Article 10 - School Boards


      (105 ILCS 5/Art. 10 heading)
ARTICLE 10. SCHOOL BOARDS

    (105 ILCS 5/10‑1)(from Ch. 122, par. 10‑1)
    Sec. 10‑1. Board of school directors.
    (a) School districts having a population of fewer than 1000 inhabitants and not governed by any special act shall be governed by a board of school directors to consist of 3 members who shall be elected in the manner provided in Article 9 of this Act. In consolidated districts and in districts in which the membership of the board of school directors is increased as provided in subsection (b), 7 members shall be so elected.
    (b) Upon presentment to the board of school directors of a school district having a population of fewer than 1,000 inhabitants of a petition signed by the lesser of 5% or 25 of the registered voters of the district to increase the membership of the district's board of school directors to 7 directors and to elect a new 7‑member board of school directors to replace the district's existing board of 3 school directors, the clerk or secretary of the board of school directors shall certify the proposition to the proper election authorities for submission to the electors of the district at a regular scheduled election in accordance with the general election law. If the proposition is approved by a majority of those voting on the proposition, the members of the board of school directors of that district thereafter shall be elected in the manner provided by subsection (c) of Section 10‑4.
    (c) A board of school directors may appoint a student to the board to serve in an advisory capacity. The student member shall serve for a term as determined by the board. The board may not grant the student member any voting privileges, but shall consider the student member as an advisor. The student member may not participate in or attend any executive session of the board.
(Source: P.A. 94‑231, eff. 7‑14‑05.)

    (105 ILCS 5/10‑2) (from Ch. 122, par. 10‑2)
    Sec. 10‑2. Corporate powers.
    The directors of each district shall be a body politic and corporate, by the name of "school directors of district No. ...., county of .... and State of Illinois," and by that name may sue and be sued in all courts and places where judicial proceedings are had.
(Source: Laws 1961, p. 31.)

    (105 ILCS 5/10‑3) (from Ch. 122, par. 10‑3)
    Sec. 10‑3. Eligibility of directors. Any person who, on the date of his or her election, is a citizen of the United States, of the age of 18 years or over, is a resident of the State and of the territory of the district for at least one year immediately preceding his or her election, is a registered voter as provided in the general election law, is not a school trustee or a school treasurer, and is not a child sex offender as defined in Section 11‑9.3 of the Criminal Code of 1961 shall be eligible to the office of school director.
(Source: P.A. 93‑309, eff. 1‑1‑04.)

    (105 ILCS 5/10‑4) (from Ch. 122, par. 10‑4)
    Sec. 10‑4. Election of directors.
    (a) In all districts, directors shall be elected in each odd‑numbered year, each for a term of 4 years.
    (b) In consolidated districts where 5 directors are elected in 1981 pursuant to the extension of terms provided by law for transition to the consolidated election schedule under the general election law, those directors elected shall, by lot, determine 2 of their number to serve 2 years and 3 to serve 4 years; their successors shall serve for a 4 year term.
    (c) If a proposition to increase the membership of a school district's board of school directors to 7 directors and to elect a new 7‑member board of school directors to replace the district's existing board of 3 school directors is approved by the electors of the district at a regular scheduled election as provided in subsection (b) of Section 10‑1, 7 members shall be elected at the next regular school election, in the manner provided by Article 9, to serve as the board of school directors of that district. The terms of office of the 3 members of the board of school directors serving at the time of the election of the initial 7‑member board of school directors shall expire when the 7 newly elected members of the initial 7‑member board of school directors assume office and are organized as provided in Section 10‑5. At their organizational meeting, the initial members of the 7‑member board of school directors shall by lot determine 4 of their number to serve 4 year terms and 3 of their number to serve 2 year terms. Their successors shall serve for a 4 year term.
    (d) In all other districts, one school director shall be elected in each district every other odd‑numbered year, and two school directors shall be elected in the intervening odd‑numbered years.
    (e) When a vacancy occurs in the membership of any board of school directors the remaining members shall, within 30 days, fill the vacancy by appointment until the next regular school election, or, upon their failure so to do, the regional superintendent shall make such appointment within the next 30 days to fill the vacancy as herein provided. Upon the regional superintendent's failure to fill the vacancy, the vacancy shall be filled at the next regularly scheduled election.
(Source: P.A. 90‑757, eff. 8‑14‑98.)

