94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2005 and 2006
HB4575

 

Introduced 1/11/2006, by Rep. Calvin L. Giles

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/27A-5

    Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code. Provides that a charter school may not have more campuses than the number of campuses it has on the effective date of the amendatory Act, except that if a charter school has more than one campus and a campus closes on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act, then the number of campuses that the charter school may have shall be reduced by the number of campuses that have closed.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1     AN ACT concerning education.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
5 27A-5 as follows:
 
6     (105 ILCS 5/27A-5)
7     Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
8     (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian,
9 nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A charter
10 school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit
11 corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
12 authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
13     (b) A charter school may be established under this Article
14 by creating a new school or by converting an existing public
15 school or attendance center to charter school status. Beginning
16 on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd
17 General Assembly, in all new applications submitted to the
18 State Board or a local school board to establish a charter
19 school in a city having a population exceeding 500,000,
20 operation of the charter school shall be limited to one campus.
21 The changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act of the
22 93rd General Assembly do not apply to charter schools existing
23 or approved on or before the effective date of this amendatory
24 Act. A charter school may not have more campuses than the
25 number of campuses it has on the effective date of this
26 amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly, except that if a
27 charter school has more than one campus and a campus closes on
28 or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th
29 General Assembly, then the number of campuses that the charter
30 school may have shall be reduced by the number of campuses that
31 have closed.
32     (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by

 

 

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1 its board of directors or other governing body in the manner
2 provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter school
3 shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open
4 Meetings Act.
5     (d) A charter school shall comply with all applicable
6 health and safety requirements applicable to public schools
7 under the laws of the State of Illinois.
8     (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a
9 charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a
10 charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks,
11 instructional materials, and student activities.
12     (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the
13 management and operation of its fiscal affairs including, but
14 not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each
15 charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by an
16 outside, independent contractor retained by the charter
17 school.
18     (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of
19 this Article and its charter. A charter school is exempt from
20 all other State laws and regulations in the School Code
21 governing public schools and local school board policies,
22 except the following:
23         (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of the School Code
24     regarding criminal history records checks and checks of the
25     Statewide Sex Offender Database of applicants for
26     employment;
27         (2) Sections 24-24 and 34-84A of the School Code
28     regarding discipline of students;
29         (3) The Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
30     Tort Immunity Act;
31         (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
32     Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of
33     officers, directors, employees, and agents;
34         (5) The Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
35         (6) The Illinois School Student Records Act; and
36         (7) Section 10-17a of the School Code regarding school

 

 

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1     report cards.
2     (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a
3 school district, the governing body of a State college or
4 university or public community college, or any other public or
5 for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of a
6 school building and grounds or any other real property or
7 facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert
8 for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and
9 maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service,
10 activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required to
11 perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
12 However, a charter school that is established on or after the
13 effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General
14 Assembly and that operates in a city having a population
15 exceeding 500,000 may not contract with a for-profit entity to
16 manage or operate the school during the period that commences
17 on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd
18 General Assembly and concludes at the end of the 2004-2005
19 school year. Except as provided in subsection (i) of this
20 Section, a school district may charge a charter school
21 reasonable rent for the use of the district's buildings,
22 grounds, and facilities. Any services for which a charter
23 school contracts with a school district shall be provided by
24 the district at cost. Any services for which a charter school
25 contracts with a local school board or with the governing body
26 of a State college or university or public community college
27 shall be provided by the public entity at cost.
28     (i) In no event shall a charter school that is established
29 by converting an existing school or attendance center to
30 charter school status be required to pay rent for space that is
31 deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter
32 agreement, in school district facilities. However, all other
33 costs for the operation and maintenance of school district
34 facilities that are used by the charter school shall be subject
35 to negotiation between the charter school and the local school
36 board and shall be set forth in the charter.

 

 

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1     (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age or
2 grade level.
3 (Source: P.A. 93-3, eff. 4-16-03; 93-909, eff. 8-12-04; 94-219,
4 eff. 7-14-05.)