105 ILCS 5/3A-3
2021 Illinois Compiled Statutes|Chapter 105 - SCHOOLS|105 ILCS 5/ - School Code.|Article 3A - Educational Service Regions

 (from Ch. 122, par. 3A-3)Sec. 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.    (Source: P.A. 88-89.)