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91_SB0648enr SB648 Enrolled LRB9105854NTsb 1 AN ACT concerning charter schools, amending named Acts. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding 5 Section 5.490 as follows: 6 (30 ILCS 105/5.490 new) 7 Sec. 5.490. The Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund. 8 Section 10. The School Code is amended by changing 9 Sections 27A-4, 27A-5, 27A-6, 27A-8, 27A-9, 27A-11, 27A-12, 10 and 29-4 and adding Sections 27A-6.5 and 27A-11.5 as follows: 11 (105 ILCS 5/27A-4) 12 Sec. 27A-4. General Provisions. 13 (a) The General Assembly does not intend to alter or 14 amend the provisions of any court-ordered desegregation plan 15 in effect for any school district. A charter school shall be 16 subject to all federal and State laws and constitutional 17 provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of 18 disability, race, creed, color, gender, national origin, 19 religion, ancestry, marital status, or need for special 20 education services. 21 (b) The total number of charter schools operating under 22 this Article at any one time shall not exceed 45. Not more 23 thanthat15 charter schools shall operate at any one time in 24 any city having a population exceeding 500,000; not more than 25 15 charter schools shall operate at any one time in the 26 counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, and that 27 portion of Cook County that is located outside a city having 28 a population exceeding 500,000; and not more than 15 charter 29 schools shall operate at any one time in the remainder of the SB648 Enrolled -2- LRB9105854NTsb 1 State. 2 For purposes of implementing this Section, the State 3 Board shall assign a number to each charter submission it 4 receives under Section 27A-6 for its review and 5 certification, based on the chronological order in which the 6 submission is received by it. The State Board shall promptly 7 notify local school boards when the maximum numbers of 8 certified charter schools authorized to operate have been 9 reached. 10 (c) No charter shall be granted under this Article that 11 would convert any existing private, parochial, or non-public 12 school to a charter school. 13 (d) Enrollment in a charter school shall be open to any 14 pupil who resides within the geographic boundaries of the 15 area served by the local school board.However, no more than1650% of the number of resident pupils enrolled in any one17grade in a school district with only a single attendance18center covering that grade may be enrolled in a charter19school at one time.20 (e) Nothing in this Article shall prevent 2 or more 21 local school boards from jointly issuing a charter to a 22 single shared charter school, provided that all of the 23 provisions of this Article are met as to those local school 24 boards. 25 (f) No local school board shall require any employee of 26 the school district to be employed in a charter school. 27 (g) No local school board shall require any pupil 28 residing within the geographic boundary of its district to 29 enroll in a charter school. 30 (h) If there are more eligible applicants for enrollment 31 in a charter school than there are spaces available, 32 successful applicants shall be selected by lottery. However, 33 priority shall be given to siblings of pupils enrolled in the 34 charter school and to pupils who were enrolled in the charter SB648 Enrolled -3- LRB9105854NTsb 1 school the previous school year, unless expelled for cause. 2 Dual enrollment at both a charter school and a public school 3 or non-public school shall not be allowed. A pupil who is 4 suspended or expelled from a charter school shall be deemed 5 to be suspended or expelled from the public schools of the 6 school district in which the pupil resides. 7 (i) (Blank).No charter school established under this8Article may be authorized to open prior to the school year9beginning in the fall of 1996.10 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96; revised 2-24-98.) 11 (105 ILCS 5/27A-5) 12 Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements. 13 (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian, 14 nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A 15 charter school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit 16 corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity 17 authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois. 18 (b) A charter school may be established under this 19 Article by creating a new school or by converting an existing 20 public school or attendance center to charter school status. 21 (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed 22 by its board of directors or other governing body in the 23 manner provided in its charter. The governing body of a 24 charter school shall be subject to the Freedom of Information 25 Act and the Open Meetings Act. 26 (d) A charter school shall comply with all applicable 27 health and safety requirements applicable to public schools 28 under the laws of the State of Illinois. 29 (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a 30 charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a 31 charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks, 32 instructional materials, and student activities. 