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91_SB0648sam001
LRB9105854NTsbam02
1 AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 648
2 AMENDMENT NO. . Amend Senate Bill 648 by replacing
3 the title with the following:
4 "AN ACT concerning charter schools, amending named
5 Acts."; and
6 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the
7 following:
8 "Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
9 Section 5.490 as follows:
10 (30 ILCS 105/5.490 new)
11 Sec. 5.490. The Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund.
12 Section 10. The School Code is amended by changing
13 Sections 27A-4, 27A-5, 27A-6, 27A-8, 27A-9, 27A-11, 27A-12,
14 and 29-4 and adding Sections 27A-6.5 and 27A-11.5 as follows:
15 (105 ILCS 5/27A-4)
16 Sec. 27A-4. General Provisions.
17 (a) The General Assembly does not intend to alter or
18 amend the provisions of any court-ordered desegregation plan
19 in effect for any school district. A charter school shall be
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1 subject to all federal and State laws and constitutional
2 provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of
3 disability, race, creed, color, gender, national origin,
4 religion, ancestry, marital status, or need for special
5 education services.
6 (b) The total number of charter schools operating under
7 this Article at any one time shall not exceed 45. Not more
8 than that 15 charter schools shall operate at any one time in
9 any city having a population exceeding 500,000; not more than
10 15 charter schools shall operate at any one time in the
11 counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, and that
12 portion of Cook County that is located outside a city having
13 a population exceeding 500,000; and not more than 15 charter
14 schools shall operate at any one time in the remainder of the
15 State.
16 For purposes of implementing this Section, the State
17 Board shall assign a number to each charter submission it
18 receives under Section 27A-6 for its review and
19 certification, based on the chronological order in which the
20 submission is received by it. The State Board shall promptly
21 notify local school boards when the maximum numbers of
22 certified charter schools authorized to operate have been
23 reached.
24 (c) No charter shall be granted under this Article that
25 would convert any existing private, parochial, or non-public
26 school to a charter school.
27 (d) Enrollment in a charter school shall be open to any
28 pupil who resides within the geographic boundaries of the
29 area served by the local school board. However, no more than
30 50% of the number of resident pupils enrolled in any one
31 grade in a school district with only a single attendance
32 center covering that grade may be enrolled in a charter
33 school at one time.
34 (e) Nothing in this Article shall prevent 2 or more
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1 local school boards from jointly issuing a charter to a
2 single shared charter school, provided that all of the
3 provisions of this Article are met as to those local school
4 boards.
5 (f) No local school board shall require any employee of
6 the school district to be employed in a charter school.
7 (g) No local school board shall require any pupil
8 residing within the geographic boundary of its district to
9 enroll in a charter school.
10 (h) If there are more eligible applicants for enrollment
11 in a charter school than there are spaces available,
12 successful applicants shall be selected by lottery. However,
13 priority shall be given to siblings of pupils enrolled in the
14 charter school and to pupils who were enrolled in the charter
15 school the previous school year, unless expelled for cause.
16 Dual enrollment at both a charter school and a public school
17 or non-public school shall not be allowed. A pupil who is
18 suspended or expelled from a charter school shall be deemed
19 to be suspended or expelled from the public schools of the
20 school district in which the pupil resides.
21 (i) (Blank). No charter school established under this
22 Article may be authorized to open prior to the school year
23 beginning in the fall of 1996.
24 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96; revised 2-24-98.)
25 (105 ILCS 5/27A-5)
26 Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
27 (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian,
28 nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A
29 charter school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit
30 corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
31 authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
32 (b) A charter school may be established under this
33 Article by creating a new school or by converting an existing
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1 public school or attendance center to charter school status.
2 (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed
3 by its board of directors or other governing body in the
4 manner provided in its charter. The governing body of a
5 charter school shall be subject to the Freedom of Information
6 Act and the Open Meetings Act.
7 (d) A charter school shall comply with all applicable
8 health and safety requirements applicable to public schools
9 under the laws of the State of Illinois.
