Rep. Ron Sandack
Filed: 4/20/2015
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1 | AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 397
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2 | AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 397, AS AMENDED, by | ||||||
3 | replacing everything after the enacting clause with the | ||||||
4 | following:
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5 | "Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections | ||||||
6 | 27A-7.5, 27A-8, 27A-9, and 27A-11.5 as follows: | ||||||
7 | (105 ILCS 5/27A-7.5) | ||||||
8 | Sec. 27A-7.5. State Charter School Commission. | ||||||
9 | (a) A State Charter School Commission is established as an | ||||||
10 | independent commission with statewide chartering jurisdiction | ||||||
11 | and authority. The Commission shall be under the State Board | ||||||
12 | for administrative purposes only. | ||||||
13 | (a-5) The State Board shall provide administrative support | ||||||
14 | to the Commission as needed. | ||||||
15 | (b) The Commission is responsible for authorizing | ||||||
16 | high-quality charter schools throughout this State, |
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1 | particularly schools designed to expand opportunities for | ||||||
2 | at-risk students, consistent with the purposes of this Article. | ||||||
3 | (c) The Commission shall consist of 9 members, appointed by | ||||||
4 | the State Board. The State Board shall make these appointments | ||||||
5 | from a slate of candidates proposed by the Governor, within 60 | ||||||
6 | days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the | ||||||
7 | 97th General Assembly with respect to the initial Commission | ||||||
8 | members. In making the appointments, the State Board shall | ||||||
9 | ensure statewide geographic diversity among Commission | ||||||
10 | members. The Governor shall propose a slate of candidates to | ||||||
11 | the State Board within 60 days after the effective date of this | ||||||
12 | amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly and 60 days prior | ||||||
13 | to the expiration of the term of a member thereafter. If the | ||||||
14 | Governor fails to timely propose a slate of candidates | ||||||
15 | according to the provisions of this subsection (c), then the | ||||||
16 | State Board may appoint the member or members of the | ||||||
17 | Commission. | ||||||
18 | (d) Members appointed to the Commission shall collectively | ||||||
19 | possess strong experience and expertise in public and nonprofit | ||||||
20 | governance, management and finance, public school leadership, | ||||||
21 | higher education, assessments, curriculum and instruction, and | ||||||
22 | public education law. All members of the Commission shall have | ||||||
23 | demonstrated understanding of and a commitment to public | ||||||
24 | education, including without limitation charter schooling. At | ||||||
25 | least 3 members must have past experience with urban charter | ||||||
26 | schools. |
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1 | (e) To establish staggered terms of office, the initial | ||||||
2 | term of office for 3 Commission members shall be 4 years and | ||||||
3 | thereafter shall be 4 years; the initial term of office for | ||||||
4 | another 3 members shall be 3 years and thereafter shall be 4 | ||||||
5 | years; and the initial term of office for the remaining 3 | ||||||
6 | members shall be 2 years and thereafter shall be 4 years. The | ||||||
7 | initial appointments must be made no later than October 1, | ||||||
8 | 2011. | ||||||
9 | (f) Whenever a vacancy on the Commission exists, the State | ||||||
10 | Board shall appoint a member for the remaining portion of the | ||||||
11 | term. | ||||||
12 | (g) Subject to the State Officials and Employees Ethics | ||||||
13 | Act, the Commission is authorized to receive and expend gifts, | ||||||
14 | grants, and donations of any kind from any public or private | ||||||
15 | entity to carry out the purposes of this Article, subject to | ||||||
16 | the terms and conditions under which they are given, provided | ||||||
17 | that all such terms and conditions are permissible under law. | ||||||
18 | Funds received under this subsection (g) must be deposited into | ||||||
19 | the State Charter School Commission Fund. | ||||||
20 | The State Charter School Commission Fund is created as a | ||||||
21 | special fund in the State treasury. All money in the Fund shall | ||||||
22 | be used, subject to appropriation, by the State Board, acting | ||||||
23 | on behalf and with the consent of the Commission, for | ||||||
24 | operational and administrative costs of the Commission. | ||||||
25 | Subject to appropriation, any funds appropriated for use by | ||||||
26 | the State Board, acting on behalf and with the consent of the |
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1 | Commission, may be used for the following purposes, without | ||||||
2 | limitation: personal services, contractual services, and other | ||||||
3 | operational and administrative costs. The State Board is | ||||||
4 | further authorized to make expenditures with respect to any | ||||||
5 | other amounts deposited in accordance with law into the State | ||||||
6 | Charter School Commission Fund. | ||||||
7 | (g-5) Funds or spending authority for the operation and | ||||||
8 | administrative costs of the Commission shall be appropriated to | ||||||
9 | the State Board in a separate line item. The State | ||||||