33 (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the SB648 Enrolled -4- LRB9105854NTsb 1 management and operation of its fiscal affairs including, but 2 not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of 3 each charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by 4 an outside, independent contractor retained by the charter 5 school. 6 (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of 7 this Article and its charter. A charter school is exempt 8 from all other State laws and regulations in the School Code 9 governing public schools and local school board policies, 10 except the following: 11 (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of the School Code 12 regarding criminal background investigations of 13 applicants for employment; 14 (2) Sections 24-24 and 34-84A of the School Code 15 regarding discipline of students; 16 (3) The Local Governmental and Governmental 17 Employees Tort Immunity Act; 18 (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit 19 Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of 20 officers, directors, employees, and agents; 21 (5) The Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act; 22and23 (6) The Illinois School Student Records Act; and.24 (7) Section 10-17a of the School Code regarding 25 school report cards. 26 (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a 27 school district, the governing body of a State college or 28 university or public community college, or any other public 29 or for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of 30 a school building and grounds or any other real property or 31 facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert 32 for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and 33 maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service, 34 activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required SB648 Enrolled -5- LRB9105854NTsb 1 to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter. 2 Except as provided in subsection (i) of this Section, a 3 school district may charge a charter school reasonable rent 4 for the use of the district's buildings, grounds, and 5 facilities. Any services for which a charter school 6 contracts with a school district shall be provided by the 7 district at cost. Any services for which a charter school 8 contracts with a local school board or with the governing 9 body of a State college or university or public community 10 college shall be provided by the public entity at cost. 11 (i) In no event shall a charter school that is 12 established by converting an existing school or attendance 13 center to charter school status be required to pay rent for 14 space that is deemed available, as negotiated and provided in 15 the charter agreement, in school district facilities. 16 However, all other costs for the operation and maintenance of 17 school district facilities that are used by the charter 18 school shall be subject to negotiation between the charter 19 school and the local school board and shall be set forth in 20 the charter. 21 (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age 22 or grade level. 23 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96.) 24 (105 ILCS 5/27A-6) 25 Sec. 27A-6. Contract contents; applicability of laws and 26 regulations. 27 (a) A certified charter shall constitute a binding 28 contract and agreement between the charter school and a local 29 school board under the terms of which the local school board 30 authorizes the governing body of the charter school to 31 operate the charter school on the terms specified in the 32 contract. 33 (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article, SB648 Enrolled -6- LRB9105854NTsb 1 the certified charter may not waive or release the charter 2 school from the State goals, standards, and assessments 3 established pursuant to Section 2-3.64. 4 (c) Subject to the provisions of subsection (e), a 5 material revision to a previously certified contract or a 6 renewal shall be made with the approval of both the local 7 school board and the governing body of the charter school. 8 (c-5) The proposed contract shall include a provision on 9 how both parties will address minor violations of the 10 contract. 11 (d) The proposed contract between the governing body of 12 a proposed charter school and the local school board as 13 described in Section 27A-7 must be submitted to and certified 14 by the State Board before it can take effect. If the State 15 Board recommends that the proposed contract be modified for 16 consistency with this Article before it can be certified, the 17 modifications must be consented to by both the governing body 18 of the charter school and the local school board, and 19 resubmitted to the State Board for its certification. If the 20 proposed contract is resubmitted in a form that is not 21 consistent with this Article, the State Board may refuse to 22 certify the charter. 23 The State Board shall assign a number to each submission 24 or resubmission in chronological order of receipt, and shall 25 determine whether the proposed contract is consistent with 26 the provisions of this Article. If the proposed contract 27 complies, the State Board shall so certify. 