HR0201 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0201 LRB094 10545 NHT 42634 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Governor's Office of Management and Budget is requiring negotiations with existing regional superintendents of schools to abolish some of the statutorily created Regional Offices of Education without General Assembly input; and

WHEREAS, The Governor's Office of Management and Budget and the State Board of Education are pursuing a new regional map showing the reduction of Regional Offices of Education without General Assembly input; and

WHEREAS, The elected office of the Regional Superintendent of Schools is statutorily created in Articles 3 and 3A of the School Code; any changes to the number, duties, and responsibilities of the regional superintendents can only be realized with General Assembly action; and

WHEREAS, The Regional Superintendent is the direct successor of the Commissioner of School Lands; and

WHEREAS, In 1829, the Sixth General Assembly made it the duty of the body known as the County Board to appoint a competent and responsible person to act as commissioner and agent for the county in the sale of public lands; in 1841, the General Assembly changed the title to County Commissioner, an ex-officio county superintendent of schools; in 1865, the General Assembly called for the election of the county superintendent of schools; and

WHEREAS, Until 1973, there were 102 County Superintendents in Illinois, one for each county; by the consolidation of smaller counties into regions, that number was reduced by the General Assembly to 78; in 1977, further consolidation of smaller counties reduced the number of regions to 57; in 1994, the General Assembly eliminated the office of the Regional Superintendent in Cook County as of June 30, 1994; subsequent General Assembly action allowed for its reinstatement on August 7, 1995; In 1995, the General Assembly reduced the 57 Educational Service Regions to 45; and

WHEREAS, Section 3-1 of the School Code states: "Quadrennially there shall be elected in every county...a regional superintendent of schools, who shall enter upon the discharge of his duties on the first Monday of August next after his election"; and

WHEREAS, Section 3A-1 of the School Code states: "Each county of the State shall, except as otherwise provided in this Article, be designated as an educational service region"; and

WHEREAS, Section 3A-2 of the School Code states: "The chief administrative officer of an educational service region shall be designated and referred to as 'Regional Superintendent of Schools' or 'regional superintendent.' Such person shall, in his region, have the powers and duties and perform the functions required of or exercisable by a county superintendent of schools, except as otherwise provided by law."; and

WHEREAS, Section 3-0.01 of the School Code states: "the chief administrative officer of an educational service region shall be designated and referred to as the 'regional superintendent of schools' or the 'regional superintendent' and...the office held by the chief administrative officer shall be designated and referred to as the 'regional office of education'"; and

WHEREAS, Section 3-2.5 of the School Code states: "the regional superintendents of schools shall receive for their services an annual salary according to the population, as determined by the last preceding federal census, of the region they serve, as set out in the following schedule.... The salary that the regional superintendent of schools receives for his or her services shall be adjusted annually to reflect the percentage increase, if any, in the most recent Consumer Price Index..., except that no annual increment may exceed 2.9%.... When regional superintendents are authorized by the School Code to appoint assistant regional superintendents, the assistant regional superintendent shall receive an annual salary based on his or her qualifications and computed as a percentage of the salary of the regional superintendent to whom he or she is assistant, as set out in the following schedule.... The salaries provided in this Section for regional superintendents and assistant regional superintendents are payable monthly from the Common School Fund."; and

WHEREAS, Section 3-14.2 of the School Code states: "The county superintendent of schools shall exercise supervision and control over all school districts within the county."; and

WHEREAS, Section 3A-4 of the School Code states: "After October 15, 1993, each region must contain at least 43,000 inhabitants.... If locally determined consolidation decisions result in more than 45 regions of population greater than 43,000 each, the State Board of Education shall direct further consolidation, beginning with the region of lowest population, until the number of 45 regions is achieved."; and

WHEREAS, The Governor's Office of Management and Budget is not authorized to change the number and responsibilities of the regional superintendents; and

WHEREAS, Before any changes are considered to the School Code in relation to regional superintendents, the General Assembly should focus on what is in the best interest of students, teachers, and parents; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the House Appropriations - Elementary & Secondary Education Committee shall hold subject matter hearings with regard to the regional delivery of educational services and that the Committee's chairperson shall post notice of each hearing as provided under House Rule 21; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Committee shall receive testimony on the current structure of regional delivery of educational services and that issues that should be examined include teacher professional development activities, teacher certification services, life-safety inspections, and other statutory regional office of education responsibilities and duties; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Committee shall report its findings and recommendations on regional superintendent service delivery to the House of Representatives by filing a copy of its report with the Clerk of the House no later than January 1, 2006.