REMINDER ABOUT BOARD ORGANIZATIONAL MEETINGS
Pursuant to a recent amendment to the School Code, every school board now has until 40 days after the consolidated election to hold its organizational meeting for electing officers and setting a meeting schedule. 105 ILCS 5/10-10. School boards previously had a shorter period of 28 days after the election to hold this meeting. Of course, newly elected board members cannot be seated until after the official canvass of the results is performed by the county clerk and the elected member has taken the proscribed oath of office. The county clerk has 21 days after the election to perform the canvassing.
Therefore, the effective window period to hold all school board organizational meetings this year begins when the canvassing is complete, likely no earlier than Tuesday, April 25, and ends no later than Sunday, May 14, 2023. If your Board does not have a regular meeting scheduled during that window period, a special meeting should be called.
The only tasks which must be performed at the organizational meeting are these:
1) Swear in and seat newly elected board members. The prescribed oath for board members is in School Code Section 10-16.5 and your local board policy.
2) Elect board officers, including president, vice president and secretary.
3) Set the board’s regular meeting schedule.
Of course, other business may be, but need not be, conducted at the organizational meeting.
If you have any questions about organizational meetings or the transition to new board terms, please contact one of our attorneys at 708/799-6766 (Flossmoor), 630/928-1200 (Oak Brook), or 630/796-2086 (Downers Grove).