10 (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a
11 charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a
12 charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks,
13 instructional materials, and student activities.
14 (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the
15 management and operation of its fiscal affairs including, but
16 not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of
17 each charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by
18 an outside, independent contractor retained by the charter
19 school.
20 (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of
21 this Article and its charter. A charter school is exempt
22 from all other State laws and regulations in the School Code
23 governing public schools and local school board policies,
24 except the following:
25 (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of the School Code
26 regarding criminal background investigations of
27 applicants for employment;
28 (2) Sections 24-24 and 34-84A of the School Code
29 regarding discipline of students;
30 (3) The Local Governmental and Governmental
31 Employees Tort Immunity Act;
32 (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
33 Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of
34 officers, directors, employees, and agents;
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1 (5) The Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
2 and
3 (6) The Illinois School Student Records Act; and.
4 (7) Section 10-17a of the School Code regarding
5 school report cards.
6 (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a
7 school district, the governing body of a State college or
8 university or public community college, or any other public
9 or for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of
10 a school building and grounds or any other real property or
11 facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert
12 for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and
13 maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service,
14 activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required
15 to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
16 Except as provided in subsection (i) of this Section, a
17 school district may charge a charter school reasonable rent
18 for the use of the district's buildings, grounds, and
19 facilities. Any services for which a charter school
20 contracts with a school district shall be provided by the
21 district at cost. Any services for which a charter school
22 contracts with a local school board or with the governing
23 body of a State college or university or public community
24 college shall be provided by the public entity at cost.
25 (i) In no event shall a charter school that is
26 established by converting an existing school or attendance
27 center to charter school status be required to pay rent for
28 space that is deemed available, as negotiated and provided in
29 the charter agreement, in school district facilities.
30 However, all other costs for the operation and maintenance of
31 school district facilities that are used by the charter
32 school shall be subject to negotiation between the charter
33 school and the local school board and shall be set forth in
34 the charter.
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1 (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age
2 or grade level.
3 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96.)
4 (105 ILCS 5/27A-6)
5 Sec. 27A-6. Contract contents; applicability of laws and
6 regulations.
7 (a) A certified charter shall constitute a binding
8 contract and agreement between the charter school and a local
9 school board under the terms of which the local school board
10 authorizes the governing body of the charter school to
11 operate the charter school on the terms specified in the
12 contract.
13 (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article,
14 the certified charter may not waive or release the charter
15 school from the State goals, standards, and assessments
16 established pursuant to Section 2-3.64.
17 (c) Subject to the provisions of subsection (e), a
18 material revision to a previously certified contract or a
19 renewal shall be made with the approval of both the local
20 school board and the governing body of the charter school.
21 (c-5) The proposed contract shall include a provision on
22 how both parties will address minor violations of the
23 contract.
24 (d) The proposed contract between the governing body of
25 a proposed charter school and the local school board as
26 described in Section 27A-7 must be submitted to and certified
27 by the State Board before it can take effect. If the State
28 Board recommends that the proposed contract be modified for
29 consistency with this Article before it can be certified, the
30 modifications must be consented to by both the governing body
31 of the charter school and the local school board, and
32 resubmitted to the State Board for its certification. If the
33 proposed contract is resubmitted in a form that is not
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1 consistent with this Article, the State Board may refuse to
2 certify the charter.
3 The State Board shall assign a number to each submission
4 or resubmission in chronological order of receipt, and shall
5 determine whether the proposed contract is consistent with
6 the provisions of this Article. If the proposed contract
7 complies, the State Board shall so certify.
8 (e) No material revision to a previously certified
9 contract or a renewal shall be effective unless and until the
10 State Board certifies that the revision or renewal is
11 consistent with the provisions of this Article.
12 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96.)
13 (105 ILCS 5/27A-6.5 new)
14 Sec. 27A-6.5. Charter school referendum.
15 (a) No charter shall be approved under this Section that
16 would convert any existing private, parochial, or non-public
17 school to a charter school or whose proposal has not been
18 certified by the State Board.