10 | Superintendent of Education may not reduce or modify the budget | ||||||
11 | of the Commission or use funds appropriated to the Commission | ||||||
12 | without the approval of the Commission. | ||||||
13 | (h) The Commission shall operate with dedicated resources | ||||||
14 | and staff qualified to execute the day-to-day responsibilities | ||||||
15 | of charter school authorizing in accordance with this Article. | ||||||
16 | The Commission may employ and fix the compensation of such | ||||||
17 | employees and technical assistants as it deems necessary to | ||||||
18 | carry out its powers and duties under this Article, without | ||||||
19 | regard to the requirements of any civil service or personnel | ||||||
20 | statute; and may establish and administer standards of | ||||||
21 | classification of all such persons with respect to their | ||||||
22 | compensation, duties, performance, and tenure and enter into | ||||||
23 | contracts of employment with such persons for such periods and | ||||||
24 | on such terms as the Commission deems desirable. | ||||||
25 | (i) Every 2 years, the Commission shall provide to the | ||||||
26 | State Board and local school boards a report on best practices |
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1 | in charter school authorizing, including without limitation | ||||||
2 | evaluating applications, oversight of charters, and renewal of | ||||||
3 | charter schools. | ||||||
4 | (j) The Commission may charge a charter school that it | ||||||
5 | authorizes a fee, not to exceed 3% of the revenue provided to | ||||||
6 | the school, to cover the cost of undertaking the ongoing | ||||||
7 | administrative responsibilities of the eligible chartering | ||||||
8 | authority with respect to the school. This fee must be | ||||||
9 | deposited into the State Charter School Commission Fund. | ||||||
10 | (k) Any charter school authorized by the State Board prior | ||||||
11 | to this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly shall have | ||||||
12 | its authorization transferred to the Commission upon a vote of | ||||||
13 | the State Board, which shall then become the school's | ||||||
14 | authorizer for all purposes under this Article. However, in no | ||||||
15 | case shall such transfer take place later than July 1, 2012. At | ||||||
16 | this time, all of the powers, duties, assets, liabilities, | ||||||
17 | contracts, property, records, and pending business of the State | ||||||
18 | Board as the school's authorizer must be transferred to the | ||||||
19 | Commission. Any charter school authorized by a local school | ||||||
20 | board or boards may seek transfer of authorization to the | ||||||
21 | Commission during its current term only with the approval of | ||||||
22 | the local school board or boards. At the end of its charter | ||||||
23 | term, a charter school authorized by a local school board or | ||||||
24 | boards must reapply to the board or boards before it may apply | ||||||
25 | for authorization to the Commission under the terms of this | ||||||
26 | amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly. |
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1 | On the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th | ||||||
2 | General Assembly, all rules of the State Board applicable to | ||||||
3 | matters falling within the responsibility of the Commission | ||||||
4 | shall be applicable to the actions of the Commission. The | ||||||
5 | Commission shall thereafter have the authority to propose to | ||||||
6 | the State Board modifications to all rules applicable to | ||||||
7 | matters falling within the responsibility of the Commission. | ||||||
8 | The State Board shall retain rulemaking authority for the | ||||||
9 | Commission, but shall work jointly with the Commission on any | ||||||
10 | proposed modifications. Upon recommendation of proposed rule | ||||||
11 | modifications by the Commission and pursuant to the Illinois | ||||||
12 | Administrative Procedure Act, the State Board shall consider | ||||||
13 | such changes within the intent of this amendatory Act of the | ||||||
14 | 97th General Assembly and grant any and all changes consistent | ||||||
15 | with that intent. | ||||||
16 | (l) (Blank). The Commission shall have the responsibility | ||||||
17 | to consider appeals under this Article immediately upon | ||||||
18 | appointment of the initial members of the Commission under | ||||||
19 | subsection (c) of this Section. Appeals pending at the time of | ||||||
20 | initial appointment shall be determined by the Commission; the | ||||||
21 | Commission may extend the time for review as necessary for | ||||||
22 | thorough review, but in no case shall the extension exceed the | ||||||
23 | time that would have been available had the appeal been | ||||||
24 | submitted to the Commission on the date of appointment of its | ||||||
25 | initial members. In any appeal filed with the Commission under | ||||||
26 | this Article, both the applicant and the school district in |
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1 | which the charter school plans to locate shall have the right | ||||||
2 | to request a hearing before the Commission. If more than one | ||||||
3 | entity requests a hearing, then the Commission may hold only | ||||||
4 | one hearing, wherein the applicant and the school district | ||||||
5 | shall have an equal opportunity to present their respective | ||||||
6 | positions.
