State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
Legislation

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[ Engrossed ][ Enrolled ][ Senate Amendment 001 ]

90_SB0555

      105 ILCS 5/10-22.31       from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.31
      105 ILCS 5/10-22.31.1 new
          Amends the School Code to allow a community unit district
      to withdraw from a special education joint agreement  program
      upon  60  days notice and the filing of an intent to withdraw
      statement with the governing board  of  the  joint  agreement
      program.  Effective immediately.
                                                     SRS90S0014KSch
                                               SRS90S0014KSch
 1        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  School  Code by changing Section
 2    10-22.31 and adding Section 10-22.31.1 as follows:
 3        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        (105 ILCS 5/10-22.31) (from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.31)
 6        Sec. 10-22.31.  Special education.
 7        (a)  To  enter  into  joint  agreements with other school
 8    boards to provide the needed special  educational  facilities
 9    and  to  employ  a director and other professional workers as
10    defined in Section 14-1.10 and  to  establish  facilities  as
11    defined   in  Section  14-1.08  for  the  types  of  children
12    described in Sections 14-1.02 through 14-1.07.  The  director
13    (who  may be employed under a multi-year contract as provided
14    in subsection (c) of this  Section)  and  other  professional
15    workers  may  be  employed  by  one  district, which shall be
16    reimbursed on a mutually agreed basis by other districts that
17    are parties to the  joint  agreement.   Such  agreements  may
18    provide that one district may supply professional workers for
19    a   joint   program  conducted  in  another  district.   Such
20    agreement   shall   provide   that   any   full-time   school
21    psychologist who is employed by a joint agreement program and
22    spends over 50% of his or her time  in  one  school  district
23    shall  not  be required to work a different teaching schedule
24    than the other school psychologists in that  district.   Such
25    agreement  shall  include,  but not be limited to, provisions
26    for  administration,  staff,  programs,  financing,  housing,
27    transportation, and an advisory body, and shall  provide  for
28    the withdrawal of districts from the joint agreement.  Except
29    as  otherwise  provided in Section 10-22.31.1, the withdrawal
30    of districts from the joint agreement shall be by petition to
31    the regional board of school trustees.  Such agreement may be
                            -2-                SRS90S0014KSch
 1    amended at any time as provided in the joint agreement or, if
 2    the joint agreement does not so provide, then such  agreement
 3    may  be  amended  at any time upon the adoption of concurring
 4    resolutions by the school boards of all member districts.   A
 5    fully  executed  copy  of  any  such  agreement  or amendment
 6    entered into on or after January 1, 1989 shall be filed  with
 7    the  State Board of Education.  Such petitions for withdrawal
 8    shall be made to the regional board of school trustees of all
 9    counties  having  jurisdiction  over  one  or  more  of   the
10    districts in the joint agreement.  Upon receipt of a petition
11    for withdrawal, the regional boards of school trustees having
12    jurisdiction  over  the  cooperating  districts shall publish
13    notice of and  conduct  a  joint  hearing  on  the  issue  as
14    provided in Section 7-6.  No such petition may be considered,
15    however,  unless in compliance with Section 7-8.  If approved
16    by a 2/3 vote of all trustees of those regional boards, at  a
17    joint  meeting,  the  withdrawal  takes effect as provided in
18    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    At least a majority of the members appointed to the executive
                            -3-                SRS90S0014KSch
 1    board   shall   be  members  of  the  school  boards  of  the
 2    cooperating districts.  If  the  governing  board  wishes  to
 3    appoint  members who are not school board members, they shall
 4    be superintendents from the cooperating districts.
 5        (c)  To employ a director of a  joint  agreement  program
 6    under a multi-year contract.  No such contract can be offered
 7    or  accepted for less than or more than 3 years, except for a
 8    person serving as a director of  a  special  education  joint
 9    agreement  for  the  first time in Illinois.  In such a case,
10    the initial contract shall be for  a  2  year  period.   Such
11    contract  may be discontinued at any time by mutual agreement
12    of the  contracting  parties,  or  may  be  extended  for  an
13    additional 3 years at the end of any year.
14        The  contract  year  is July 1 through the following June
15    30th, unless the contract  specifically  provides  otherwise.
16    Notice  of  intent  not  to  renew a contract when given by a
17    controlling board  or  administrative  district  must  be  in
18    writing  stating  the  specific  reason  therefor.  Notice of
19    intent not to  renew  the  contract  must  be  given  by  the
20    controlling  board or the administrative district at least 90
21    days  before  the  contract  expires.   Failure to do so will
22    automatically extend the contract for one additional year.