    (105 ILCS 5/10‑5) (from Ch. 122, par. 10‑5)
    Sec. 10‑5. Organization of board ‑ Report to treasurer and regional superintendent of schools. Within 28 days after the regular election of directors, the directors shall meet and organize by appointing one of their number president and another as clerk, except that when directors are elected at the consolidated elections in April of 1999 and April of 2001, the directors shall meet and organize, in the manner provided by this Section, within 7 days after the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in each of those 2 years. The clerk shall at once report to the treasurer and regional superintendent of schools the names of the president and clerk so appointed. Upon organizing itself as provided in this Section, the board of school directors shall enter upon the discharge of its duties. Terms of members are subject to Section 2A‑54 of the Election Code, except as otherwise limited by subsection (c) of Section 10‑4.
(Source: P.A. 93‑847, eff. 7‑30‑04.)

    (105 ILCS 5/10‑6) (from Ch. 122, par. 10‑6)
    Sec. 10‑6. Regular and special meetings. The directors shall hold regular meetings at such times as they may designate, and special meetings at the call of the president or of any 2 members. Public notice of meetings must be given as prescribed in Sections 2.02 and 2.03 of the Open Meetings Act. No official business shall be transacted by the directors except at a regular or a special meeting. In consolidated districts and in districts electing a 7‑member board of school directors under subsection (c) of Section 10‑4, 4 directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. In all other districts 2 directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. If the president or clerk is absent from any meeting or refuses to perform his duties, a president or clerk pro tempore shall be appointed. At each regular and special meeting which is open to the public, members of the public and employees of the district shall be afforded time, subject to reasonable constraints, to comment to or ask questions of the board. When the president or district superintendent of schools receives a written correspondence from a resident within the school district's territory, requesting the consideration of a matter before the board, the author of the correspondence shall receive a formal written statement from an appointed official of the board stating the board's position on their request, no later than 60 days from the receipt of the correspondence by the president or district superintendent of schools. The formal written response from the board shall establish a meeting before the board or list the reasons for denying the request.
(Source: P.A. 90‑757, eff. 8‑14‑98.)

    (105 ILCS 5/10‑7)(from Ch. 122, par. 10‑7)
    Sec. 10‑7. Secretary or clerk to record official acts ‑ yeas and nays on expenditures. The secretary or clerk shall keep in a punctual, orderly and reliable manner a record of the official acts of the board which shall be signed by the president and the secretary or clerk, and submitted to the treasurer having custody of the funds of the district for his inspection and approval at such times as the treasurer may require. On all questions involving the expenditure of money, the yeas and nays shall be taken and entered on the records of the proceedings of the board. The secretary or clerk shall keep the minutes and, if the district is not required to employ a superintendent, keep or cause to be kept the financial records of the school district.
(Source: P.A. 96‑998, eff. 7‑2‑10.)

    (105 ILCS 5/10‑8) (from Ch. 122, par. 10‑8)
    Sec. 10‑8. Report by secretary or clerk to treasurer.
    On or before July 7 annually, the secretary or clerk shall report to the treasurer having the custody of the funds of his district, such statistics and other information in relation to the schools of his district as the treasurer is required to include in his report to the regional superintendent of schools.
(Source: P.A. 80‑279.)