19 (b) A local school board shall, whenever petitioned to
20 do so by 5% or more of the voters of a school district or
21 districts identified in a charter school proposal, order
22 submitted to the voters thereof at a regularly scheduled
23 election the question of whether a new charter school shall
24 be established, which proposal has been certified by the
25 State Board to be in compliance with the provisions of this
26 Article, and the secretary shall certify the proposition to
27 the proper election authorities for submission in accordance
28 with the general election law. The proposition shall be in
29 substantially the following form:
30 "FOR the establishment of (name of proposed charter
31 school) under charter school proposal (charter school
32 proposal number).
33 AGAINST the establishment of (name of proposed
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1 charter school) under charter school proposal (charter
2 school proposal number)".
3 (c) Before circulating a petition to submit the question
4 of whether to establish a charter school to the voters under
5 subsection (b) of this Section, the governing body of a
6 proposed charter school that desires to establish a new
7 charter school by referendum shall simultaneously submit the
8 charter school proposal to the State Board and the local
9 school board in the form of a proposed contract to be entered
10 into between the State Board and the governing body of the
11 proposed charter school, as provided under Section 27A-6,
12 together with written notice of the intent to have a new
13 charter school established by referendum. The contract shall
14 comply with the provisions of this Article. The local school
15 board shall immediately provide written notification to the
16 governing body of the proposed charter school and to the
17 State Board of any portions of the contract that it finds
18 unacceptable, together with the reasons for its decision.
19 The notification shall be advisory only.
20 If the State Board finds that the proposed contract
21 complies with the provisions of this Article, it shall
22 immediately certify that the proposed contract complies with
23 the provisions of this Article and direct the local school
24 board to notify the proper election authorities that the
25 question of whether to establish a new charter school shall
26 be submitted for referendum.
27 (d) If the State Board finds that the proposal fails to
28 comply with the provisions of this Article, it shall refuse
29 to certify the proposal and provide written explanation,
30 detailing its reasons for refusal, to the local school board
31 and to the individuals or organizations submitting the
32 proposal. The State Board shall also notify the local school
33 board and the individuals or organizations submitting the
34 proposal that the proposal may be amended and resubmitted
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1 under the same provisions required for an original
2 submission.
3 (e) If a majority of the votes cast upon the proposition
4 in each school district designated in the charter school
5 proposal is in favor of establishing a charter school, the
6 local school board shall notify the State Board of the
7 passage of the proposition in favor of establishing a charter
8 school and the State Board shall approve the charter within 7
9 days after the State Board of Elections has certified that a
10 majority of the votes cast upon the proposition is in favor
11 of establishing a charter school. The State Board shall be
12 the chartering entity for charter schools established by
13 referendum under this Section.
14 (105 ILCS 5/27A-8)
15 Sec. 27A-8. Evaluation of charter proposals.
16 (a) This Section does not apply to a charter school
17 established by referendum under Section 27A-6.5. In
18 evaluating any charter school proposal submitted to it, the
19 local school board shall give preference to proposals that:
20 (1) demonstrate a high level of local pupil,
21 parental, community, business, and school personnel
22 support;
23 (2) set rigorous levels of expected pupil
24 achievement and demonstrate feasible plans for attaining
25 those levels of achievement; and
26 (3) are designed to enroll and serve a substantial
27 proportion of at-risk children; provided that nothing in
28 the Charter Schools Law shall be construed as intended to
29 limit the establishment of charter schools to those that
30 serve a substantial portion of at-risk children or to in
31 any manner restrict, limit, or discourage the
32 establishment of charter schools that enroll and serve
33 other pupil populations under a nonexclusive,
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1 nondiscriminatory admissions policy.