28 (e) No material revision to a previously certified 29 contract or a renewal shall be effective unless and until the 30 State Board certifies that the revision or renewal is 31 consistent with the provisions of this Article. 32 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96.) 33 (105 ILCS 5/27A-6.5 new) SB648 Enrolled -7- LRB9105854NTsb 1 Sec. 27A-6.5. Charter school referendum. 2 (a) No charter shall be approved under this Section that 3 would convert any existing private, parochial, or non-public 4 school to a charter school or whose proposal has not been 5 certified by the State Board. 6 (b) A local school board shall, whenever petitioned to 7 do so by 5% or more of the voters of a school district or 8 districts identified in a charter school proposal, order 9 submitted to the voters thereof at a regularly scheduled 10 election the question of whether a new charter school shall 11 be established, which proposal has been certified by the 12 State Board to be in compliance with the provisions of this 13 Article, and the secretary shall certify the proposition to 14 the proper election authorities for submission in accordance 15 with the general election law. The proposition shall be in 16 substantially the following form: 17 "FOR the establishment of (name of proposed charter 18 school) under charter school proposal (charter school 19 proposal number). 20 AGAINST the establishment of (name of proposed 21 charter school) under charter school proposal (charter 22 school proposal number)". 23 (c) Before circulating a petition to submit the question 24 of whether to establish a charter school to the voters under 25 subsection (b) of this Section, the governing body of a 26 proposed charter school that desires to establish a new 27 charter school by referendum shall submit the charter school 28 proposal to the State Board in the form of a proposed 29 contract to be entered into between the State Board and the 30 governing body of the proposed charter school, as provided 31 under Section 27A-6, together with written notice of the 32 intent to have a new charter school established by 33 referendum. The contract shall comply with the provisions of 34 this Article. SB648 Enrolled -8- LRB9105854NTsb 1 If the State Board finds that the proposed contract 2 complies with the provisions of this Article, it shall 3 immediately certify that the proposed contract complies with 4 the provisions of this Article and direct the local school 5 board to notify the proper election authorities that the 6 question of whether to establish a new charter school shall 7 be submitted for referendum. 8 (d) If the State Board finds that the proposal fails to 9 comply with the provisions of this Article, it shall refuse 10 to certify the proposal and provide written explanation, 11 detailing its reasons for refusal, to the local school board 12 and to the individuals or organizations submitting the 13 proposal. The State Board shall also notify the local school 14 board and the individuals or organizations submitting the 15 proposal that the proposal may be amended and resubmitted 16 under the same provisions required for an original 17 submission. 18 (e) If a majority of the votes cast upon the proposition 19 in each school district designated in the charter school 20 proposal is in favor of establishing a charter school, the 21 local school board shall notify the State Board of the 22 passage of the proposition in favor of establishing a charter 23 school and the State Board shall approve the charter within 7 24 days after the State Board of Elections has certified that a 25 majority of the votes cast upon the proposition is in favor 26 of establishing a charter school. The State Board shall be 27 the chartering entity for charter schools established by 28 referendum under this Section. 29 (105 ILCS 5/27A-8) 30 Sec. 27A-8. Evaluation of charter proposals. 31 (a) This Section does not apply to a charter school 32 established by referendum under Section 27A-6.5. In 33 evaluating any charter school proposal submitted to it, the SB648 Enrolled -9- LRB9105854NTsb 1 local school board shall give preference to proposals that: 2 (1) demonstrate a high level of local pupil, 3 parental, community, business, and school personnel 4 support; 5 (2) set rigorous levels of expected pupil 6 achievement and demonstrate feasible plans for attaining 7 those levels of achievement; and 8 (3) are designed to enroll and serve a substantial 9 proportion of at-risk children; provided that nothing in 10 the Charter Schools Law shall be construed as intended to 11 limit the establishment of charter schools to those that 12 serve a substantial portion of at-risk children or to in 13 any manner restrict, limit, or discourage the 14 establishment of charter schools that enroll and serve 15 other pupil populations under a nonexclusive, 16 nondiscriminatory admissions policy. 