§ 3A-3 — Voluntary consolidation of educational service regions

Any 2 or more educational service regions may be consolidated into a single region in the manner provided in this Section. All of the territory of any educational service region shall be determined by county boundaries, but supervision and control over school districts that are divided by a county line shall be determined under Section 3-14.2 of this Act. Each regional superintendent of a region that does not conform to the population requirements of Section 3A-4 and seeks voluntary consolidation under this Section shall appoint a nonpartisan citizens committee consisting of 5 members to consider the advisability of such a consolidation. Such regional superintendent shall serve as ex officio secretary to the citizens committee. This citizens committee may petition the regional board of school trustees serving each of the regions involved for consolidation of those regions into a single educational service region. When such a petition is filed, the regional board of school trustees shall conduct a hearing on the petition, after notice of the hearing has been published once, not more than 15 nor less than 10 days before the day of the hearing, in a newspaper having general circulation in the region. The secretary of the regional board of school trustees shall also notify the secretary of each school board affected by the proposed consolidation, the chairman of the county board of each county affected thereby and the State Board of Education that such petition has been filed. The notice shall state the date when the petition was filed, the prayer of the petition and the date, time and place of the hearing. Such hearing shall be held jointly by all of the regional boards of school trustees affected by such petition and the State Board of Education shall arrange for such joint hearing and pay the expenses thereof. Evidence admissible at the hearing shall include, but not be limited to, the school needs and conditions in the territory affected by the proposed consolidation, whether or not such area is compact and contiguous; and whether or not the proposed consolidation would be in the best interests of the schools of the area and the educational welfare of the pupils of such schools. At the hearing each resident of the region shall have the rights provided for residents under Section 7-6 and the final order of the regional board of school trustees shall be subject to review as provided in Sections 7-6 and 7-7. Within 10 days after the conclusion of the joint hearing each regional board of school trustees shall meet and render a decision with regard to the hearing on the petition. A copy of the final order of each regional board of school trustees shall be filed with the State Board of Education within 30 days after the conclusion of the joint hearing. If the regional board of school trustees in each of those regions enters an order approving the consolidation, those regions shall be consolidated into a single educational service region, and the State Board of Education shall authorize the establishment of such single educational service region and to notify all interested parties, including the county clerks of the counties affected thereby and the State Board of Elections.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 88-89.)