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91_SB1192
LRB9104502NTcd
1 AN ACT to amend the School Code by changing Section
2 34-8.3.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing
6 Section 34-8.3 as follows:
7 (105 ILCS 5/34-8.3) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-8.3)
8 Sec. 34-8.3. Remediation and probation of attendance
9 centers.
10 (a) The general superintendent shall monitor the
11 performance of the attendance centers within the district and
12 shall identify attendance centers, pursuant to criteria that
13 the board shall establish, that have:
14 (1) failed to develop or implement a school
15 improvement plan;
16 (2) failed to make adequate progress toward
17 complying with a school improvement plan;
18 (3) failed or refused to comply with its school
19 improvement plan; or
20 (4) otherwise failed or refused to comply with the
21 provisions of this Act, other applicable laws, collective
22 bargaining agreements, court orders, or with Board rules
23 which the Board is authorized to promulgate.
24 (b) If the general superintendent identifies a
25 nonperforming school as described herein, he or she shall
26 place the attendance center on remediation by developing a
27 remediation plan for the center. The purpose of the
28 remediation plan shall be to correct the deficiencies in the
29 performance of the attendance center by one or more of the
30 following methods:
31 (1) drafting a new school improvement plan;
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1 (2) applying to the board for additional funding
2 for training for the local school council;
3 (3) directing implementation of a school
4 improvement plan;
5 (4) mediating disputes or other obstacles to reform
6 or improvement at the attendance center.
7 If, however, the general superintendent determines that
8 the problems are not able to be remediated by these methods,
9 the general superintendent shall place the attendance center
10 on probation. The board shall establish guidelines that
11 determine the factors for placing an attendance center on
12 probation.
13 (c) Each school placed on probation shall have a school
14 improvement plan for correcting deficiencies specified by the
15 board. This plan shall include specific steps that the local
16 School Council and school staff must take to correct
17 deficiencies and specific objective criteria by which the
18 school's subsequent progress will be judged. The plan may
19 also specify external technical assistance that will be
20 provided to the school, drawing on its school discretionary
21 fund and other school funds.
22 (d) Schools placed on probation that, after a maximum of
23 one year, fail to make adequate progress in correcting
24 deficiencies are subject to the following action by the
25 general superintendent with the approval of the board, after
26 opportunity for a hearing:
27 (1) Ordering new local school council elections.
28 (2) Removing and replacing the principal.
29 (3) Replacement of faculty members, subject to the
30 provisions of Section 24A-5.
31 (4) Reconstitution of the attendance center and
32 replacement and reassignment by the general
33 superintendent of all employees of the attendance center.
34 (5) Intervention under Section 34-8.4.
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1 (6) Closing of the school.
2 (e) Schools placed on probation shall remain on
3 probation from year to year until deficiencies are corrected,
4 even if such schools make acceptable annual progress. The
5 board shall establish, in writing, criteria for determining
6 whether or not a school shall remain on probation. If
7 academic achievement tests are used as the factor for placing
8 a school on probation, the general superintendent shall
9 consider objective criteria, not just an increase in test
10 scores, in deciding whether or not a school shall remain on
11 probation. These criteria shall include attendance, test
12 scores, student mobility rates, poverty rates, bilingual
13 education eligibility, special education, and English
14 language proficiency programs, with progress made in these
15 areas being taken into consideration in deciding whether or
16 not a school shall remain on probation.
17 (f) Where the board has reason to believe that
18 violations of civil rights, or of civil or criminal law have
19 occurred, or when the general superintendent deems that the
20 school is in educational crisis it may take immediate
21 corrective action, including the actions specified in this
22 Section, without first placing the school on remediation or
23 probation. Nothing described herein shall limit the
24 authority of the board as provided by any law of this State.
25 The board shall develop criteria governing the determination
26 regarding when a school is in educational crisis.
27 (g) All persons serving as subdistrict superintendent on
28 May 1, 1995 shall be deemed by operation of law to be serving
29 under a performance contract which expires on June 30, 1995,
30 and the employment of each such person as subdistrict
31 superintendent shall terminate on June 30, 1995. The board
32 shall have no obligation to compensate any such person as a
33 subdistrict superintendent after June 30, 1995.
34 (h) The general superintendent shall, in consultation
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1 with local school councils, conduct an annual evaluation of
2 each principal in the district pursuant to guidelines
3 promulgated by the board of education.
4 (Source: P.A. 89-15, eff. 5-30-95.)