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7 | (Source: P.A. 97-152, eff. 7-20-11; 97-641, eff. 12-19-11; | ||||||
8 | 97-1156, eff. 1-25-13.)
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9 | (105 ILCS 5/27A-8)
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10 | Sec. 27A-8. Evaluation of charter proposals.
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11 | (a) This Section does not apply to a charter school | ||||||
12 | established by
referendum under
Section 27A-6.5.
In evaluating | ||||||
13 | any charter
school proposal submitted to it, the local school | ||||||
14 | board and the Commission shall give preference
to proposals | ||||||
15 | that:
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16 | (1) demonstrate a high level of local pupil, parental, | ||||||
17 | community,
business, and school personnel support;
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18 | (2) set rigorous levels of expected pupil achievement | ||||||
19 | and demonstrate
feasible plans for attaining those levels | ||||||
20 | of achievement; and
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21 | (3) are designed to enroll and serve a substantial | ||||||
22 | proportion of at-risk
children; provided that nothing in | ||||||
23 | the Charter Schools Law shall be construed
as intended to
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24 | limit the establishment of charter schools to those that | ||||||
25 | serve a substantial
portion of at-risk children or to in |
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1 | any manner restrict, limit, or discourage
the
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2 | establishment of charter schools that enroll and serve | ||||||
3 | other pupil populations
under a nonexclusive, | ||||||
4 | nondiscriminatory admissions policy.
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5 | (b) In the case of a proposal to establish a charter school | ||||||
6 | by converting an
existing public school or attendance center to | ||||||
7 | charter school status, evidence
that the proposed formation of | ||||||
8 | the charter school has received majority support
from certified | ||||||
9 | teachers and from parents and guardians in the school or
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10 | attendance center affected by the proposed charter, and, if | ||||||
11 | applicable, from a
local school council, shall be demonstrated | ||||||
12 | by a petition in support of the
charter school signed by | ||||||
13 | certified teachers and a petition in support of the
charter | ||||||
14 | school signed by parents and guardians and, if applicable, by a | ||||||
15 | vote of
the local school council held at a public meeting. In | ||||||
16 | the case of all other
proposals to establish a charter school, | ||||||
17 | evidence of sufficient support to fill
the number of pupil | ||||||
18 | seats set forth in the proposal may be
demonstrated by a
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19 | petition in support of the charter school signed by parents and | ||||||
20 | guardians of
students eligible to attend the charter school.
In | ||||||
21 | all cases, the individuals, organizations, or entities who | ||||||
22 | initiate
the proposal to establish a charter school may elect, | ||||||
23 | in lieu of including any
petition referred to in this | ||||||
24 | subsection as a part of the proposal submitted to
the local | ||||||
25 | school board or the Commission , to demonstrate that the charter | ||||||
26 | school has
received the support referred to in this subsection |
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1 | by other evidence and
information presented at the public | ||||||
2 | meeting that the local school board is
required to convene | ||||||
3 | under this Section.
