HB3860 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 12333 LNS 22501 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB3860

Introduced 2/18/2025, by Rep. Bradley Fritts

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/10-22.22b

from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.22b

Amends the School Boards Article of the School Code. Provides that the length of a contract between a deactivating school district that is seeking to send its students to more than one district and the receiving district shall be for 4 (rather than 2) school years, but the districts may renew the contract for a length of time that is mutually agreed upon by the districts (rather than for additional one-year or 2-year periods).

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section 10-22.22b as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/10-22.22b) (from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.22b)

Sec. 10-22.22b. (a) The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the deactivation of a high school facility under subsection (c). Where in its judgment the interests of the district and of the students therein will be best served, to deactivate any high school facility or elementary school facility in the district and send the students of such high school in grades 9 through 12 or such elementary school in grades kindergarten through 8, as applicable, to schools in other districts. Such action may be taken only with the approval of the voters in the district and the approval, by proper resolution, of the school board of the receiving district. The board of the district contemplating deactivation shall, by proper resolution, cause the proposition to deactivate the school facility to be submitted to the voters of the district at a regularly scheduled election. Notice shall be published at least 10 days prior to the date of the election at least once in one or more newspapers published in the district or, if no newspaper is published in the district, in one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the district. The notice shall be substantially in the following form:

NOTICE OF REFERENDUM TO

DEACTIVATE THE ... SCHOOL FACILITY

IN SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. ........

Notice is hereby given that on (insert date), a referendum will be held in ........ County (Counties) for the purpose of voting for or against the proposition to deactivate the ...... School facility in School District No. ...... and to send pupils in ...... School to School District(s) No. .......

The polls will be open at .... o'clock ... m., and close at .... o'clock ... m. of the same day.

............ Dated (insert date).

The proposition shall be in substantially the following form:

-

Shall the Board of Education of School District No. ...., YES ..... County, Illinois, be authorized to deactivate -------------------------

the .... School facility and to send pupils in ....... NO School to School District(s) No. .....? ------------------------------------------------------------- If the majority of those voting upon the proposition in the district contemplating deactivation vote in favor of the proposition, the board of that district, upon approval of the board of the receiving district, shall execute a contract with the receiving district providing for the reassignment of students to the receiving district. If the deactivating district seeks to send its students to more than one district, it shall execute a contract with each receiving district. The length of the contract shall be for 4 2 school years, but the districts may renew the contract for a length of time that is mutually agreed upon by the districts additional one year or 2 year periods. Contract renewals shall be executed by January 1 of the year in which the existing contract expires. If the majority of those voting upon the proposition do not vote in favor of the proposition, the school facility may not be deactivated.

The sending district shall pay to the receiving district an amount agreed upon by the 2 districts.

When the deactivation of school facilities becomes effective pursuant to this Section, the provisions of subsection (h) of Section 24-11 of this Code relative to the contractual continued service status of teachers having contractual continued service whose positions are transferred from one board to the control of a different board shall apply, and the positions at the school facilities being deactivated held by teachers, as that term is defined in subsection (a) of Section 24-11 of this Code, having contractual continued service with the school district at the time of the deactivation shall be transferred to the control of the board or boards who shall be receiving the district's students on the following basis:

(1) positions of such teachers in contractual continued service that were full time positions shall be transferred to the control of whichever of such boards such teachers shall request with the teachers making such requests proceeding in the order of those with the greatest length of continuing service with the board to those with the shortest length of continuing service with the board, provided that the number selecting one board over another board or other boards shall not exceed that proportion of the school students going to such board or boards; and

(2) positions of such teachers in contractual continued service that were full time positions and as to which there is no selection left under subparagraph 1 hereof shall be transferred to the appropriate board.

The contractual continued service status of any teacher thereby transferred to another district is not lost and the receiving board is subject to the School Code with respect to such transferred teacher in the same manner as if such teacher was the district's employee during the time such teacher was actually employed by the board of the deactivating district from which the position was transferred.