2 (b) In the case of a proposal to establish a charter
3 school by converting an existing public school or attendance
4 center to charter school status, evidence that the proposed
5 formation of the charter school has received majority support
6 from certified teachers and from parents and guardians in the
7 school or attendance center affected by the proposed charter,
8 and, if applicable, from a local school council, shall be
9 demonstrated by a petition in support of the charter school
10 signed by certified teachers and a petition in support of the
11 charter school signed by parents and guardians and, if
12 applicable, by a vote of the local school council held at a
13 public meeting. In the case of all other proposals to
14 establish a charter school, evidence of sufficient support to
15 fill the number of pupil seats set forth in the proposal may
16 be demonstrated by a petition in support of the charter
17 school signed by parents and guardians of students eligible
18 to attend the charter school. In all cases, the individuals,
19 organizations, or entities who initiate the proposal to
20 establish a charter school may elect, in lieu of including
21 any petition referred to in this subsection as a part of the
22 proposal submitted to the local school board, to demonstrate
23 that the charter school has received the support referred to
24 in this subsection by other evidence and information
25 presented at the public meeting that the local school board
26 is required to convene under this Section.
27 (c) Within 45 days of receipt of a charter school
28 proposal, the local school board shall convene a public
29 meeting to obtain information to assist the board in its
30 decision to grant or deny the charter school proposal.
31 (d) Notice of the public meeting required by this
32 Section shall be published in a community newspaper published
33 in the school district in which the proposed charter is
34 located and, if there is no such newspaper, then in a
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1 newspaper published in the county and having circulation in
2 the school district. The notices shall be published not more
3 than 10 days nor less than 5 days before the meeting and
4 shall state that information regarding a charter school
5 proposal will be heard at the meeting. Copies of the notice
6 shall also be posted at appropriate locations in the school
7 or attendance center proposed to be established as a charter
8 school, the public schools in the school district, and the
9 local school board office.
10 (e) Within 30 days of the public meeting, the local
11 school board shall vote, in a public meeting, to either grant
12 or deny the charter school proposal.
13 (f) Within 7 days of the public meeting required under
14 subsection (e), the local school board shall file a report
15 with the State Board granting or denying the proposal. Within
16 14 days of receipt of the local school board's report, the
17 State Board shall determine whether the approved charter
18 proposal is consistent with the provisions of this Article
19 and, if the approved proposal complies, certify the proposal
20 pursuant to Section 27A-6.
21 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96; 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)
22 (105 ILCS 5/27A-9)
23 Sec. 27A-9. Term of charter; renewal.
24 (a) A charter may be granted for a period not less than
25 5 3 and not more than 10 5 school years. A charter may be
26 renewed in incremental periods not to exceed 5 school years.
27 (b) A charter school renewal proposal submitted to the
28 local school board or State Board, as the chartering entity,
29 shall contain:
30 (1) A report on the progress of the charter school
31 in achieving the goals, objectives, pupil performance
32 standards, content standards, and other terms of the
33 initial approved charter proposal; and
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1 (2) A financial statement that discloses the costs
2 of administration, instruction, and other spending
3 categories for the charter school that is understandable
4 to the general public and that will allow comparison of
5 those costs to other schools or other comparable
6 organizations, in a format required by the State Board.
7 (c) A charter may be revoked or not renewed if the local
8 school board or State Board, as the chartering entity,
9 clearly demonstrates that the charter school did any of the
10 following, or otherwise failed to comply with the
11 requirements of this law:
12 (1) Committed a material violation of any of the
13 conditions, standards, or procedures set forth in the
14 charter.
15 (2) Failed to meet or make reasonable progress
16 toward achievement of the content standards or pupil
17 performance standards identified in the charter.
18 (3) Failed to meet generally accepted standards of
19 fiscal management.
20 (4) Violated any provision of law from which the
21 charter school was not exempted.
22 (d) (Blank).
23 (e) Notice of a local school board's decision to deny,
24 revoke or not to renew a charter shall be provided to the
25 State Board. The State Board may reverse a local board's
26 decision if the State Board finds that the charter school or
27 charter school proposal (i) is in compliance with this
28 Article, and (ii) is in the best interests of the students it
29 is designed to serve. The State Board may condition the
30 granting of an appeal on the acceptance by the charter school
31 of funding in an amount less than that requested in the
32 proposal submitted to the local school board. Final decisions
33 of the State Board shall be subject to judicial review under
34 the Administrative Review Law.
