Park Forest, IL–(ENEWSPF)– Nominating petition forms for the Tuesday, April 5, 2011, school board election in Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District 163 will be available on September 20, 2010. The first day that candidates may circulate nominating petitions is Tuesday, September 21, 2010. On school business days, forms may be picked up at the District Office, 215 Wilson St., Park Forest, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The District 163 Election Secretary, Mrs. Deean Philbin, can be contacted at 708-668-9422. Information about the nature and duties of serving on a school board may be obtained from the Illinois Association of School Boards: www.iasb.com.
A school board candidate’s petition must be filed in the same office no earlier than Monday, December 13, 2010 and subsequent following days, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and not later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 20, 2010. Candidate names will be listed on the ballot in the order in which they are filed. Any candidates in line when the office opens on December 13, 2010, and any nominations received in the first mail of that day, are regarded as filed simultaneously. A lottery will be held to determine the order of the names on the ballot.
Three four-year seats on the seven-member District 163 board will be filled at the April 5, 2011 election.
To be eligible to serve, a school board member must be, on the date of election, a citizen of the United States, at least 18-years-old, a resident of the State of Illinois and the school district for at least one year immediately preceding the election, and a registered voter.
Nominating papers may be filed by the candidate in person, by mail or by an agent. They consist of the following:
- Nominating petitions signed by 10 percent of the District’s total population or 50 voters residing within the District, whichever is less. Petitions must be securely bound together with pages numbered consecutively, and each page must carry the notarized signature of the petition circulator.
- Statement of candidacy, which includes a request that the candidate’s name be placed on the official ballot, the address of the candidate, the office sought, and a statement that the candidate is qualified for the office and has filed a statement of economic interests as required by the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act.
- A receipt from the county clerk showing that the candidate has filed the statement of economic interests as noted above.
- The Loyalty Oath is optional.
Other important dates for candidates are:
- Tuesday, December 28, 2010, the last day for filing objections to nominating papers in the office of the board secretary.
- Thursday, January 27, 2011, the last day for candidates to withdraw from nomination.