    (105 ILCS 5/10‑9)(from Ch. 122, par. 10‑9)
    Sec. 10‑9. Interest of board member in contracts.
    (a) No school board member shall be interested, directly or indirectly, in his own name or in the name of any other person, association, trust or corporation, in any contract, work or business of the district or in the sale of any article, whenever the expense, price or consideration of the contract, work, business or sale is paid either from the treasury or by any assessment levied by any statute or ordinance. A school board member shall not be deemed interested if the board member is an employee of a business that is involved in the transaction of business with the school district, provided that the board member has no financial interests other than as an employee. No school board member shall be interested, directly or indirectly, in the purchase of any property which (1) belongs to the district, or (2) is sold for taxes or assessments, or (3) is sold by virtue of legal process at the suit of the district.
    (b) However, any board member may provide materials, merchandise, property, services or labor, if:
        A. the contract is with a person, firm, partnership,
    association, corporation or cooperative association in which the board member has less than a 7 1/2% share in the ownership; and
        B. such interested board member publicly discloses
    the nature and extent of his interest prior to or during deliberations concerning the proposed award of the contract; and
        C. such interested board member abstains from voting
    on the award of the contract, though he shall be considered present for the purposes of establishing a quorum; and
        D. such contract is approved by a majority vote of
    those board members presently holding office; and
        E. the contract is awarded after sealed bids to the
    lowest responsible bidder if the amount of the contract exceeds $1500, or awarded without bidding if the amount of the contract is less than $1500; and
        F. the award of the contract would not cause the
    aggregate amount of all such contracts so awarded to the same person, firm, association, partnership, corporation or cooperative association in the same fiscal year to exceed $25,000.
    (c) In addition to the above exemption, any board member may provide materials, merchandise, property, services or labor if:
        A. the award of the contract is approved by a
    majority vote of the board provided that any such interested member shall abstain from voting; and
        B. the amount of the contract does not exceed $1,000;
    and
        C. the award of the contract would not cause the
    aggregate amount of all such contracts so awarded to the same person, firm, association, partnership, corporation, or cooperative association in the same fiscal year to exceed $2,000, except with respect to a board member of a school district in which the materials, merchandise, property, services, or labor to be provided under the contract are not available from any other person, firm, association, partnership, corporation, or cooperative association in the district, in which event the award of the contract shall not cause the aggregate amount of all contracts so awarded to that same person, firm, association, partnership, or cooperative association in the same fiscal year to exceed $5,000; and
        D. such interested member publicly discloses the
    nature and extent of his interest prior to or during deliberations concerning the proposed award of the contract; and
        E. such interested member abstains from voting on the
    award of the contract, though he shall be considered present for the purposes of establishing a quorum.
    (d) In addition to exemptions otherwise authorized by this Section, any board member may purchase for use as the board member's primary place of residence a house constructed by the district's vocational education students on the same basis that any other person would be entitled to purchase the property. The sale of the house by the district must comply with the requirements set forth in Section 5‑22 of The School Code.
    (e) A contract for the procurement of public utility services by a district with a public utility company is not barred by this Section by one or more members of the board being an officer or employee of the public utility company or holding an ownership interest of no more than 7 1/2% in the public utility company, or holding an ownership interest of any size if the school district has a population of less than 7,500 and the public utility's rates are approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission. An elected or appointed member of the board having such an interest shall be deemed not to have a prohibited interest under this Section.
    (f) Nothing contained in this Section, including the restrictions set forth in subsections (b), (c), (d) and (e), shall preclude a contract of deposit of monies, loans or other financial services by a school district with a local bank or local savings and loan association, regardless of whether a member or members of the governing body of the school district are interested in such bank or savings and loan association as an officer or employee or as a holder of less than 7 1/2% of the total ownership interest. A member or members holding such an interest in such a contract shall not be deemed to be holding a prohibited interest for purposes of this Act. Such interested member or members of the governing body must publicly state the nature and extent of their interest during deliberations concerning the proposed award of such a contract, but shall not participate in any further deliberations concerning the proposed award. Such interested member or members shall not vote on such a proposed award. Any member or members abstaining from participation in deliberations and voting under this Section may be considered present for purposes of establishing a quorum. Award of such a contract shall require approval by a majority vote of those members presently holding office. Consideration and award of any such contract in which a member or members are interested may only be made at a regularly scheduled public meeting of the governing body of the school district.
    (g) Any school board member who violates this Section is guilty of a Class 4 felony and in addition thereto any office held by such person so convicted shall become vacant and shall be so declared as part of the judgment of the court.
(Source: P.A. 96‑998, eff. 7‑2‑10.)