17 (b) In the case of a proposal to establish a charter 18 school by converting an existing public school or attendance 19 center to charter school status, evidence that the proposed 20 formation of the charter school has received majority support 21 from certified teachers and from parents and guardians in the 22 school or attendance center affected by the proposed charter, 23 and, if applicable, from a local school council, shall be 24 demonstrated by a petition in support of the charter school 25 signed by certified teachers and a petition in support of the 26 charter school signed by parents and guardians and, if 27 applicable, by a vote of the local school council held at a 28 public meeting. In the case of all other proposals to 29 establish a charter school, evidence of sufficient support to 30 fill the number of pupil seats set forth in the proposal may 31 be demonstrated by a petition in support of the charter 32 school signed by parents and guardians of students eligible 33 to attend the charter school. In all cases, the individuals, 34 organizations, or entities who initiate the proposal to SB648 Enrolled -10- LRB9105854NTsb 1 establish a charter school may elect, in lieu of including 2 any petition referred to in this subsection as a part of the 3 proposal submitted to the local school board, to demonstrate 4 that the charter school has received the support referred to 5 in this subsection by other evidence and information 6 presented at the public meeting that the local school board 7 is required to convene under this Section. 8 (c) Within 45 days of receipt of a charter school 9 proposal, the local school board shall convene a public 10 meeting to obtain information to assist the board in its 11 decision to grant or deny the charter school proposal. 12 (d) Notice of the public meeting required by this 13 Section shall be published in a community newspaper published 14 in the school district in which the proposed charter is 15 located and, if there is no such newspaper, then in a 16 newspaper published in the county and having circulation in 17 the school district. The notices shall be published not more 18 than 10 days nor less than 5 days before the meeting and 19 shall state that information regarding a charter school 20 proposal will be heard at the meeting. Copies of the notice 21 shall also be posted at appropriate locations in the school 22 or attendance center proposed to be established as a charter 23 school, the public schools in the school district, and the 24 local school board office. 25 (e) Within 30 days of the public meeting, the local 26 school board shall vote, in a public meeting, to either grant 27 or deny the charter school proposal. 28 (f) Within 7 days of the public meeting required under 29 subsection (e), the local school board shall file a report 30 with the State Board granting or denying the proposal. Within 31 14 days of receipt of the local school board's report, the 32 State Board shall determine whether the approved charter 33 proposal is consistent with the provisions of this Article 34 and, if the approved proposal complies, certify the proposal SB648 Enrolled -11- LRB9105854NTsb 1 pursuant to Section 27A-6. 2 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96; 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.) 3 (105 ILCS 5/27A-9) 4 Sec. 27A-9. Term of charter; renewal. 5 (a) A charter may be granted for a period not less than 6 53and not more than 105school years. A charter may be 7 renewed in incremental periods not to exceed 5 school years. 8 (b) A charter school renewal proposal submitted to the 9 local school board or State Board, as the chartering entity, 10 shall contain: 11 (1) A report on the progress of the charter school 12 in achieving the goals, objectives, pupil performance 13 standards, content standards, and other terms of the 14 initial approved charter proposal; and 15 (2) A financial statement that discloses the costs 16 of administration, instruction, and other spending 17 categories for the charter school that is understandable 18 to the general public and that will allow comparison of 19 those costs to other schools or other comparable 20 organizations, in a format required by the State Board. 21 (c) A charter may be revoked or not renewed if the local 22 school board or State Board, as the chartering entity, 23 clearly demonstrates that the charter school did any of the 24 following, or otherwise failed to comply with the 25 requirements of this law: 26 (1) Committed a material violation of any of the 27 conditions, standards, or procedures set forth in the 28 charter. 29 (2) Failed to meet or make reasonable progress 30 toward achievement of the content standards or pupil 31 performance standards identified in the charter. 32 (3) Failed to meet generally accepted standards of 33 fiscal management. SB648 Enrolled -12- LRB9105854NTsb 1 (4) Violated any provision of law from which the 2 charter school was not exempted. 3 (d) (Blank). 