23        By accepting the terms of the  multi-year  contract,  the
24    director  of  a  special education joint agreement waives all
25    rights granted under Sections 24-11  through  24-16  for  the
26    duration  of his or her employment as a director of a special
27    education joint agreement.
28        (d)  To designate a district that is a party to the joint
29    agreement as the issuer of bonds or notes  for  the  purposes
30    and  in  the  manner  provided  in  this  Section.  It is not
31    necessary for such district to  also  be  the  administrative
32    district for the joint agreement, nor is it necessary for the
33    same district to be designated as the issuer of all series of
34    bonds  or notes issued hereunder.  Any district so designated
                            -4-                SRS90S0014KSch
 1    may, from time to time, borrow money and, in evidence of  its
 2    obligation to repay the borrowing, issue its negotiable bonds
 3    or   notes   for  the  purpose  of  acquiring,  constructing,
 4    altering, repairing, enlarging and equipping any building  or
 5    portion  thereof, together with any land or interest therein,
 6    necessary  to  provide  special  educational  facilities  and
 7    services as defined in Section 14-1.08.  Title in and to  any
 8    such  facilities  shall  be held in accordance with the joint
 9    agreement.
10        Any  such  bonds  or  notes  shall  be  authorized  by  a
11    resolution of the board of education of the issuing district.
12    The resolution may contain such covenants as  may  be  deemed
13    necessary  or advisable by the district to assure the payment
14    of the bonds or notes.  The  resolution  shall  be  effective
15    immediately upon its adoption.
16        Prior to the issuance of such bonds or notes, each school
17    district  that is a party to the joint agreement shall agree,
18    whether by amendment to the joint agreement or by  resolution
19    of the board of education, to be jointly and severally liable
20    for  the  payment of the bonds and notes.  The bonds or notes
21    shall be payable solely  and  only  from  the  payments  made
22    pursuant to such agreement.
23        Neither  the bonds or notes nor the obligation to pay the
24    bonds or notes under any joint agreement shall constitute  an
25    indebtedness of any district, including the issuing district,
26    within   the  meaning  of  any  constitutional  or  statutory
27    limitation.
28        As long as any bonds or notes are outstanding and unpaid,
29    the agreement by a district to pay the bonds and notes  shall
30    be irrevocable notwithstanding the district's withdrawal from
31    membership in the joint special education program.
32        (e)  If  a  district  whose  employees are on strike was,
33    prior to the strike, sending students  with  disabilities  to
34    special   educational  facilities  and  services  in  another
                            -5-                SRS90S0014KSch
 1    district or cooperative, the district affected by the  strike
 2    shall  continue  to  send such students during the strike and
 3    shall be eligible to receive appropriate State reimbursement.
 4        (f)  With respect to those joint agreements that  have  a
 5    governing board composed of one member of the school board of
 6    each  cooperating  district and designated by those boards to
 7    act in accordance with the  joint  agreement,  the  governing
 8    board  shall have, in addition to its other powers under this
 9    Section, the authority  to  issue  bonds  or  notes  for  the
10    purposes  and in the manner provided in this subsection.  The
11    governing board of the joint agreement may from time to  time
12    borrow  money and, in evidence of its obligation to repay the
13    borrowing, issue  its  negotiable  bonds  or  notes  for  the
14    purpose  of  acquiring,  constructing,  altering,  repairing,
15    enlarging  and  equipping  any  building  or portion thereof,
16    together with any land  or  interest  therein,  necessary  to
17    provide   special  educational  facilities  and  services  as
18    defined in Section 14-1.08 and including also facilities  for
19    activities   of   administration   and   educational  support
20    personnel employees.  Title in and  to  any  such  facilities
21    shall be held in accordance with the joint agreement.
22        Any  such  bonds  or  notes  shall  be  authorized  by  a
23    resolution  of  the  governing  board.   The  resolution  may
24    contain   such  covenants  as  may  be  deemed  necessary  or
25    advisable by the governing board to assure the payment of the
26    bonds or notes and interest accruing thereon.  The resolution
27    shall be effective immediately upon its adoption.
28        Each school  district  that  is  a  party  to  the  joint
29    agreement  shall  be  automatically  liable, by virtue of its
30    membership in the  joint  agreement,  for  its  proportionate
31    share  of  the  principal  amount of the bonds and notes plus
32    interest accruing thereon, as  provided  in  the  resolution.
