SPRINGFIELD – Sen. John Sullivan (D-Rushville) and
Rep. Norine Hammond (R- Macomb) announced that their legislation to update the
school board election process (SB 82) has passed both the Illinois Senate and
House and will now go to the Governor Rauner.
SB 82 allows an additional option
for school districts to pass referendums to move to at-large voting for local
school board elections. Many school
districts in Illinois have a form of at-large voting which limits the number of
school board members that can come from any one township. In rural districts
which contain more than one township, this restriction can severely restrict
the pool of potential members. Under the
reform proposed by Sullivan and Hammond, a referendum could pass with a simple
majority of those voting in each township (as it is under current law); or if
2/3 (66%) of all those voting in the district pass the referendum.
“At its heart this is about
ensuring voters are properly represented. We’re addressing a very specific
issue affecting rural, downstate schools and I appreciate the rural educators
who brought this to our attention,” Sen. Sullivan said.
Rep. Norine Hammond went on to say,
“this measure is a bipartisan solution to a very real problem in rural school
districts. We should be doing everything
we can to help local school districts attract the very best candidates possible
for these important positions.”
For more information on this or
other state issues, please contact Sen Sullivan’s Quincy office at 217-222-2295
or Rep. Hammond’s Macomb office at 309-836-2707.
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