    (105 ILCS 5/10‑10)(from Ch. 122, par. 10‑10)
    Sec. 10‑10. Board of education; Term; Vacancy. All school districts having a population of not fewer than 1,000 and not more than 500,000 inhabitants, as ascertained by any special or general census, and not governed by special Acts, shall be governed by a board of education consisting of 7 members, serving without compensation except as herein provided. Each member shall be elected for a term of 4 years for the initial members of the board of education of a combined school district to which that subsection applies. If 5 members are elected in 1983 pursuant to the extension of terms provided by law for transition to the consolidated election schedule under the general election law, 2 of those members shall be elected to serve terms of 2 years and 3 shall be elected to serve terms of 4 years; their successors shall serve for a 4 year term. When the voters of a district have voted to elect members of the board of education for 6 year terms, as provided in Section 9‑5, the terms of office of members of the board of education of that district expire when their successors assume office but not later than 7 days after such election. If at the regular school election held in the first odd‑numbered year after the determination to elect members for 6 year terms 2 members are elected, they shall serve for a 6 year term; and of the members elected at the next regular school election 3 shall serve for a term of 6 years and 2 shall serve a term of 2 years. Thereafter members elected in such districts shall be elected to a 6 year term. If at the regular school election held in the first odd‑numbered year after the determination to elect members for 6 year terms 3 members are elected, they shall serve for a 6 year term; and of the members elected at the next regular school election 2 shall serve for a term of 2 years and 2 shall serve for a term of 6 years. Thereafter members elected in such districts shall be elected to a 6 year term. If at the regular school election held in the first odd‑numbered year after the determination to elect members for 6 year terms 4 members are elected, 3 shall serve for a term of 6 years and one shall serve for a term of 2 years; and of the members elected at the next regular school election 2 shall serve for terms of 6 years and 2 shall serve for terms of 2 years. Thereafter members elected in such districts shall be elected to a 6 year term. If at the regular school election held in the first odd‑numbered year after the determination to elect members for a 6 year term 5 members are elected, 3 shall serve for a term of 6 years and 2 shall serve for a term of 2 years; and of the members elected at the next regular school election 2 shall serve for terms of 6 years and 2 shall serve for terms of 2 years. Thereafter members elected in such districts shall be elected to a 6 year term. An election for board members shall not be held in school districts which by consolidation, annexation or otherwise shall cease to exist as a school district within 6 months after the election date, and the term of all board members which would otherwise terminate shall be continued until such district shall cease to exist. Each member, on the date of his or her election, shall be a citizen of the United States of the age of 18 years or over, shall be a resident of the State and the territory of the district for at least one year immediately preceding his or her election, shall be a registered voter as provided in the general election law, shall not be a school trustee, and shall not be a child sex offender as defined in Section 11‑9.3 of the Criminal Code of 1961. When the board of education is the successor of the school directors, all rights of property, and all rights regarding causes of action existing or vested in such directors, shall vest in it as fully as they were vested in the school directors. Terms of members are subject to Section 2A‑54 of the Election Code.
    Nomination papers filed under this Section are not valid unless the candidate named therein files with the secretary of the board of education or with a person designated by the board to receive nominating petitions a receipt from the county clerk showing that the candidate has filed a statement of economic interests as required by the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act. Such receipt shall be so filed either previously during the calendar year in which his nomination papers were filed or within the period for the filing of nomination papers in accordance with the general election law.
    Whenever a vacancy occurs, the remaining members shall notify the regional superintendent of that vacancy within 5 days after its occurrence and shall proceed to fill the vacancy until the next regular school election, at which election a successor shall be elected to serve the remainder of the unexpired term. However, if the vacancy occurs with less than 868 days remaining in the term, or if the vacancy occurs less than 88 days before the next regularly scheduled election for this office then the person so appointed shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term, and no election to fill the vacancy shall be held. Should they fail so to act, within 45 days after the vacancy occurs, the regional superintendent of schools under whose supervision and control the district is operating, as defined in Section 3‑14.2 of this Act, shall within 30 days after the remaining members have failed to fill the vacancy, fill the vacancy as provided for herein. Upon the regional superintendent's failure to fill the vacancy, the vacancy shall be filled at the next regularly scheduled election. Whether elected or appointed by the remaining members or regional superintendent, the successor shall be an inhabitant of the particular area from which his or her predecessor was elected if the residential requirements contained in Section 10‑10.5 or 12‑2 of this Code apply.
    A board of education may appoint a student to the board to serve in an advisory capacity. The student member shall serve for a term as determined by the board. The board may not grant the student member any voting privileges, but shall consider the student member as an advisor. The student member may not participate in or attend any executive session of the board.
(Source: P.A. 96‑538, eff. 8‑14‑09.)