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1 (f) Notwithstanding other provisions of this Article, if
2 the State Board on appeal reverses a local board's decision,
3 the State Board shall act as the authorized chartering entity
4 for the charter school. The State Board shall approve and
5 certify the charter and shall perform all functions under
6 this Article otherwise performed by the local school board.
7 The State Board shall report the aggregate number of charter
8 school pupils resident in a school district to that district
9 and shall notify the district of the amount of funding to be
10 paid by the State Board to the charter school enrolling such
11 students. The State Board shall withhold from funds
12 otherwise due the district the funds authorized by this
13 Article to be paid to the charter school and shall pay such
14 amounts to the charter school.
15 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96; 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)
16 (105 ILCS 5/27A-11)
17 Sec. 27A-11. Local financing.
18 (a) For purposes of the School Code, pupils enrolled in
19 a charter school shall be included in the pupil enrollment of
20 the school district within which the pupil resides. Each
21 charter school (i) shall determine the school district in
22 which each pupil who is enrolled in the charter school
23 resides, (ii) shall report the aggregate number of pupils
24 resident of a school district who are enrolled in the charter
25 school to the school district in which those pupils reside,
26 and (iii) shall maintain accurate records of daily attendance
27 that shall be deemed sufficient to file claims under Section
28 18-8 notwithstanding any other requirements of that Section
29 regarding hours of instruction and teacher certification.
30 (b) Except for a charter school established by
31 referendum under Section 27A-6.5, as part of a charter school
32 contract, the charter school and the local school board shall
33 agree on funding and any services to be provided by the
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1 school district to the charter school. Agreed funding that a
2 charter school is to receive from the local school board for
3 a school year shall be paid in equal quarterly installments
4 with the payment of the installment for the first quarter
5 being made not later than July 1, unless the charter
6 establishes a different payment schedule.
7 All services centrally or otherwise provided by the
8 school district including, but not limited to, rent, food
9 services, custodial services, maintenance, curriculum, media
10 services, libraries, transportation, and warehousing shall be
11 subject to negotiation between a charter school and the local
12 school board and paid for out of the revenues negotiated
13 pursuant to this subsection (b); provided that the local
14 school board shall not attempt, by negotiation or otherwise,
15 to obligate a charter school to provide pupil transportation
16 for pupils for whom a district is not required to provide
17 transportation under the criteria set forth in subsection
18 (a)(13) of Section 27A-7.
19 In no event shall the funding be less than 75% or more
20 than 125% of the school district's per capita student tuition
21 multiplied by the number of students residing in the district
22 who are enrolled in the charter school.
23 It is the intent of the General Assembly that funding and
24 service agreements under this subsection (b) shall be neither
25 a financial incentive nor a financial disincentive to the
26 establishment of a charter school.
27 The charter school may set and collect reasonable fees.
28 Fees collected from students enrolled at a charter school
29 shall be retained by the charter school.
30 (c) Notwithstanding subsection (b) of this Section, the
31 proportionate share of State and federal resources generated
32 by students with disabilities or staff serving them shall be
33 directed to charter schools enrolling those students by their
34 school districts or administrative units. The proportionate
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1 share of moneys generated under other federal or State
2 categorical aid programs shall be directed to charter schools
3 serving students eligible for that aid.
4 (d)(1) The governing body of a charter school is
5 authorized to accept gifts, donations, or grants of any kind
6 made to the charter school and to expend or use gifts,
7 donations, or grants in accordance with the conditions
8 prescribed by the donor; however, a gift, donation, or grant
9 may not be accepted by the governing body if it is subject to
10 any condition contrary to applicable law or contrary to the
11 terms of the contract between the charter school and the
12 local school board. Charter schools shall be encouraged to
13 solicit and utilize community volunteer speakers and other
14 instructional resources when providing instruction on the
15 Holocaust and other historical events.
16 (2) From amounts appropriated to the State Board for
17 purposes of this subsection (d)(2), the State Board may make
18 loans to charter schools established under this Article to be
19 used by those schools to defer their start-up costs of
20 acquiring textbooks and laboratory and other equipment
21 required for student instruction. Any such loan shall be made
22 to a charter school at the inception of the term of its
23 charter, under terms established by the State Board, and
24 shall be repaid by the charter school over the term of its
25 charter. A local school board is not responsible for the
26 repayment of the loan.