4 (e) Notice of a local school board's decision to deny, 5 revoke or not to renew a charter shall be provided to the 6 State Board. The State Board may reverse a local board's 7 decision if the State Board finds that the charter school or 8 charter school proposal (i) is in compliance with this 9 Article, and (ii) is in the best interests of the students it 10 is designed to serve. The State Board may condition the 11 granting of an appeal on the acceptance by the charter school 12 of funding in an amount less than that requested in the 13 proposal submitted to the local school board. Final decisions 14 of the State Board shall be subject to judicial review under 15 the Administrative Review Law. 16 (f) Notwithstanding other provisions of this Article, if 17 the State Board on appeal reverses a local board's decision 18 or if a charter school is approved by referendum, the State 19 Board shall act as the authorized chartering entity for the 20 charter school. The State Board shall approve and certify 21 the charter and shall perform all functions under this 22 Article otherwise performed by the local school board. The 23 State Board shall report the aggregate number of charter 24 school pupils resident in a school district to that district 25 and shall notify the district of the amount of funding to be 26 paid by the State Board to the charter school enrolling such 27 students. The State Board shall withhold from funds 28 otherwise due the district the funds authorized by this 29 Article to be paid to the charter school and shall pay such 30 amounts to the charter school. 31 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96; 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.) 32 (105 ILCS 5/27A-11) 33 Sec. 27A-11. Local financing. SB648 Enrolled -13- LRB9105854NTsb 1 (a) For purposes of the School Code, pupils enrolled in 2 a charter school shall be included in the pupil enrollment of 3 the school district within which the pupil resides. Each 4 charter school (i) shall determine the school district in 5 which each pupil who is enrolled in the charter school 6 resides, (ii) shall report the aggregate number of pupils 7 resident of a school district who are enrolled in the charter 8 school to the school district in which those pupils reside, 9 and (iii) shall maintain accurate records of daily attendance 10 that shall be deemed sufficient to file claims under Section 11 18-8 notwithstanding any other requirements of that Section 12 regarding hours of instruction and teacher certification. 13 (b) Except for a charter school established by 14 referendum under Section 27A-6.5, as part of a charter school 15 contract, the charter school and the local school board shall 16 agree on funding and any services to be provided by the 17 school district to the charter school. Agreed funding that a 18 charter school is to receive from the local school board for 19 a school year shall be paid in equal quarterly installments 20 with the payment of the installment for the first quarter 21 being made not later than July 1, unless the charter 22 establishes a different payment schedule. 23 All services centrally or otherwise provided by the 24 school district including, but not limited to, rent, food 25 services, custodial services, maintenance, curriculum, media 26 services, libraries, transportation, and warehousing shall be 27 subject to negotiation between a charter school and the local 28 school board and paid for out of the revenues negotiated 29 pursuant to this subsection (b); provided that the local 30 school board shall not attempt, by negotiation or otherwise, 31 to obligate a charter school to provide pupil transportation 32 for pupils for whom a district is not required to provide 33 transportation under the criteria set forth in subsection 34 (a)(13) of Section 27A-7. SB648 Enrolled -14- LRB9105854NTsb 1 In no event shall the funding be less than 75% or more 2 than 125% of the school district's per capita student tuition 3 multiplied by the number of students residing in the district 4 who are enrolled in the charter school. 5 It is the intent of the General Assembly that funding and 6 service agreements under this subsection (b) shall be neither 7 a financial incentive nor a financial disincentive to the 8 establishment of a charter school. 9 The charter school may set and collect reasonable fees. 10 Fees collected from students enrolled at a charter school 11 shall be retained by the charter school. 12 (c) Notwithstanding subsection (b) of this Section, the 13 proportionate share of State and federal resources generated 14 by students with disabilities or staff serving them shall be 15 directed to charter schools enrolling those students by their 16 school districts or administrative units. The proportionate 17 share of moneys generated under other federal or State 18 categorical aid programs shall be directed to charter schools 19 serving students eligible for that aid. 20 (d)(1)The governing body of a charter school is 21 authorized to accept gifts, donations, or grants of any kind 22 made to the charter school and to expend or use gifts, 23 donations, or grants in accordance with the conditions 24 prescribed by the donor; however, a gift, donation, or grant 25 may not be accepted by the governing body if it is subject to 26 any condition contrary to applicable law or contrary to the 27 terms of the contract between the charter school and the 28 local school board. Charter schools shall be encouraged to 29 solicit and utilize community volunteer speakers and other 30 instructional resources when providing instruction on the 31 Holocaust and other historical events. 