HB5036 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB099 18550 NHT 42929 b

99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
HB5036

Introduced , by Rep. Margo McDermed

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/10-20.58 new

Amends the School Code. Provides that, before making any decisions on a school closure or school opening, a school board (other than the Chicago Board of Education) shall appoint a district advisory committee to advise and make recommendations to the school board about the school closure or school opening. Sets forth provisions concerning committee membership, compensation, and meetings; information the committee must gather; and public hearings. Requires the committee to make a recommendation to the school board on the school closure or school opening, and requires the school board to take into account the committee's recommendation on the school closure or school opening when making a final decision.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

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 adding Section 10-20.58 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/10-20.58 new)

Sec. 10-20.58. School closure and opening; district advisory committee.

(a) In this Section:

"Committee" means the district advisory committee appointed under this Section.

"School closure" means the closing of a school in a school district with 2 or more schools, the effect of which is the assignment and transfer of all students enrolled at that school to one or more designated receiving schools.

"School opening" means the opening of a new school within an existing school district.

(b) Before making any decisions on a school closure or school opening, a school board shall appoint a district advisory committee to advise and make recommendations to the school board about the school closure or school opening. The committee shall consist of 9 members. The following shall be represented on the committee:

(1) The ethnic, age group, and socioeconomic composition of the school district.

(2) The business community within the boundaries of the district.

(3) Landowners or renters within the boundaries of the district.

(4) In a district with multiple schools, a community member from the boundaries of each school in the district.

(5) Teachers employed by the district.

(6) District administrators.

(7) Parents of students who are enrolled in the district.

(8) Persons with expertise in school finance, environmental impacts, legal contracts, building codes, and land-use planning. The members of the committee shall serve without compensation.

Prior to the committee's first public hearing under subsection (d) of this Section, the district superintendent shall call a meeting of the committee. At this first meeting, the committee shall elect a chairperson from among its members. Subsequent public hearings under subsection (d) of this Section shall be called by the chairperson.

(c) Before making any recommendations on school closure or a school opening, the committee shall gather the following information at public hearings under subsection (d) of this Section:

(1) The enrollment projections for the school district, including enrollment projections for each school in the district, enrollment projections for a school being opened, and the impact on each school facility of the enrollment projections.

(2) The capacity and conditions of existing schools and their ability to accommodate displaced students due to a school closure.

(3) The per-student operating cost at each of the district's schools, including an estimate for the new school being opened.

(4) The education program and opportunity at each of the district's schools.

(5) The cost savings that would result from the closure of a school.

(6) The financial and economic impact of a school opening.

(7) The transportation options for displaced students due to a school closure and estimated transportation costs and options for students enrolling in a new school.

(8) Cost-saving alternatives to closing schools.

The committee shall gather any other pertinent information on the district that it deems necessary in order to advise the school board on the school closure or school opening. The district shall provide the committee with any information requested by the committee.

(d) The committee shall hold a public hearing at each of the schools in the school district to elicit public comment on the possibility of school closure or a school opening and the effects that the school closure or school opening would have on the students, their parents, and the community. A public notice of each public hearing must be published at least 5 days before the hearing on the district's Internet website and in a newspaper of general circulation in the geographic region of the district.

Following the public hearings, the committee shall make a recommendation, based on its analysis and conclusions, to the school board on the school closure or school opening. The school board shall take into account the committee's recommendation on the school closure or school opening when making a final decision.