27 (e) (Blank). No later than January 1, 1997, the State
28 Board shall issue a report to the General Assembly and the
29 Governor describing the charter schools certified under this
30 Article, their geographic locations, their areas of focus,
31 and the numbers of school children served by them.
32 (f) The State Board shall provide technical assistance
33 to persons and groups preparing or revising charter
34 applications.
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1 (g) At the non-renewal or revocation of its charter,
2 each charter school shall refund to the local board of
3 education all unspent funds.
4 (h) A charter school is authorized to incur temporary,
5 short term debt to pay operating expenses in anticipation of
6 receipt of funds from the local school board.
7 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96; 90-548, eff. 1-1-98;
8 90-757, eff. 8-14-98.)
9 (105 ILCS 5/27A-11.5 new)
10 Sec. 27A-11.5. State financing. The State Board of
11 Education shall make the following funds available to school
12 districts and charter schools:
13 (1) From a separate appropriation made to the State
14 Board for purposes of this subdivision (1), the State
15 Board shall make transition impact aid available to
16 school districts that approve a new charter school or
17 that have funds withheld by the State Board to fund a new
18 charter school that is chartered by the State Board. The
19 amount of the aid shall equal 90% of the per capita
20 funding paid to the charter school during the first year
21 of its initial charter term, 65% of the per capita
22 funding paid to the charter school during the second year
23 of its initial term, and 35% of the per capita funding
24 paid to the charter school during the third year of its
25 initial term. This transition impact aid shall be paid
26 to the local school board in equal quarterly
27 installments, with the payment of the installment for the
28 first quarter being made by August 1st immediately
29 preceding the first, second, and third years of the
30 initial term. The district shall file an application for
31 this aid with the State Board in a format designated by
32 the State Board. If the appropriation is insufficient in
33 any year to pay all approved claims, the impact aid shall
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1 be prorated.
2 (2) From a separate appropriation made for the
3 purpose of this subdivision (2), the State Board shall
4 make grants to charter schools to pay their start-up
5 costs of acquiring educational materials and supplies,
6 textbooks, furniture, and other equipment needed during
7 their initial term. The State Board shall annually
8 establish the time and manner of application for these
9 grants, which shall not exceed $250 per student enrolled
10 in the charter school.
11 (3) The Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund is
12 created as a special fund in the State treasury. Federal
13 funds, such other funds as may be made available for
14 costs associated with the establishment of charter
15 schools in Illinois, and amounts repaid by charter
16 schools that have received a loan from the Charter
17 Schools Revolving Loan Fund shall be deposited into the
18 Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund, and the moneys in
19 the Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund shall be
20 appropriated to the State Board and used to provide
21 interest-free loans to charter schools. These funds
22 shall be used to pay start-up costs of acquiring
23 educational materials and supplies, textbooks, furniture,
24 and other equipment needed in the initial term of the
25 charter school and for acquiring and remodeling a
26 suitable physical plant, within the initial term of the
27 charter school. Loans shall be limited to one loan per
28 charter school and shall not exceed $250 per student
29 enrolled in the charter school. A loan shall be repaid
30 by the end of the initial term of the charter school.
31 The State Board may deduct amounts necessary to repay the
32 loan from funds due to the charter school or may require
33 that the local school board that authorized the charter
34 school deduct such amounts from funds due the charter
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1 school and remit these amounts to the State Board,
2 provided that the local school board shall not be
3 responsible for repayment of the loan.