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4 | (c) A charter school applicant must determine whether he or | ||||||
5 | she will apply to the local school board or to the Commission. | ||||||
6 | Within 45 days of receipt of a charter school proposal, the | ||||||
7 | local school
board shall convene a public meeting to obtain | ||||||
8 | information to assist the board
in its decision to grant or | ||||||
9 | deny the charter school proposal. A local school board may | ||||||
10 | develop its own process for receiving charter school proposals | ||||||
11 | on an annual basis that follows the same timeframes as set | ||||||
12 | forth in this Article. Final decisions of a local school board | ||||||
13 | are subject to judicial review under the Administrative Review | ||||||
14 | Law. Only after the local school board process is followed may | ||||||
15 | a charter school applicant appeal to the Commission.
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16 | (d) Notice of the public meeting required by this Section | ||||||
17 | shall be published
in a community newspaper published in the | ||||||
18 | school district in which the proposed
charter is located and, | ||||||
19 | if there is no such newspaper, then in a newspaper
published in | ||||||
20 | the county and having circulation in the school district. The
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21 | notices shall be published not more than 10 days nor less than | ||||||
22 | 5 days before
the meeting and shall state that information | ||||||
23 | regarding a charter school
proposal will be heard at the | ||||||
24 | meeting. Copies of the notice shall also be
posted at | ||||||
25 | appropriate locations in the school or attendance center | ||||||
26 | proposed to
be established as a charter school, the public |
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1 | schools in the school district,
and the local school board | ||||||
2 | office. If 45 days pass without the local school board holding | ||||||
3 | a public meeting, then the charter applicant may submit the | ||||||
4 | proposal to the Commission, where it must be addressed in | ||||||
5 | accordance with the provisions set forth in subsection (g) of | ||||||
6 | this Section.
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7 | (e) Within 30 days of the public meeting, the local school | ||||||
8 | board shall vote,
in a public meeting, to either grant or deny | ||||||
9 | the charter school proposal. If the local school board has not | ||||||
10 | voted in a public meeting within 30 days after the public | ||||||
11 | meeting, then the charter applicant may submit the proposal to | ||||||
12 | the Commission, where it must be addressed in accordance with | ||||||
13 | the provisions set forth in subsection (g) of this Section.
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14 | (f) Within 7 days of the public meeting required under | ||||||
15 | subsection (e) of this Section, the
local school board shall | ||||||
16 | file a report with the State Board
granting or denying the | ||||||
17 | proposal.
If the local school board has approved the proposal, | ||||||
18 | within 30 days of receipt of the local school board's
report, | ||||||
19 | the State Board shall determine whether the approved charter
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20 | proposal is consistent with the
provisions of this Article and, | ||||||
21 | if the approved proposal
complies,
certify the proposal | ||||||
22 | pursuant to Section 27A-6.
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23 | (g) (Blank). If the local school board votes to deny the | ||||||
24 | proposal, then the charter school applicant has 30 days from | ||||||
25 | the date of that vote to submit an appeal to the Commission. In | ||||||
26 | such instances or in those instances referenced in subsections |
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1 | (d)and (e) of this Section, the Commission shall follow the | ||||||
2 | same process and be subject to the same timelines for review as | ||||||
3 | the local school board. | ||||||
4 | (h) If a charter school applicant's proposal is denied by | ||||||
5 | either the local school board or the Commission, the charter | ||||||
6 | applicant must wait a year from the date of the submission to | ||||||
7 | reapply. The Commission may approve a charter school proposal | ||||||
8 | submitted to it in accordance with subsection (d), (e), or (i) | ||||||
9 | of this Section The Commission may reverse a local school | ||||||
10 | board's decision to deny a charter school proposal if the | ||||||
11 | Commission finds that the proposal (i) is in compliance with | ||||||
12 | this Article and (ii) is in the best interests of the students | ||||||
13 | the charter school is designed to serve. Final decisions of the | ||||||
14 | Commission are subject to judicial review under the | ||||||
15 | Administrative Review Law. | ||||||
16 | (i) In the case of a charter school proposed to be jointly | ||||||
17 | authorized by 2 or more school districts, the local school | ||||||
18 | boards may unanimously deny the charter school proposal with a | ||||||
19 | statement that the local school boards are not opposed to the | ||||||
20 | charter school, but that they yield to the Commission in light | ||||||
21 | of the complexities of joint administration , in which case the | ||||||
22 | charter applicant may submit the proposal to the Commission, | ||||||
23 | where it must be addressed in accordance with the provisions | ||||||
24 | set forth in subsection (g) of this Section . | ||||||
25 | (Source: P.A. 96-105, eff. 7-30-09; 96-734, eff. 8-25-09; | ||||||
26 | 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10; 97-152, eff. 7-20-11.)
