(105 ILCS 5/10-22.22c) (from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.22c)

Sec. 10-22.22c. (a) Subject to the following provisions of this Section two or more contiguous school districts each of which has an enrollment in grades 9 through 12 of less than 600 students may, when in their judgment the interest of the districts and of the students therein will be best served, jointly operate one or more cooperative high schools. Such action shall be taken for a minimum period of 20 school years, and may be taken only with the approval of the voters of each district. A district with 600 or more students enrolled in grades 9 through 12 may qualify for inclusion with one or more districts having less than 600 such students by receiving a size waiver from the State Board of Education based on a finding that such inclusion would significantly increase the educational opportunities of the district's students, and by meeting the other prerequisites of this Section. The board of each district contemplating such joint operation shall, by proper resolution, cause the proposition to enter into such joint operation to be submitted to the voters of the district at a regularly scheduled election. Notice shall be published at least 10 days prior to the date of the election at least once in one or more newspapers published in the district or, if no newspaper is published in the district, in one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the district. The notice shall be substantially in the following form: NOTICE OF REFERENDUM FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. ....... AND SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. ....... TO JOINTLY OPERATE (A) COOPERATIVE HIGH SCHOOL (SCHOOLS) Notice is hereby given that on (insert date), a referendum will be held in ....... County (Counties) for the purpose of voting for or against the proposition for School District No. ....... and School District No. ....... to jointly operate (a) cooperative high school (schools).

The polls will be open at ....... o'clock ... m., and close at ....... o'clock ... m., of the same day. A ........ B ........ Dated (insert date).

Regional Superintendent of Schools

The proposition shall be in substantially the following form:

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Shall the Board of Education of

School District No. ...., ..... YES

County (Counties), Illinois be

authorized to enter with

into an agreement with School ----------------------------------------------------------------------

District No. ...., .... County

(Counties), Illinois to jointly

operate (a) cooperative high NO

school (schools)?

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If the majority of those voting on the proposition in each district vote in favor of the proposition, the school boards of the participating districts may, if they agree on terms, execute a contract for such joint operation subject to the following provisions of this Section.

(b) The agreement for joint operation of any such cooperative high school shall include, but not be limited to, provisions for administration, staff, programs, financing, facilities, and transportation. Such agreements may be modified, extended, or terminated by approval of each of the participating districts, provided that a district may withdraw from the agreement during its initial 20-year term only if the district is reorganizing with one or more districts under other provisions of this Code. Even if 2 or more of the participating district boards approve an extension of the agreement, any other participating district shall, upon failure of its board to approve such extension, disengage from such participation at the end of the then current agreement term.

(c) A governing board, which shall govern the operation of any such cooperative high school, shall be composed of an equal number of board members from each of the participating districts, except that where all participating district boards concur, membership on the governing board may be apportioned to reflect the number of students in each respective district who attend the cooperative high school. The membership of the governing board shall be not less than 6 nor more than 10 and shall be set by the agreement entered into by the participating districts. The school board of each participating district shall select, from its membership, its representatives on the governing board. The governing board shall prepare and adopt a budget for the cooperative high school. The governing board shall administer the cooperative high school in accordance with the agreement of the districts and shall have the power to hire, supervise, and terminate staff; to enter into contracts; to adopt policies for the school; and to take all other actions necessary and proper for the operation of the school. However, the governing board may not levy taxes or incur any indebtedness except within the annual budget approved by the participating districts.

(d) (Blank).

(e) Each participating district shall pay its per capita cost of educating the students residing in its district and attending any such cooperative high school into the budget for the maintenance and operation of the cooperative high school.

The manner of determining per capita cost shall be set forth in the agreement. Each district shall pay the amount owed the governing board under the terms of the agreement from the fund that the district would have used if the district had incurred the costs directly and may levy taxes and issue bonds as otherwise authorized for these purposes in order to make payments to the governing board.

(f) Additional school districts having an enrollment in grades 9 through 12 of less than 600 students may be added to the agreement in accordance with the process described in subsection (a) of this Section. In the event additional districts are added, a new contract shall be executed in accordance with the provisions of this Section.

(g) Upon formation of the cooperative high school, the school board of each participating district shall:

(1) confer and coordinate with each other and the governing board, if the governing board is then in existence, as to staffing needs for the cooperative high school;

(2) in consultation with any exclusive employee representatives and the governing board, if the governing board is then in existence, establish a combined list of teachers in all participating districts, categorized by positions, showing the length of service and the contractual continued service status, if any, of each teacher in each participating district who is qualified to hold any such positions at the cooperative high school, and then distribute this list to the exclusive employee representatives on or before February 1 of the school year prior to the commencement of the operation of the cooperative high school or within 30 days after the date of the referendum election if the proposition receives a majority of those voting in each district, whichever occurs first. This list is in addition to and not a substitute for any list mandated by Section 24-12 of this Code; and

(3) transfer to the governing board of the cooperative high school the employment and the position of so many of the full-time or part-time high school teachers employed by a participating district as are jointly determined by the school boards of the participating districts and the governing board, if the governing board is then in existence, to be needed at the cooperative high school, provided that these teacher transfers shall be done:

(A) by categories listed on the seniority list mentioned in subdivision (2) of this subsection (g);

(B) in each category, by having teachers in contractual continued service being transferred before any teachers who are not in contractual continued service; and

(C) in order from greatest seniority first through lesser amounts of seniority.

A teacher who is not in contractual continued service shall not be transferred if there is a teacher in contractual continued service in the same category who is qualified to hold the position that is to be filled.