    (105 ILCS 5/10‑10.5)
    Sec. 10‑10.5. Community unit school district or combined school district formation; school board election.
    (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b) of this Section, for community unit school districts formed before January 1, 1975 and for combined school districts formed before July 1, 1983, the following provisions apply:
        (1) if the territory of the district is greater than
     2 congressional townships or 72 square miles, then not more than 3 board members may be selected from any one congressional township, except that congressional townships of less than 100 inhabitants shall not be considered for the purpose of this mandatory board representation;
        (2) if in the community unit school district or
     combined school district at least 75% but not more than 90% of the population is in one congressional township, then 4 board members shall be selected from the congressional township and 3 board members shall be selected from the rest of the district, except that if in the community unit school district or combined school district more than 90% of the population is in one congressional township, then all board members may be selected from one or more congressional townships; and
        (3) if the territory of any community unit school
     district or combined school district consists of not more than 2 congressional townships or 72 square miles, but consists of more than one congressional township or 36 square miles, outside of the corporate limits of any city, village, or incorporated town within the school district, then not more than 5 board members may be selected from any city, village, or incorporated town in the school district.
    (b)(1) The provisions of subsection (a) of this Section
     for mandatory board representation shall no longer apply to a community unit school district formed before January 1, 1975, to a combined school district formed before July 1, 1983, or to community consolidated school districts, and the members of the board of education shall be elected at large from within the school district and without restriction by area of residence within the district if both of the following conditions are met with respect to that district:
        (A) A proposition for the election of board members
     at large and without restriction by area of residence within the school district rather than in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section for mandatory board representation is submitted to the school district's voters at a regular school election or at the general election as provided in this subsection (b).
        (B) A majority of those voting at the election in
     each congressional township comprising the territory of the school district, including any congressional township of less than 100 inhabitants, vote in favor of the proposition.
        (2) The school board may, by resolution, order
     submitted or, upon the petition of the lesser of 2,500 or 5% of the school district's registered voters, shall order submitted to the school district's voters, at a regular school election or at the general election, the proposition for the election of board members at large and without restriction by area of residence within the district rather than in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section for mandatory board representation; and the proposition shall thereupon be certified by the board's secretary for submission.
        (3) If a majority of those voting at the election in
     each congressional township comprising the territory of the school district, including any congressional township of less than 100 inhabitants, vote in favor of the proposition:
            (A) the proposition to elect board members at
         large and without restriction by area of residence within the district shall be deemed to have passed,
            (B) new members of the board shall be elected at
         large and without restriction by area of residence within the district at the next regular school election, and
            (C) the terms of office of the board members
         incumbent at the time the proposition is adopted shall expire when the new board members that are elected at large and without restriction by area of residence within the district have organized in accordance with Section 10‑16.
        (4) In a community unit school district, a combined
     school district, or a community consolidated school district that formerly elected its members under subsection (a) of this Section to successive terms not exceeding 4 years, the members elected at large and without restriction by area of residence within the district shall be elected for a term of 4 years, and in a community unit school district or combined school district that formerly elected its members under subsection (a) of this Section to successive terms not exceeding 6 years, the members elected at large and without restriction by area of residence within the district shall be elected for a term of 6 years; provided that in each case the terms of the board members initially elected at large and without restriction by area of residence within the district as provided in this subsection (b) shall be staggered and determined in accordance with the provisions of Sections 10‑10 and 10‑16 of this Code.
(Source: P.A. 94‑1019, eff. 7‑10‑06.)

