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Public Act 098-0786
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| HB4522 Enrolled | LRB098 19386 NHT 54542 b |
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AN ACT concerning education.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section |
10-22.22e as follows:
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(105 ILCS 5/10-22.22e) |
Sec. 10-22.22e. Science and mathematics partnership |
school. |
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the |
contrary and subject to the provisions of this Section, 2 4 or |
more contiguous school districts with all or a portion of their |
territory located within the geographic boundaries of the same |
municipality may, when in their judgment the interest of the |
districts and of the students therein will be best served, |
jointly operate, through an institution of higher education |
located in the municipality, a science and mathematics |
partnership school for serving some or all of grades |
kindergarten through 8. The partnership school may (i) restrict |
attendance to pupils who reside within the geographic |
boundaries of the areas served by the school districts and (ii) |
select students for enrollment based on admission criteria that |
focuses on academic proficiency in science and mathematics |
established by the partnership school and approved by the |
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districts' school boards; however, in no case may the |
partnership school discriminate on the basis of disability, |
race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion, |
ancestry, marital status, or need for special education |
services in the establishment of its attendance boundaries or |
in the selection of students for enrollment. The number of |
students enrolled from each school district shall be |
approximately equal in number. If there are more students |
eligible for enrollment in the partnership school from a school |
district than there are spaces available, eligible students |
must be selected by lottery. |
(b) The school board of each school district shall, by |
proper resolution, enter into the joint operation of the |
partnership school. The school boards of the participating |
districts shall execute a partnership school contract with the |
institution of higher education for the joint operation, |
subject to the provisions of this Section. The agreement for |
joint operation of the partnership school shall include, but |
not be limited to, provisions for administration, staff, |
programs, financing, facilities, and transportation. |
(c) Each participating school district shall pay its per |
capita cost of educating the students residing in the district |
and attending the partnership school for the maintenance and |
operation of the partnership school. The manner of determining |
per capita cost must be set forth in the agreement. Each |
district shall pay the amount owed under the terms of the |
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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. |
(d) The teachers and other non-administrative, certified |
employees who work in the partnership school must be selected |
according to criteria established by the partnership school and |
agreed to by the school districts' school boards. The number of |
such employees selected from each school district must be |
approximately equal in number. Their selection must be for a |
2-year or 4-year period, upon the completion of which they must |
be assigned to a comparable position in the school from which |
they were selected. While working in the partnership school, |
these employees shall remain employees of and be paid by the |
school district from which they were selected, and their wages |
and benefits must be the same as if they were teaching or |
otherwise working in that district, provided that additional |
wages and benefits may be provided to these teachers and other |
staff if the participating school districts and the exclusive |
bargaining representatives of their teachers and other staff |
agree. The contractual continued service status of a teacher |
and the retirement benefits of those employees who accept work |
with the partnership school must not be affected. A school term |
worked in the partnership school must be considered a school |
term worked in the school district from which the employees |
were selected for contractual continued service attainment |