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1 | (105 ILCS 5/27A-9)
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2 | Sec. 27A-9. Term of charter; renewal.
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3 | (a) A charter may be granted for a period not less than 5 | ||||||
4 | and not
more than
10
school years. A charter may be renewed in | ||||||
5 | incremental periods not to exceed
5
school years.
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6 | (b) A charter school renewal proposal submitted to the
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7 | local school board or the Commission, as the chartering entity,
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8 | shall contain:
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9 | (1) A report on the progress of the charter school in | ||||||
10 | achieving the goals,
objectives, pupil performance | ||||||
11 | standards, content standards, and other terms of
the | ||||||
12 | initial approved charter proposal; and
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13 | (2) A financial statement that discloses the costs of | ||||||
14 | administration,
instruction, and other spending categories | ||||||
15 | for the charter school that is
understandable to the | ||||||
16 | general public and that will allow comparison of those
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17 | costs to other schools or other comparable organizations, | ||||||
18 | in a format required
by the State Board.
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19 | (c) A charter may be revoked
or not renewed if the local | ||||||
20 | school board or the Commission, as the chartering
entity,
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21 | clearly demonstrates that the
charter school did any of the
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22 | following, or otherwise failed to comply with the requirements | ||||||
23 | of this law:
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24 | (1) Committed a material violation of any of the | ||||||
25 | conditions, standards, or
procedures set forth in the |
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1 | charter.
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2 | (2) Failed to meet or make reasonable progress toward | ||||||
3 | achievement of the
content standards or pupil performance | ||||||
4 | standards identified in the charter.
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5 | (3) Failed to meet generally accepted standards of | ||||||
6 | fiscal management.
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7 | (4) Violated any provision of law from which the | ||||||
8 | charter school was not
exempted.
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9 | In the case of revocation, the local school board or the | ||||||
10 | Commission, as the chartering entity, shall notify the charter | ||||||
11 | school in writing of the reason why the charter is subject to | ||||||
12 | revocation. The charter school shall submit a written plan to | ||||||
13 | the local school board or the Commission, whichever is | ||||||
14 | applicable, to rectify the problem. The plan shall include a | ||||||
15 | timeline for implementation, which shall not exceed 2 years or | ||||||
16 | the date of the charter's expiration, whichever is earlier. If | ||||||
17 | the local school board or the Commission, as the chartering | ||||||
18 | entity, finds that the charter school has failed to implement | ||||||
19 | the plan of remediation and adhere to the timeline, then the | ||||||
20 | chartering entity shall revoke the charter. Except in | ||||||
21 | situations of an emergency where the health, safety, or | ||||||
22 | education of the charter school's students is at risk, the | ||||||
23 | revocation shall take place at the end of a school year. | ||||||
24 | Nothing in this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly | ||||||
25 | shall be construed to prohibit an implementation timetable that | ||||||
26 | is less than 2 years in duration. |
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1 | (d) (Blank).
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2 | (e) The Commission may approve an application for a charter | ||||||
3 | submitted to it in accordance with this Article Notice of a | ||||||
4 | local school board's decision to
deny, revoke or not to
renew a | ||||||
5 | charter shall be provided to the Commission and the State | ||||||
6 | Board.