33    Subject  to  the  joint  and  several  liability  hereinafter
34    provided  for,  the  resolution  may  provide  for  different
                            -6-                SRS90S0014KSch
 1    payment  schedules  for  different  districts except that the
 2    aggregate amount of  scheduled  payments  for  each  district
 3    shall be equal to its proportionate share of the debt service
 4    in  the  bonds  or  notes  based  upon  the fraction that its
 5    equalized assessed valuation bears  to  the  total  equalized
 6    assessed  valuation  of all the district members of the joint
 7    agreement as adjusted in the manner hereinafter provided.  In
 8    computing that fraction the most recent  available  equalized
 9    assessed  valuation  at the time of the issuance of the bonds
10    and notes shall be used, and the equalized assessed valuation
11    of any district maintaining grades K to 12 shall  be  doubled
12    in  both  the  numerator and denominator of the fraction used
13    for all of the  districts  that  are  members  of  the  joint
14    agreement.  In case of default in payment by any member, each
15    school  district that is a party to the joint agreement shall
16    automatically be jointly and severally liable for the  amount
17    of  any  deficiency.  The bonds or notes and interest thereon
18    shall  be  payable  solely  and  only  from  the  funds  made
19    available pursuant  to  the  procedures  set  forth  in  this
20    subsection.   No project authorized under this subsection may
21    require an annual contribution for  bond  payments  from  any
22    member  district  in  excess of 0.15% of the value of taxable
23    property as  equalized  or  assessed  by  the  Department  of
24    Revenue  in  the  case of districts maintaining grades K-8 or
25    9-12 and 0.30% of the value of taxable property as  equalized
26    or  assessed  by  the  Department  of  Revenue in the case of
27    districts maintaining grades K-12.  This limitation on taxing
28    authority  is  expressly  applicable  to   taxing   authority
29    provided  under Section 17-9 and other applicable Sections of
30    this Act.  Nothing contained  in  this  subsection  shall  be
31    construed  as  an  exception  to the property tax limitations
32    contained in  Section  17-2,  17-2.2a,  17-5,  or  any  other
33    applicable Section of this Act.
34        Neither  the bonds or notes nor the obligation to pay the
                            -7-                SRS90S0014KSch
 1    bonds or notes under any joint agreement shall constitute  an
 2    indebtedness  of  any  district  within  the  meaning  of any
 3    constitutional or statutory limitation.
 4        As long as any bonds or notes are outstanding and unpaid,
 5    the obligation of a district to pay its  proportionate  share
 6    of  the  principal  of and interest on the bonds and notes as
 7    required in this Section shall be a general obligation of the
 8    district  payable  from  any  and  all  sources  of   revenue
 9    designated  for that purpose by the board of education of the
10    district  and  shall  be  irrevocable   notwithstanding   the
11    district's  withdrawal  from  membership in the joint special
12    education program.
13    (Source: P.A. 88-125;  88-686,  eff.  1-24-95;  89-397,  eff.
14    8-20-95; 89-613, eff. 8-9-96; 89-626, eff. 8-9-96.)
15        (105 ILCS 5/10-22.31.1 new)
16        Sec. 10-22.31.1.  Withdrawal from certain joint agreement
17    programs.      Notwithstanding   the  provisions  of  Section
18    10-22.31, a community unit school district that is  the  only
19    school district in its county that is a member of its special
20    education  joint  agreement  program  and  that had a 1994-95
21    average daily attendance of at least 550, but not  more  than
22    650,  and  a  1994  equalized  assessed valuation of at least
23    $40,000,000, but not more than $43,000,000, may withdraw from
24    its special education joint agreement program  consisting  of
25    at  least 19 school districts located in at least 9 different
26    counties upon approval by the school board of  the  community
27    unit district and notification to and the filing of an intent
28    to  withdraw  statement with the governing board of the joint
29    agreement program.  Such  notification  and  statement  shall
30    specify  the  effective  date  of the withdrawal, which in no
31    case shall be less than 60 days after the date of the  filing
32    of  the  petition.   Upon  receipt  of  the  notification and
33    statement, the governing board of the joint agreement program
                            -8-                SRS90S0014KSch
 1    shall distribute a copy to each member district of the  joint
 2    agreement  and  shall  initiate any appropriate allocation of
 3    assets and liabilities among the remaining  member  districts
 4    to  take  effect  upon  the  date  of  the  withdrawal.   The
 5    withdrawal  shall  take effect upon the date specified in the
 6    notification and statement.
 7        Section 99.  This Act takes effect upon becoming law.

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