32(2) From amounts appropriated to the State Board for33purposes of this subsection (d)(2), the State Board may make34loans to charter schools established under this Article to beSB648 Enrolled -15- LRB9105854NTsb 1used by those schools to defer their start-up costs of2acquiring textbooks and laboratory and other equipment3required for student instruction. Any such loan shall be made4to a charter school at the inception of the term of its5charter, under terms established by the State Board, and6shall be repaid by the charter school over the term of its7charter. A local school board is not responsible for the8repayment of the loan.9 (e) (Blank).No later than January 1, 1997, the State10Board shall issue a report to the General Assembly and the11Governor describing the charter schools certified under this12Article, their geographic locations, their areas of focus,13and the numbers of school children served by them.14 (f) The State Board shall provide technical assistance 15 to persons and groups preparing or revising charter 16 applications. 17 (g) At the non-renewal or revocation of its charter, 18 each charter school shall refund to the local board of 19 education all unspent funds. 20 (h) A charter school is authorized to incur temporary, 21 short term debt to pay operating expenses in anticipation of 22 receipt of funds from the local school board. 23 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96; 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; 24 90-757, eff. 8-14-98.) 25 (105 ILCS 5/27A-11.5 new) 26 Sec. 27A-11.5. State financing. The State Board of 27 Education shall make the following funds available to school 28 districts and charter schools: 29 (1) From a separate appropriation made to the State 30 Board for purposes of this subdivision (1), the State 31 Board shall make transition impact aid available to 32 school districts that approve a new charter school or 33 that have funds withheld by the State Board to fund a new SB648 Enrolled -16- LRB9105854NTsb 1 charter school that is chartered by the State Board. The 2 amount of the aid shall equal 90% of the per capita 3 funding paid to the charter school during the first year 4 of its initial charter term, 65% of the per capita 5 funding paid to the charter school during the second year 6 of its initial term, and 35% of the per capita funding 7 paid to the charter school during the third year of its 8 initial term. This transition impact aid shall be paid 9 to the local school board in equal quarterly 10 installments, with the payment of the installment for the 11 first quarter being made by August 1st immediately 12 preceding the first, second, and third years of the 13 initial term. The district shall file an application for 14 this aid with the State Board in a format designated by 15 the State Board. If the appropriation is insufficient in 16 any year to pay all approved claims, the impact aid shall 17 be prorated. Transition impact aid shall be paid 18 beginning in the 1999-2000 school year for charter 19 schools that are in the first, second, or third year of 20 their initial term. If House Bill 230 of the 91st 21 General Assembly becomes law, transition impact aid shall 22 not be paid for any charter school that is proposed and 23 created by one or more boards of education, as authorized 24 under the provisions of House Bill 230 of the 91st 25 General Assembly. 26 (2) From a separate appropriation made for the 27 purpose of this subdivision (2), the State Board shall 28 make grants to charter schools to pay their start-up 29 costs of acquiring educational materials and supplies, 30 textbooks, furniture, and other equipment needed during 31 their initial term. The State Board shall annually 32 establish the time and manner of application for these 33 grants, which shall not exceed $250 per student enrolled 34 in the charter school. SB648 Enrolled -17- LRB9105854NTsb 1 (3) The Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund is 2 created as a special fund in the State treasury. Federal 3 funds, such other funds as may be made available for 4 costs associated with the establishment of charter 5 schools in Illinois, and amounts repaid by charter 6 schools that have received a loan from the Charter 7 Schools Revolving Loan Fund shall be deposited into the 8 Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund, and the moneys in 9 the Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund shall be 10 appropriated to the State Board and used to provide 11 interest-free loans to charter schools. These funds 12 shall be used to pay start-up costs of acquiring 13 educational materials and supplies, textbooks, furniture, 14 and other equipment needed in the initial term of the 15 charter school and for acquiring and remodeling a 16 suitable physical plant, within the initial term of the 17 charter school. Loans shall be limited to one loan per 18 charter school and shall not exceed $250 per student 19 enrolled in the charter school. A loan shall be repaid 20 by the end of the initial term of the charter school. 21 The State Board may deduct amounts necessary to repay the 22 loan from funds due to the charter school or may require 23 that the local school board that authorized the charter 24 school deduct such amounts from funds due the charter 25 school and remit these amounts to the State Board, 26 provided that the local school board shall not be 27 responsible for repayment of the loan. The State Board 28 may use up to 3% of the appropriation to contract with a 29 non-profit entity to administer the loan program. 