The Commission may reverse a local board's
decision
if | ||||||
7 | the Commission finds
that the charter school or charter school | ||||||
8 | proposal (i) is in compliance with
this Article , and (ii) is in | ||||||
9 | the best interests of the students it is designed
to serve. The | ||||||
10 | Commission may condition approval of a charter school | ||||||
11 | application
The Commission may condition the granting of an | ||||||
12 | appeal on the acceptance by
the charter school of funding in an | ||||||
13 | amount less than that requested in the
proposal submitted to | ||||||
14 | the local school board.
Final decisions of the Commission are | ||||||
15 | shall be subject
to judicial review under the Administrative | ||||||
16 | Review Law.
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17 | (f) Notwithstanding other provisions of this Article, if | ||||||
18 | the Commission approves an application for a charter submitted | ||||||
19 | to it in accordance with this Article or
on appeal reverses a | ||||||
20 | local board's decision
or if a charter school is
approved by | ||||||
21 | referendum under Section 27A-6.5 of this Code ,
the Commission
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22 | shall act as the
authorized chartering entity for the charter | ||||||
23 | school.
The Commission shall execute a
approve the charter | ||||||
24 | agreement and shall perform all functions
under this
Article | ||||||
25 | otherwise performed by the local school
board. The State Board | ||||||
26 | shall determine whether the charter proposal approved by the |
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1 | Commission is consistent with the provisions of this Article | ||||||
2 | and, if the approved proposal complies, certify the proposal | ||||||
3 | pursuant to this Article. The State Board shall
report the | ||||||
4 | aggregate number of charter school pupils resident in a school
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5 | district to that district
and shall notify the district
of the | ||||||
6 | amount of
funding to be paid by the State Board to the charter | ||||||
7 | school enrolling such
students.
The Commission shall require | ||||||
8 | the
charter school to maintain accurate records of daily | ||||||
9 | attendance that shall be
deemed sufficient to file claims under | ||||||
10 | Section 18-8.05 notwithstanding any
other requirements of that | ||||||
11 | Section regarding hours of instruction and teacher
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12 | certification.
The State Board shall withhold from funds | ||||||
13 | otherwise due the district
the funds authorized by this Article | ||||||
14 | to be paid to the charter school and shall
pay such amounts to | ||||||
15 | the charter school.
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16 | (g) For charter schools authorized by the Commission, the | ||||||
17 | Commission shall quarterly certify to the State Board the | ||||||
18 | student enrollment for each of its charter schools. | ||||||
19 | (h) For charter schools authorized by the Commission, the | ||||||
20 | State Board shall pay directly to a charter school any federal | ||||||
21 | or State aid attributable to a student with a disability | ||||||
22 | attending the school. | ||||||
23 | (i) The Commission has no authority under subsection (e) of | ||||||
24 | this Section to approve a charter school proposal that has been | ||||||
25 | denied by the local school board. | ||||||
26 | (Source: P.A. 97-152, eff. 7-20-11; 98-739, eff. 7-16-14.)
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1 | (105 ILCS 5/27A-11.5) | ||||||
2 | Sec. 27A-11.5. State financing. The State Board of | ||||||
3 | Education shall make
the following funds available to school | ||||||
4 | districts and charter schools: | ||||||
5 | (1) From a separate appropriation made to the State | ||||||
6 | Board for purposes
of this subdivision (1), the State Board | ||||||
7 | shall make transition impact aid
available to school | ||||||
8 | districts that approve a new charter school or that have
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9 | funds withheld by the State Board to fund a new charter | ||||||
10 | school that is
chartered by the Commission. The amount of | ||||||
11 | the aid shall equal 90% of the per
capita funding paid to | ||||||
12 | the charter school during the first year of its initial
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13 | charter term, 65% of the per capita funding paid to the | ||||||
14 | charter school during
the second year of its initial term, | ||||||
15 | and 35% of the per capita funding paid to
the charter | ||||||
16 | school during the third year of its initial term. This | ||||||
17 | transition
impact aid shall be paid to the local school | ||||||
18 | board in equal quarterly
installments, with the payment of | ||||||
19 | the installment for the first quarter being
made by August | ||||||
20 | 1st immediately preceding the first, second, and third | ||||||
21 | years of
the initial term. The district shall file an | ||||||
22 | application for this aid with the
State Board in a format | ||||||
23 | designated by the State Board. If the appropriation is
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24 | insufficient in any year to pay all approved claims, the | ||||||
25 | impact aid shall be
prorated.
