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91_HB0230
LRB9100464NTsb
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
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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
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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
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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 board of education or an
10 intergovernmental agreement between or among boards of
11 education, or by the board of directors or other governing
12 body of a discrete legal entity already existing or
13 established to operate the proposed charter school. The
14 individuals or organizations referred to in this subsection
15 may be school teachers, school administrators, local school
16 councils, colleges or universities or their faculty members,
17 public community colleges or their instructors or other
18 representatives, corporations, or other entities or their
19 representatives. The proposal shall be submitted to the
20 local school board for consideration and, if appropriate, for
21 development of a proposed contract to be submitted to the
22 State Board for certification under Section 27A-6.
23 (c) The local school board may not without the consent
24 of the governing body of the charter school condition its
25 approval of a charter school proposal on acceptance of an
26 agreement to operate under State laws and regulations and
27 local school board policies from which the charter school is
28 otherwise exempted under this Article.
29 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96; 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)
30 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
31 becoming law.