4 (4) A charter school must apply for and receive,
5 subject to the same restrictions applicable to school
6 districts, any grant administered by the State Board that
7 is available for school districts.
8 (105 ILCS 5/27A-12)
9 Sec. 27A-12. Evaluation; annual report. The State Board
10 shall compile annual evaluations of charter schools received
11 from local school boards and shall prepare an annual report
12 on charter schools. The State Board shall review information
13 regarding the regulations and policies from which charter
14 schools were released to determine if the exemption assisted
15 or impeded the charter schools in meeting their stated goals
16 and objectives. Each annual report shall include suggested
17 changes in State law necessary to strengthen or change
18 charter schools.
19 On or before the second Wednesday of January, 1998, and
20 on or before the second Wednesday of January of each
21 subsequent calendar year, the State Board shall issue a
22 report to the General Assembly and the Governor on its
23 findings for the school year ending in the preceding calendar
24 year.
25 In preparing the annual report required by this Section,
26 the State Board (i) shall compare the performance of charter
27 school pupils with the performance of ethnically and
28 economically comparable groups of pupils in other public
29 schools who are enrolled in academically comparable courses,
30 (ii) shall review information regarding the regulations and
31 policies from which charter schools were released to
32 determine if the exemptions assisted or impeded the charter
33 schools in meeting their stated goals and objectives, and
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1 (iii) shall include suggested changes in State law necessary
2 to strengthen charter schools.
3 In addition, the State Board shall undertake and report
4 on periodic evaluations of charter schools that include
5 evaluations of student academic achievement, the extent to
6 which charter schools are accomplishing their missions and
7 goals, the sufficiency of funding for charter schools, and
8 the need for changes in the approval process for charter
9 schools.
10 (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96.)
11 (105 ILCS 5/29-4) (from Ch. 122, par. 29-4)
12 Sec. 29-4. Pupils attending a charter school or nonpublic
13 other than a public school. The school board of any school
14 district that provides any school bus or conveyance for
15 transporting pupils to and from the public schools shall
16 afford transportation, without cost, for children who attend
17 a charter school or any school other than a public school,
18 who reside at least 1 1/2 miles from the school attended, and
19 who reside on or along the highway constituting the regular
20 route of such public school bus or conveyance, such
21 transportation to extend from some point on the regular route
22 nearest or most easily accessible to their homes to and from
23 the school attended, or to or from a point on such regular
24 route which is nearest or most easily accessible to the
25 school attended by such children. Nothing herein shall be
26 construed to prevent high school districts from transporting
27 public or non-public elementary school pupils on a regular
28 route where deemed appropriate. The elementary district in
29 which such pupils reside shall enter into a contractual
30 agreement with the high school district providing the
31 service, make payments accordingly, and make claims to the
32 State in the amount of such contractual payments. The person
33 in charge of any charter school or school other than a public
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1 school shall certify on a form to be provided by the State
2 Superintendent of Education, the names and addresses of
3 pupils transported and when such pupils were in attendance at
4 the school. If any such children reside within 1 1/2 miles
5 from the school attended, the school board shall afford such
6 transportation to such children on the same basis as it
7 provides transportation for its own pupils residing within
8 that distance from the school attended.
9 Nothing herein shall be construed to preclude a school
10 district from operating separate regular bus routes, subject
11 to the limitations of this Section, for the benefit of
12 children who attend a charter school or any school other than
13 a public school where the operation of such routes is safer,
14 more economical and more efficient than if such school
15 district were precluded from operating separate regular bus
16 routes.
17 If a school district is required by this Section to
18 afford transportation without cost for any child who is not a
19 resident of the district, the school district providing such
20 transportation is entitled to reimbursement from the school
21 district in which the child resides for the cost of
22 furnishing that transportation, including a reasonable
23 allowance for depreciation on each vehicle so used. The
24 school district where the child resides shall reimburse the
25 district providing the transportation for such costs, by the
26 10th of each month or on such less frequent schedule as may
27 be agreed to by the 2 school districts.
28 (Source: P.A. 81-1050.)".