However, for fiscal year |
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1 | 2004, the State Board of Education shall
pay approved | ||||||
2 | claims only for charter schools with a valid charter | ||||||
3 | granted
prior to June 1, 2003. If any funds remain after | ||||||
4 | these claims have
been paid, then the State Board of | ||||||
5 | Education may pay all other approved
claims on a pro rata | ||||||
6 | basis.
Transition impact aid shall be paid beginning in the | ||||||
7 | 1999-2000
school year for charter schools that are in the | ||||||
8 | first, second, or third year of
their initial term. | ||||||
9 | Transition impact aid shall not be paid for any charter
| ||||||
10 | school that is
proposed and created by one or more boards | ||||||
11 | of education, as authorized under
the provisions of Public | ||||||
12 | Act 91-405. | ||||||
13 | (2) From a separate appropriation made for the purpose | ||||||
14 | of this subdivision
(2), the State Board shall make grants | ||||||
15 | to charter schools to pay their start-up
costs of acquiring | ||||||
16 | educational materials and supplies, textbooks, electronic | ||||||
17 | textbooks and the technological equipment necessary to | ||||||
18 | gain access to and use electronic textbooks, furniture,
and | ||||||
19 | other equipment needed during their initial term. The State | ||||||
20 | Board shall
annually establish the time and manner of | ||||||
21 | application for these grants, which
shall not exceed $250 | ||||||
22 | per student enrolled in the charter school. | ||||||
23 | (3) The Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund is created | ||||||
24 | as a special
fund in the State treasury. Federal funds, | ||||||
25 | such other funds as may be made
available for costs | ||||||
26 | associated with the establishment of charter schools in
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | Illinois, and amounts repaid by charter schools that have | ||||||
2 | received a loan from
the Charter Schools Revolving Loan | ||||||
3 | Fund shall be deposited into the Charter
Schools Revolving | ||||||
4 | Loan Fund, and the moneys in the Charter Schools Revolving
| ||||||
5 | Loan Fund shall be appropriated to the State Board and used | ||||||
6 | to provide
interest-free loans to charter schools. These | ||||||
7 | funds shall be used to pay
start-up costs of acquiring | ||||||
8 | educational materials and supplies, textbooks, electronic | ||||||
9 | textbooks and the technological equipment necessary to | ||||||
10 | gain access to and use electronic textbooks,
furniture, and | ||||||
11 | other equipment needed in the initial term of the charter | ||||||
12 | school
and for acquiring and remodeling a suitable physical | ||||||
13 | plant, within the initial
term of the charter school. Loans | ||||||
14 | shall be limited to one loan per charter
school and shall | ||||||
15 | not exceed $250 per student enrolled in the charter school. | ||||||
16 | A
loan shall be repaid by the end of the initial term of | ||||||
17 | the charter school.
The State Board may deduct amounts | ||||||
18 | necessary to repay the loan from funds due
to the charter | ||||||
19 | school or may require that the local school board that
| ||||||
20 | authorized the charter school deduct such amounts from | ||||||
21 | funds due the charter
school and remit these amounts to the | ||||||
22 | State Board, provided that the local
school board shall not | ||||||
23 | be responsible for repayment of the loan. The State
Board | ||||||
24 | may use up to 3% of the appropriation to contract with a | ||||||
25 | non-profit
entity to administer the loan program. | ||||||
26 | (4) A charter school may apply for and receive, subject |
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1 | to the same
restrictions applicable to school districts, | ||||||
2 | any grant administered by the
State Board that is available | ||||||
3 | for school districts. | ||||||
4 | (5) Commission-authorized charter schools shall be | ||||||
5 | funded directly from general State aid payments in the | ||||||
6 | amount of the number of pupils multiplied by the per capita | ||||||
7 | tuition charge. | ||||||
8 | (Source: P.A. 98-739, eff. 7-16-14.)
| ||||||
9 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
10 | becoming law.".
|