State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
Legislation

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[ Engrossed ][ Enrolled ][ House Amendment 001 ]

90_SB0551

      105 ILCS 5/10-22.31       from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.31
          Amends the School Code.  Limits to joint agreements  that
      do  not  have  an  administrative  district  and that have 20
      cooperating school districts (a majority of which are located
      wholly or partly in Cook  County)  the  requirements  that  a
      majority  of the governing board members be members of school
      boards of cooperating districts and those who are not  school
      board   members   be  superintendents  from  the  cooperating
      districts.  Effective immediately.
                                                     LRB9003111THpk
                                               LRB9003111THpk
 1        AN ACT to amend  the  School  Code  by  changing  Section
 2    10-22.31.
 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 10-22.31 as follows:
 7        (105 ILCS 5/10-22.31) (from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.31)
 8        Sec. 10-22.31.  Special education.
 9        (a)  To enter into joint  agreements  with  other  school
10    boards  to  provide the needed special educational facilities
11    and to employ a director and other  professional  workers  as
12    defined  in  Section  14-1.10  and to establish facilities as
13    defined  in  Section  14-1.08  for  the  types  of   children
14    described  in Sections 14-1.02 through 14-1.07.  The director
15    (who may be employed under a multi-year contract as  provided
16    in  subsection  (c)  of  this Section) and other professional
17    workers may be employed  by  one  district,  which  shall  be
18    reimbursed on a mutually agreed basis by other districts that
19    are  parties  to  the  joint  agreement.  Such agreements may
20    provide that one district may supply professional workers for
21    a  joint  program  conducted  in  another   district.    Such
22    agreement   shall   provide   that   any   full-time   school
23    psychologist who is employed by a joint agreement program and
24    spends  over  50%  of  his or her time in one school district
25    shall not be required to work a different  teaching  schedule
26    than  the  other school psychologists in that district.  Such
27    agreement shall include, but not be  limited  to,  provisions
28    for  administration,  staff,  programs,  financing,  housing,
29    transportation and an advisory body and shall provide for the
30    withdrawal  of districts from the joint agreement by petition
31    to the regional board of school trustees.  Such agreement may
                            -2-                LRB9003111THpk
 1    be amended at any time as provided in the joint agreement or,
 2    if the  joint  agreement  does  not  so  provide,  then  such
 3    agreement  may  be  amended  at any time upon the adoption of
 4    concurring resolutions by the school  boards  of  all  member
 5    districts.   A  fully  executed copy of any such agreement or
 6    amendment entered into on or after January 1, 1989  shall  be
 7    filed  with the State Board of Education.  Such petitions for
 8    withdrawal shall be made to  the  regional  board  of  school
 9    trustees of all counties having jurisdiction over one or more
10    of  the  districts in the joint agreement.  Upon receipt of a
11    petition  for  withdrawal,  the  regional  boards  of  school
12    trustees having jurisdiction over the  cooperating  districts
13    shall  publish  notice  of and conduct a joint hearing on the
14    issue as provided in Section 7-6.  No such  petition  may  be
15    considered,  however,  unless in compliance with Section 7-8.
16    If approved by a 2/3 vote of all trustees of  those  regional
17    boards,  at  a  joint meeting, the withdrawal takes effect as
18    provided in Section 7-9 of this Act.
19        (b)  To either (1) designate an  administrative  district
20    to  act  as fiscal and legal agent for the districts that are
21    parties to the joint agreement, or (2) designate a  governing
22    board  composed  of  one  member  of the school board of each
23    cooperating district and designated by such boards to act  in
24    accordance with the joint agreement.  No such governing board
25    may  levy  taxes  and  no  such governing board may incur any
26    indebtedness except within an annual  budget  for  the  joint
27    agreement  approved  by the governing board and by the boards
28    of at least a majority of the cooperating school districts or
29    a number of districts greater than a majority if required  by
30    the  joint  agreement.   If more than 17 school districts are
31    parties to the  joint  agreement,  the  governing  board  may
32    appoint   an  executive  board  of  at  least  7  members  to
33    administer the joint agreement in accordance with its  terms.