If there are more teachers who have entered upon contractual continued service than there are available positions at the cooperative high school or within other assignments in the district, a school board shall first remove or dismiss all teachers who have not entered upon contractual continued service before removing or dismissing any teacher who has entered upon contractual continued service and who is legally qualified (i) to hold a position at the cooperative high school planned to be held by a teacher who has not entered upon contractual continued service or (ii) to hold another position in the participating district. As between teachers who have entered upon contractual continued service, the teacher or teachers with the shorter length of continuing service in any of the participating districts shall be dismissed first. Any teacher dismissed as a result of such a decrease shall be paid all earned compensation on or before the third business day following the last day of pupil attendance in the regular school term. If the school board that has dismissed a teacher or the governing board has any vacancies for the following school term or within one calendar year from the beginning of the following school term, the positions thereby becoming available shall be tendered to the teachers so removed or dismissed so far as they are legally qualified to hold such positions. However, if the number of honorable dismissal notices in all participating districts exceeds 15% of full-time equivalent positions filled by certified employees (excluding principals and administrative personnel) during the preceding school year in all participating districts and if the school board that has dismissed a teacher or the governing board has any vacancies for the following school term or within 2 calendar years from the beginning of the following school term, the positions so becoming available shall be tendered to the teachers who were so notified, removed, or dismissed whenever these teachers are legally qualified to hold such positions.

The provisions of subsection (h) of Section 24-11 of this Code concerning teachers whose positions are transferred from one board to the control of a different board shall apply to the teachers who are transferred. The contractual continued service of any transferred teacher is not lost and the governing board is subject to this Code with respect to the teacher in the same manner as if the teacher had been the governing board's employee during the time the teacher was actually employed by the board of the district from which the position and the teacher's employment were transferred. The time spent in employment with a participating district by any teacher who has not yet entered upon contractual continued service and who is transferred to the governing board is not lost when computing the time necessary for the teacher to enter upon contractual continued service, and the governing board is subject to this Code with respect to the teacher in the same manner as if the teacher had been the governing board's employee during the time the teacher was actually employed by the school board from which the position and the teacher's employment were transferred.

If the cooperative high school is dissolved, any teacher who was transferred from a participating district shall be transferred back to the district and subsection (h) of Section 24-11 of this Code shall apply. In that case, a district is subject to this Code in the same manner as if the teacher transferred back had been continuously in the service of the receiving district.

(h) Upon formation of the cooperative high school, the school board of each participating district shall:

(1) confer and coordinate with each other and the governing board, if the governing board is then in existence, as to needs for educational support personnel for the cooperative high school;

(2) in consultation with any exclusive employee representative or bargaining agent and the governing board, if the governing board is then in existence, establish a combined list of educational support personnel in participating districts, categorized by positions, showing the length of continuing service of each full-time educational support personnel employee who is qualified to hold any such position at the cooperative high school, and then distribute this list to the exclusive employee representative or bargaining agent on or before February 1 of the school year prior to the commencement of the operation of the cooperative high school or within 30 days after the date of the referendum election if the proposition receives a majority of those voting in each district, whichever occurs first; and

(3) transfer to the governing board of the cooperative high school the employment and the positions of so many of the full-time educational support personnel employees employed by a participating district as are jointly determined by the school boards of the participating districts and the governing board, if the governing board is then in existence, to be needed at the cooperative high school, provided that the full-time educational personnel employee transfers shall be done by categories on the seniority list mentioned in subdivision (2) of this subsection (h) and done in order from greatest seniority first through lesser amounts of seniority.

If there are more full-time educational support personnel employees than there are available positions at the cooperative high school or in the participating district, a school board shall first remove or dismiss those educational support personnel employees with the shorter length of continuing service in any of the participating districts, within the respective category of position. The governing board is subject to this Code with respect to the educational support personnel employee as if the educational support personnel employee had been the governing board's employee during the time the educational support personnel employee was actually employed by the school board of the district from which the employment and position were transferred. Any educational support personnel employee dismissed as a result of such a decrease shall be paid all earned compensation on or before the third business day following his or her last day of employment. If the school board that has dismissed the educational support personnel employee or the governing board has any vacancies for the following school term or within one calendar year from the beginning of the following school term, the positions thereby becoming available within a specific category of position shall be tendered to the employees so removed or dismissed from that category of position so far as they are legally qualified to hold such positions. If the cooperative high school is dissolved, any educational support personnel employee who was transferred from a participating district shall be transferred back to the district and Section 10-23.5 of this Code shall apply. In that case, a district is subject to this Code in the same manner as if the educational support personnel employee transferred back had been continuously in the service of the receiving district.

(i) Two or more school districts not contiguous to each other, each of which has an enrollment in grades 9 through 12 of less than 600 students, may jointly operate one or more cooperative high schools if the following requirements are met and documented within 2 calendar years prior to the proposition filing date, pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section:

(1) the distance between each district administrative office is documented as no more than 30 miles;

(2) every district contiguous to the district wishing to operate one or more cooperative high schools under the provisions of this Section determines that it is not interested in participating in such joint operation, through a vote of its school board, and documents that non-interest in a letter to the districts wishing to form the cooperative high school containing approved minutes that record the school board vote;

(3) documentation of meeting these requirements is attached to the board resolution required under subsection (a) of this Section; and

(4) all other provisions of this Section are followed.

(Source: P.A. 98-125, eff. 8-2-13; 99-657, eff. 7-28-16.)