    (105 ILCS 5/10‑11)(from Ch. 122, par. 10‑11)
    Sec. 10‑11. Vacancies. Elective offices become vacant within the meaning of the Act, unless the context indicates otherwise, on the happening of any of the following events, before the expiration of the term of such office:
        1. The death of the incumbent.
        2. His or her resignation in writing filed with the
     Secretary or Clerk of the Board.
        3. His or her becoming a person under legal
     disability.
        4. His or her ceasing to be an inhabitant of the
     district for which he or she was elected.
        5. His or her conviction of an infamous crime, of any
     offense involving a violation of official oath, or of a violent crime against a child.
        6. His or her removal from office.
        7. The decision of a competent tribunal declaring his
     or her election void.
        8. His ceasing to be an inhabitant of a particular
     area from which he was elected, if the residential requirements contained in Section 10‑10.5, 11E‑35, or 12‑2 of this Code are violated.
    No elective office except as herein otherwise provided becomes vacant until the successor of the incumbent of such office has been appointed or elected, as the case may be, and qualified. The successor shall have the same type of residential qualifications as his or her predecessor and, if the residential requirements contained in Section 10‑10.5, 11E‑35, or 12‑2 of this Code apply, the successor, whether elected or appointed by the remaining members or a regional superintendent, shall be an inhabitant of the particular area from which his or her predecessor was elected.
(Source: P.A. 94‑1019, eff. 7‑10‑06.)

    (105 ILCS 5/10‑12) (from Ch. 122, par. 10‑12)
    Sec. 10‑12. Quorum.
    A majority of the full membership of the board of education shall constitute a quorum. Unless otherwise provided, when a vote is taken upon any measure before the board, a quorum being present, a majority of the votes of the members voting on the measure shall determine the outcome thereof.
(Source: Laws 1961, p. 31.)

    (105 ILCS 5/10‑13) (from Ch. 122, par. 10‑13)
    Sec. 10‑13. President of board of education. The president of the board of education shall be elected by the members thereof from among their number and serve for 2 years, except that the board by resolution may establish a policy for the term of office to be one year.
    He shall preside at all meetings and shall perform such duties as are imposed upon him by law or by action of the board of education. If he is absent from any meeting or refuses to perform his duties, a president pro tempore shall be appointed. The vice‑president of the board, if the board elects such officer, shall be appointed the president pro tempore.
(Source: P.A. 84‑497.)

    (105 ILCS 5/10‑13.1) (from Ch. 122, par. 10‑13.1)
    Sec. 10‑13.1. Vice‑President of the board of education. A vice‑president of the board of education shall be elected by the members thereof from among their number and serve for 2 years, except that the board by resolution may establish a policy for the term of office to be one year.
    The vice‑president shall perform the duties of the president if there is a vacancy in the office of president or in case of the president's absence or inability to act, and other duties imposed upon him by the rules of the board.Contact Us | About Us | Terms | Privacy