34    However,  if  20  school  districts,  a majority of which are
                            -3-                LRB9003111THpk
 1    located wholly or partially in a county with a population  in
 2    excess  of  3,000,000  inhabitants,  are  parties  to a joint
 3    agreement that does not have an administrative district:  (i)
 4    at least a majority of the members appointed by the governing
 5    board  to  the executive board shall be members of the school
 6    boards  of  the  cooperating  districts;  and  (ii).  if  the
 7    governing board wishes to appoint members who are not  school
 8    board   members,  they  shall  be  superintendents  from  the
 9    cooperating districts.
10        (c)  To employ a director of a  joint  agreement  program
11    under a multi-year contract.  No such contract can be offered
12    or  accepted for less than or more than 3 years, except for a
13    person serving as a director of  a  special  education  joint
14    agreement  for  the  first time in Illinois.  In such a case,
15    the initial contract shall be for  a  2  year  period.   Such
16    contract  may be discontinued at any time by mutual agreement
17    of the  contracting  parties,  or  may  be  extended  for  an
18    additional 3 years at the end of any year.
19        The  contract  year  is July 1 through the following June
20    30th, unless the contract  specifically  provides  otherwise.
21    Notice  of  intent  not  to  renew a contract when given by a
22    controlling board  or  administrative  district  must  be  in
23    writing  stating  the  specific  reason  therefor.  Notice of
24    intent not to  renew  the  contract  must  be  given  by  the
25    controlling  board or the administrative district at least 90
26    days  before  the  contract  expires.   Failure to do so will
27    automatically extend the contract for one additional year.
28        By accepting the terms of the  multi-year  contract,  the
29    director  of  a  special education joint agreement waives all
30    rights granted under Sections 24-11  through  24-16  for  the
31    duration  of his or her employment as a director of a special
32    education joint agreement.
33        (d)  To designate a district that is a party to the joint
34    agreement as the issuer of bonds or notes  for  the  purposes
                            -4-                LRB9003111THpk
 1    and  in  the  manner  provided  in  this  Section.  It is not
 2    necessary for such district to  also  be  the  administrative
 3    district for the joint agreement, nor is it necessary for the
 4    same district to be designated as the issuer of all series of
 5    bonds  or notes issued hereunder.  Any district so designated
 6    may, from time to time, borrow money and, in evidence of  its
 7    obligation to repay the borrowing, issue its negotiable bonds
 8    or   notes   for  the  purpose  of  acquiring,  constructing,
 9    altering, repairing, enlarging and equipping any building  or
10    portion  thereof, together with any land or interest therein,
11    necessary  to  provide  special  educational  facilities  and
12    services as defined in Section 14-1.08.  Title in and to  any
13    such  facilities  shall  be held in accordance with the joint
14    agreement.
15        Any  such  bonds  or  notes  shall  be  authorized  by  a
16    resolution of the board of education of the issuing district.
17    The resolution may contain such covenants as  may  be  deemed
18    necessary  or advisable by the district to assure the payment
19    of the bonds or notes.  The  resolution  shall  be  effective
20    immediately upon its adoption.
21        Prior to the issuance of such bonds or notes, each school
22    district  that is a party to the joint agreement shall agree,
23    whether by amendment to the joint agreement or by  resolution
24    of the board of education, to be jointly and severally liable
25    for  the  payment of the bonds and notes.  The bonds or notes
26    shall be payable solely  and  only  from  the  payments  made
27    pursuant to such agreement.
28        Neither  the bonds or notes nor the obligation to pay the
29    bonds or notes under any joint agreement shall constitute  an
30    indebtedness of any district, including the issuing district,
31    within   the  meaning  of  any  constitutional  or  statutory
32    limitation.
33        As long as any bonds or notes are outstanding and unpaid,
34    the agreement by a district to pay the bonds and notes  shall
                            -5-                LRB9003111THpk
 1    be irrevocable notwithstanding the district's withdrawal from
 2    membership in the joint special education program.
 3        (e)  If  a  district  whose  employees are on strike was,
 4    prior to the strike, sending students  with  disabilities  to
 5    special   educational  facilities  and  services  in  another
 6    district or cooperative, the district affected by the  strike
 7    shall  continue  to  send such students during the strike and
 8    shall be eligible to receive appropriate State reimbursement.
