Public Act 099-0334
 
SB1591 EnrolledLRB099 08451 NHT 28605 b


  
    AN ACT concerning education.
  
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:
  



 
 
    Section 5. The School Code is amended  by changing Section 
27A-7 as follows:
 
 

    (105 ILCS 5/27A-7)

 
    Sec. 27A-7. Charter submission. 

    (a) A proposal to establish a charter school shall be 
submitted to the local school board and the State Board for 
certification under Section 27A-6 of this Code in the form of a 
proposed contract
entered
into between the local school board 
and the governing body of a proposed
charter school.  The

charter school proposal shall include:

        (1) The name of the proposed charter school, which must 
    include the words
"Charter School".

        (2) The age or grade range, areas of focus, minimum and 
    maximum numbers of
pupils to be enrolled in the charter 
    school, and any other admission criteria
that would be 
    legal if used by a school district.

        (3) A description of and address for the physical plant 
    in which the
charter school will be located; provided that 
    nothing in the Article shall be
deemed to justify delaying 
    or withholding favorable action on or approval of a
charter 
    school proposal because the building or buildings in which 
    the charter
school is to be located have not been acquired 
    or rented at the time a charter
school proposal is 
    submitted or approved or a charter school contract is

    entered
into or submitted for certification or certified, 
    so long as the proposal or
submission identifies and names 
    at least 2 sites that are potentially available
as a 
    charter school facility by the time the charter school is 
    to open.

        (4) The mission statement of the charter school, which 
    must be consistent
with the General Assembly's declared 
    purposes; provided that nothing in this
Article shall be 
    construed to require that, in order to receive favorable

    consideration and approval, a charter school proposal 
    demonstrate unequivocally
that the charter school will be 
    able to meet each of those declared purposes,
it
being the 
    intention of the Charter Schools Law that those purposes be

    recognized as goals that
charter schools must aspire to 
    attain.

        (5) The goals, objectives, and pupil performance 
    standards to be achieved
by the charter school.

        (6) In the case of a proposal to establish a charter 
    school by
converting an existing public school or 
    attendance center to charter school
status, evidence that 
    the proposed formation of the charter school has received

    the approval of certified teachers, parents
and
guardians, 
    and, if applicable, a local school council as provided in

    subsection
(b) of Section 27A-8.

        (7) A description of the charter school's educational 
    program, pupil
performance standards, curriculum, school 
    year, school days, and hours of
operation.

        (8) A description of the charter school's plan for 
    evaluating pupil
performance, the types of assessments 
    that will be used to measure pupil
progress towards 
    achievement of the school's pupil performance standards, 
    the
timeline for achievement of those standards, and the 
    procedures for taking
corrective action in the event that 
    pupil performance at the charter school
falls below those 
    standards.

        (9) Evidence that the terms of the charter as proposed 
    are economically
sound
for both the charter school and the 
    school district, a proposed budget for the
term of the 
    charter, a description of the manner in which an annual

    audit of the financial and administrative operations of the 
    charter school,
including any services provided by the 
    school district, are to be conducted,
and
a plan for the 
    displacement of pupils, teachers, and other employees who 
    will
not attend or be employed in the charter school.

        (10) A description of the governance and operation of 
    the charter school,
including the nature and extent of 
    parental, professional educator, and
community involvement 
    in the governance and operation of the charter school.

        (11) An explanation of the relationship that will exist 
    between the
charter school and its employees, including 
    evidence that the terms and
conditions of employment have 
    been addressed with affected employees and their

    recognized representative, if any.  However, a bargaining 
    unit of charter
school employees shall be separate and

    distinct from any bargaining units formed from employees of 
    a school district
in
which the charter school is located.

        (12) An agreement between the parties regarding their 
    respective
legal liability and applicable insurance 
    coverage.

        (13) A description of how the charter school plans to 
    meet the
transportation needs of its pupils,  and a plan for 
    addressing the
transportation needs
of low-income and 
    at-risk pupils.

        (14) The proposed effective date and term of the 
    charter; provided that
the
first day of the first academic 
    year shall be no earlier than August 15 and no later than 
    September 15 of a
calendar year, and the first day of the 
    fiscal year shall be July 1.

        (14.5) Disclosure of any known active civil or criminal 
    investigation by a local, state, or federal law enforcement 
    agency into an organization submitting the charter school 
    proposal or a criminal investigation by a local, state, or 
    federal law enforcement agency into any member of the 
    governing body of that organization. For the purposes of 
    this subdivision (14.5), a known investigation means a 
    request for an interview by a law enforcement agency, a 
    subpoena, an arrest, or an indictment. Such disclosure is 
    required for a period from the initial application 
    submission through 10 business days prior to the 
    authorizer's scheduled decision date. 
        (15) Any other information reasonably required by the 
    State Board of
Education.

    (b) A proposal to establish a charter school may be 
initiated by individuals
or organizations that will have

majority representation on the board of directors or other 
governing body of
the corporation or other discrete legal 
entity that is to be established to
operate the proposed 
charter school, by a board of education or an
intergovernmental 
agreement between or among boards of education, or by the
board 
of directors or other
governing body of a discrete legal entity 
already existing or established to
operate the proposed
charter 
school.  The individuals or organizations referred to in this

subsection may be school teachers, school administrators, 
local school
councils, colleges or
universities or their 
faculty
members, public community colleges or their 
instructors or other
representatives, corporations, or other 
entities or their
representatives.  The proposal shall be

submitted to the local school board for consideration and, if

appropriate, for
development of a proposed contract to be 
submitted to the State Board  for
certification under
Section 
27A-6.

    (c) The local school board may not without the consent of 
the governing body
of the charter school condition its approval 
of a charter school proposal on
acceptance of an agreement to 
operate under State laws and regulations and
local school board 
policies from which the charter school is otherwise exempted

under this Article.

(Source: P.A. 98-739, eff. 7-16-14; 98-1048, eff. 8-25-14; 
revised 10-1-14.)

 
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
becoming law.