Gerald W. Smith Memoir - Brookens Library

Gerald W. Smith 220The bill as introduced contained several sections. Article 1 dealt sfically with the definitions that were necessam and the names of theboards; the definitions of a comprehensive c d t y college, thetion of a district and the definitions of the khds of dfstricts.or the act dealt solely with the State Junior College Boa,rd, authori kedthe creation of the bad, described the makeup of the bard, the qua i-fications of members, the powers and duties of the Board, the mandatethat they employ an executive officer and other mtters related to theboard, the dischaqe of it's duties in relation to the Born of HigherFducation and to the Cormunity College districts.Article 3 of the act was the one which described the type of district thatwas to become prevalent in the state system of junior colleges, as envisionedin the master plan. This dealt with the districts which at that timewere designated as Class I districts. This section of the act providedthe standards on which such a district could be created, the steps fororganizing such a district, and the procedures to be followed by the localarea and the state board and the Board of Higher Education, a matter ofthe referendum, the election of a ,oard of mteex for the district, thepowers and duties of the board and other mtters pertinent to the creationand operation of the comprehensive codty college district which wasenvisioned in the master plan as the district of the future for Illinois.Article 4 of the act dealt with the existing districts which had beenspoken of in the master plan, and these were desiwted in the act as ClassI1 districts. There was one unfortunate connotation to that, in that manyof the Class I1 districts translated Class I1 to mean second class becausethey were still sensitive to some of the differentials that existed betweenthem and the Class I districts. But at any rate, the act provided for thecontinuation of the existing districts. And interestingly enough it didone thing that I'll put in here right nay. It provided that, on August 1,1965, any or' those existing districts which already had a separate taxrate for educational and building f'unds were to be reorganized inmediatelyas separate districts f'rom the school district of which they weye tbm apart. Namely the board of education of such a district should on Augpst 1,constitute itself as a separate board for the Class 11 junior collegeIdistrict. So they became a part of the system of higher education by theprocess bf having the board of education constitute itself a new and eparateand different board. There were also provisions in the act that dealtwith those existi= junior colleges in school districts for which noseparate taxatidn had yet been authorlzed. I'll speak to that later n.The act went on to desc~ibe the procedures by which these districts w reto continue to operate and then there were related in this section somatters that were covered in Article 2 dealing with the state board, theprocedwes by which such districts could be converted under certain c r-cumstances k.om Class I1 to Class I. I will describe these in detail at alater point in this mative.-,Q. Just to help the listener get aebetter perspective: how 10% did ittake approxirrately to convert all of the Class I1 districts (second classdistricts) into first cdass districts?- * - -- I