 9        (f)  With respect to those joint agreements that  have  a
10    governing board composed of one member of the school board of
11    each  cooperating  district and designated by those boards to
12    act in accordance with the  joint  agreement,  the  governing
13    board  shall have, in addition to its other powers under this
14    Section, the authority  to  issue  bonds  or  notes  for  the
15    purposes  and in the manner provided in this subsection.  The
16    governing board of the joint agreement may from time to  time
17    borrow  money and, in evidence of its obligation to repay the
18    borrowing, issue  its  negotiable  bonds  or  notes  for  the
19    purpose  of  acquiring,  constructing,  altering,  repairing,
20    enlarging  and  equipping  any  building  or portion thereof,
21    together with any land  or  interest  therein,  necessary  to
22    provide   special  educational  facilities  and  services  as
23    defined in Section 14-1.08 and including also facilities  for
24    activities   of   administration   and   educational  support
25    personnel employees.  Title in and  to  any  such  facilities
26    shall be held in accordance with the joint agreement.
27        Any  such  bonds  or  notes  shall  be  authorized  by  a
28    resolution  of  the  governing  board.   The  resolution  may
29    contain   such  covenants  as  may  be  deemed  necessary  or
30    advisable by the governing board to assure the payment of the
31    bonds or notes and interest accruing thereon.  The resolution
32    shall be effective immediately upon its adoption.
33        Each school  district  that  is  a  party  to  the  joint
34    agreement  shall  be  automatically  liable, by virtue of its
                            -6-                LRB9003111THpk
 1    membership in the  joint  agreement,  for  its  proportionate
 2    share  of  the  principal  amount of the bonds and notes plus
 3    interest accruing thereon, as  provided  in  the  resolution.
 4    Subject  to  the  joint  and  several  liability  hereinafter
 5    provided  for,  the  resolution  may  provide  for  different
 6    payment  schedules  for  different  districts except that the
 7    aggregate amount of  scheduled  payments  for  each  district
 8    shall be equal to its proportionate share of the debt service
 9    in  the  bonds  or  notes  based  upon  the fraction that its
10    equalized assessed valuation bears  to  the  total  equalized
11    assessed  valuation  of all the district members of the joint
12    agreement as adjusted in the manner hereinafter provided.  In
13    computing that fraction the most recent  available  equalized
14    assessed  valuation  at the time of the issuance of the bonds
15    and notes shall be used, and the equalized assessed valuation
16    of any district maintaining grades K to 12 shall  be  doubled
17    in  both  the  numerator and denominator of the fraction used
18    for all of the  districts  that  are  members  of  the  joint
19    agreement.  In case of default in payment by any member, each
20    school  district that is a party to the joint agreement shall
21    automatically be jointly and severally liable for the  amount
22    of  any  deficiency.  The bonds or notes and interest thereon
23    shall  be  payable  solely  and  only  from  the  funds  made
24    available pursuant  to  the  procedures  set  forth  in  this
25    subsection.   No project authorized under this subsection may
26    require an annual contribution for  bond  payments  from  any
27    member  district  in  excess of 0.15% of the value of taxable
28    property as  equalized  or  assessed  by  the  Department  of
29    Revenue  in  the  case of districts maintaining grades K-8 or
30    9-12 and 0.30% of the value of taxable property as  equalized
31    or  assessed  by  the  Department  of  Revenue in the case of
32    districts maintaining grades K-12.  This limitation on taxing
33    authority  is  expressly  applicable  to   taxing   authority
34    provided  under Section 17-9 and other applicable Sections of
                            -7-                LRB9003111THpk
 1    this Act.  Nothing contained  in  this  subsection  shall  be
 2    construed  as  an  exception  to the property tax limitations
 3    contained in  Section  17-2,  17-2.2a,  17-5,  or  any  other
 4    applicable Section of this Act.
 5        Neither  the bonds or notes nor the obligation to pay the
 6    bonds or notes under any joint agreement shall constitute  an
 7    indebtedness  of  any  district  within  the  meaning  of any
 8    constitutional or statutory limitation.
 9        As long as any bonds or notes are outstanding and unpaid,
10    the obligation of a district to pay its  proportionate  share
11    of  the  principal  of and interest on the bonds and notes as
12    required in this Section shall be a general obligation of the
13    district  payable  from  any  and  all  sources  of   revenue
14    designated  for that purpose by the board of education of the
15    district  and  shall  be  irrevocable   notwithstanding   the
16    district's  withdrawal  from  membership in the joint special
17    education program.
18    (Source: P.A. 88-125;  88-686,  eff.  1-24-95;  89-397,  eff.
19    8-20-95; 89-613, eff. 8-9-96; 89-626, eff. 8-9-96.)
20        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
21    becoming a law.

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