State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
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90_HB2918

      105 ILCS 5/27A-7
          Amends the School Code to include a committee  of  school
      board members as one of the organizations that may initiate a
      proposal to establish a charter school.
                                                    LRB9008868NTsbA
                                              LRB9008868NTsbA
 1        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  School  Code by changing Section
 2    27A-7.
 3        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section  5.   The  School  Code  is  amended  by changing
 6    Section 27A-7 as follows:
 7        (105 ILCS 5/27A-7)
 8        Sec. 27A-7.  Charter submission.
 9        (a)  A proposal to establish a charter  school  shall  be
10    submitted  to  the  State Board and the local school board in
11    the form of a proposed  contract  entered  into  between  the
12    local  school  board  and  the  governing  body of a proposed
13    charter school.  The charter school proposal as submitted  to
14    the State Board shall include:
15             (1)  The  name of the proposed charter school, which
16        must include the words "Charter School".
17             (2)  The age or grade range, areas of focus, minimum
18        and maximum numbers of  pupils  to  be  enrolled  in  the
19        charter  school,  and  any  other admission criteria that
20        would be legal if used by a school district.
21             (3)  A description of and address for  the  physical
22        plant  in  which  the  charter  school  will  be located;
23        provided that nothing in the Article shall be  deemed  to
24        justify  delaying  or  withholding favorable action on or
25        approval  of  a  charter  school  proposal  because   the
26        building  or  buildings in which the charter school is to
27        be located have not been acquired or rented at the time a
28        charter school proposal is submitted  or  approved  or  a
29        charter  school contract is entered into or submitted for
30        certification or certified, so long as  the  proposal  or
31        submission identifies and names at least 2 sites that are
                            -2-               LRB9008868NTsbA
 1        potentially available as a charter school facility by the
 2        time the charter school is to open.
 3             (4)  The  mission  statement  of the charter school,
 4        which must be  consistent  with  the  General  Assembly's
 5        declared  purposes; provided that nothing in this Article
 6        shall be construed to require that, in order  to  receive
 7        favorable  consideration  and  approval, a charter school
 8        proposal  demonstrate  unequivocally  that  the   charter
 9        school  will  be  able  to  meet  each  of those declared
10        purposes, it being the intention of the  Charter  Schools
11        Law  that  those  purposes  be  recognized  as goals that
12        charter schools must aspire to attain.
13             (5)  The goals, objectives,  and  pupil  performance
14        standards to be achieved by the charter school.
15             (6)  In  the  case  of  a  proposal  to  establish a
16        charter school by converting an existing public school or
17        attendance center to charter school status, evidence that
18        the proposed formation of the charter school has received
19        the  approval  of   certified   teachers,   parents   and
20        guardians,  and, if applicable, a local school council as
21        provided in subsection (b) of Section 27A-8.
22             (7)  A   description   of   the   charter   school's
23        educational   program,   pupil   performance   standards,
24        curriculum,  school  year,  school  days,  and  hours  of
25        operation.
26             (8)  A description of the charter school's plan  for
27        evaluating  pupil  performance,  the types of assessments
28        that will be  used  to  measure  pupil  progress  towards
29        achievement  of the school's pupil performance standards,
30        the timeline for achievement of those standards, and  the
31        procedures for taking corrective action in the event that
32        pupil performance at the charter school falls below those
33        standards.
34             (9)  Evidence  that  the  terms  of  the  charter as
                            -3-               LRB9008868NTsbA
 1        proposed are economically  sound  for  both  the  charter
 2        school and the school district, a proposed budget for the
 3        term of the charter, a description of the manner in which
 4        an  annual  audit  of  the  financial  and administrative
 5        operations of the charter school, including any  services
 6        provided by the school district, are to be conducted, and
 7        a  plan  for  the  displacement  of pupils, teachers, and
 8        other employees who will not attend or be employed in the
 9        charter school.
10             (10)  A description of the governance and  operation
11        of the charter school, including the nature and extent of
12        parental,    professional    educator,    and   community
13        involvement  in  the  governance  and  operation  of  the
14        charter school.
15             (11)  An explanation of the relationship  that  will
16        exist  between  the  charter  school  and  its employees,
17        including evidence  that  the  terms  and  conditions  of
18        employment  have  been  addressed with affected employees
19        and their recognized representative, if any.  However,  a
20        bargaining  unit  of  charter  school  employees shall be
21        separate and distinct from any  bargaining  units  formed
22        from  employees of a school district in which the charter
23        school is located.
24             (12)  An agreement  between  the  parties  regarding
25        their respective legal liability and applicable insurance
26        coverage.
27             (13)  A  description of how the charter school plans
28        to meet the transportation needs of its  pupils,   and  a
29        plan   for   addressing   the   transportation  needs  of
30        low-income and at-risk pupils.
31             (14)  The proposed effective date and  term  of  the
32        charter;  provided  that  the  first  day  of  the  first
33        academic  year and the first day of the fiscal year shall
34        be no earlier than August 15 and no later than  September
                            -4-               LRB9008868NTsbA
 1        15 of a calendar year.
 2             (15)  Any  other  information reasonably required by
 3        the State Board of Education.
 4        (b)  A proposal to establish  a  charter  school  may  be
 5    initiated  by  individuals  or  organizations  that will have
 6    majority representation on the board of  directors  or  other
 7    governing  body  of  the  corporation or other discrete legal
 8    entity that is to be  established  to  operate  the  proposed
 9    charter school, by a committee of school board members, or by
10    the  board of directors or other governing body of a discrete
11    legal entity already existing or established to  operate  the
12    proposed  charter  school.   The individuals or organizations
13    referred to in this subsection may be school teachers, school
14    administrators,    local   school   councils,   colleges   or
15    universities  or  their  faculty  members,  public  community
16    colleges  or  their  instructors  or  other  representatives,
17    corporations,  or  other  entities  or their representatives.
18    The proposal shall be submitted to the local school board for
19    consideration and,  if  appropriate,  for  development  of  a
20    proposed  contract  to  be  submitted to the State Board  for
21    certification under Section 27A-6.
22        (c)  The local school board may not without  the  consent
23    of  the  governing  body  of the charter school condition its
24    approval of a charter school proposal  on  acceptance  of  an
25    agreement  to  operate  under  State laws and regulations and
26    local school board policies from which the charter school  is
27    otherwise exempted under this Article.
28    (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96; 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)

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