Section 1A-8 as a district in financial difficulty. In acting on such a petition the State Board shall give additional weight to the recommendations of the State Superintendent and the Financial Oversight Panel.