When the deactivation of school facilities becomes effective pursuant to this Section, the provisions of subsection (b) of Section 10-23.5 of this Code relative to the transfer of educational support personnel employees shall apply, and the positions at the school facilities being deactivated that are held by educational support personnel employees at the time of the deactivation shall be transferred to the control of the board or boards that will be receiving the district's students on the following basis:

(A) positions of such educational support personnel employees that were full-time positions shall be transferred to the control of whichever of the boards the employees request, with the educational support personnel employees making these requests proceeding in the order of those with the greatest length of continuing service with the board to those with the shortest length of continuing service with the board, provided that the number selecting one board over another board or other boards must not exceed that proportion of students going to such board or boards; and

(B) positions of such educational support personnel employees that were full-time positions and as to which there is no selection left under subdivision (A) shall be transferred to the appropriate board. The length of continuing service of any educational support personnel employee thereby transferred to another district is not lost and the receiving board is subject to this Code with respect to that transferred educational support personnel employee in the same manner as if the educational support personnel employee was the district's employee during the time the educational support personnel employee was actually employed by the board of the deactivating district from which the position was transferred.

(b) The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the reactivation of a high school facility which is deactivated under subsection (c). The sending district may, with the approval of the voters in the district, reactivate the school facility which was deactivated. The board of the district seeking to reactivate the school facility shall, by proper resolution, cause the proposition to reactivate to be submitted to the voters of the district at a regularly scheduled election. Notice shall be published at least 10 days prior to the date of the election at least once in one or more newspapers published in the district or, if no newspaper is published in the district, in one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the district. The notice shall be substantially in the following form:

NOTICE OF REFERENDUM TO

REACTIVATE THE ...... SCHOOL FACILITY

IN SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. ......

Notice is hereby given that on (insert date), a referendum will be held in ...... County (Counties) for the purpose of voting for or against the proposition to reactivate the ..... School facility in School District No. ..... and to discontinue sending pupils of School District No. ...... to School District(s) No. .....

The polls will be opened at ... o'clock .. m., and closed at ... o'clock .. m. of the same day.

............ Dated (insert date).

The proposition shall be in substantially the following form:

-

Shall the Board of Education of School YES District No. ......, ...... County, Illinois, be authorized to -------------------

reactivate the .... School facility and to discontinue sending pupils of School District No. .... NO to School District(s) No. ......? -------------------------------------------------------------

(c) The school board of any unit school district which experienced a strike by a majority of its certified employees that endured for over 6 months during the regular school term of the 1986-1987 school year, and which during the ensuing 1987-1988 school year had an enrollment in grades 9 through 12 of less than 125 students may, when in its judgment the interests of the district and of the students therein will be best served thereby, deactivate the high school facilities within the district for the regular term of the 1988-1989 school year and, for that school year only, send the students of such high school in grades 9 through 12 to schools in adjoining or adjacent districts. Such action may only be taken: (a) by proper resolution of the school board deactivating its high school facilities and the approval, by proper resolution, of the school board of the receiving district or districts, and (b) pursuant to a contract between the sending and each receiving district, which contract or contracts: (i) shall provide for the reassignment of all students of the deactivated high school in grades 9 through 12 to the receiving district or districts; (ii) shall apply only to the regular school term of the 1988-1989 school year; (iii) shall not be subject to renewal or extension; and (iv) shall require the sending district to pay to the receiving district the cost of educating each student who is reassigned to the receiving district, such costs to be an amount agreed upon by the sending and receiving district but not less than the per capita cost of maintaining the high school in the receiving district during the 1987-1988 school year. Any high school facility deactivated pursuant to this subsection for the regular school term of the 1988-1989 school year shall be reactivated by operation of law as of the end of the regular term of the 1988-1989 school year. The status as a unit school district of a district which deactivates its high school facilities pursuant to this subsection shall not be affected by reason of such deactivation of its high school facilities and such district shall continue to be deemed in law a school district maintaining grades kindergarten through 12 for all purposes relating to the levy, extension, collection and payment of the taxes of the district under Article 17 for the 1988-1989 school year.

(d) Whenever a school facility is reactivated pursuant to the provisions of this Section, then all teachers in contractual continued service who were honorably dismissed or transferred as part of the deactivation process, in addition to other rights they may have under the School Code, shall be recalled or transferred back to the original district.

(Source: P.A. 99-657, eff. 7-28-16.)