30 (4) A charter school may apply for and receive, 31 subject to the same restrictions applicable to school 32 districts, any grant administered by the State Board that 33 is available for school districts. SB648 Enrolled -18- LRB9105854NTsb 1 (105 ILCS 5/27A-12) 2 Sec. 27A-12. Evaluation; annual report. The State Board 3 shall compile annual evaluations of charter schools received 4 from local school boards and shall prepare an annual report 5 on charter schools.The State Board shall review information6regarding the regulations and policies from which charter7schools were released to determine if the exemption assisted8or impeded the charter schools in meeting their stated goals9and objectives. Each annual report shall include suggested10changes in State law necessary to strengthen or change11charter schools.12 On or before the second Wednesday of January, 1998, and 13 on or before the second Wednesday of January of each 14 subsequent calendar year, the State Board shall issue a 15 report to the General Assembly and the Governor on its 16 findings for the school year ending in the preceding calendar 17 year. 18 Inpreparingthe annual report required by this Section, 19 the State Board (i) shall compare the performance of charter 20 school pupils with the performance of ethnically and 21 economically comparable groups of pupils in other public 22 schools who are enrolled in academically comparable courses, 23 (ii) shall review information regarding the regulations and 24 policies from which charter schools were released to 25 determine if the exemptions assisted or impeded the charter 26 schools in meeting their stated goals and objectives, and 27 (iii) shall include suggested changes in State law necessary 28 to strengthen charter schools. 29 In addition, the State Board shall undertake and report 30 on periodic evaluations of charter schools that include 31 evaluations of student academic achievement, the extent to 32 which charter schools are accomplishing their missions and 33 goals, the sufficiency of funding for charter schools, and 34 the need for changes in the approval process for charter SB648 Enrolled -19- LRB9105854NTsb 1 schools. 2 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96.) 3 (105 ILCS 5/29-4) (from Ch. 122, par. 29-4) 4 Sec. 29-4. Pupils attending a charter school or nonpublic 5other than a publicschool. The school board of any school 6 district that provides any school bus or conveyance for 7 transporting pupils to and from the public schools shall 8 afford transportation, without cost, for children who attend 9 a charter school or any school other than a public school, 10 who reside at least 1 1/2 miles from the school attended, and 11 who reside on or along the highway constituting the regular 12 route of such public school bus or conveyance, such 13 transportation to extend from some point on the regular route 14 nearest or most easily accessible to their homes to and from 15 the school attended, or to or from a point on such regular 16 route which is nearest or most easily accessible to the 17 school attended by such children. Nothing herein shall be 18 construed to prevent high school districts from transporting 19 public or non-public elementary school pupils on a regular 20 route where deemed appropriate. The elementary district in 21 which such pupils reside shall enter into a contractual 22 agreement with the high school district providing the 23 service, make payments accordingly, and make claims to the 24 State in the amount of such contractual payments. The person 25 in charge of any charter school or school other than a public 26 school shall certify on a form to be provided by the State 27 Superintendent of Education, the names and addresses of 28 pupils transported and when such pupils were in attendance at 29 the school. If any such children reside within 1 1/2 miles 30 from the school attended, the school board shall afford such 31 transportation to such children on the same basis as it 32 provides transportation for its own pupils residing within 33 that distance from the school attended. SB648 Enrolled -20- LRB9105854NTsb 1 Nothing herein shall be construed to preclude a school 2 district from operating separate regular bus routes, subject 3 to the limitations of this Section, for the benefit of 4 children who attend a charter school or any school other than 5 a public school where the operation of such routes is safer, 6 more economical and more efficient than if such school 7 district were precluded from operating separate regular bus 8 routes. 9 If a school district is required by this Section to 10 afford transportation without cost for any child who is not a 11 resident of the district, the school district providing such 12 transportation is entitled to reimbursement from the school 13 district in which the child resides for the cost of 14 furnishing that transportation, including a reasonable 15 allowance for depreciation on each vehicle so used. The 16 school district where the child resides shall reimburse the 17 district providing the transportation for such costs, by the 18 10th of each month or on such less frequent schedule as may 19 be agreed to by the 2 school districts. 20 (Source: P.A. 81-1050.) 21 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 22 becoming law.