State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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                                             LRB9203389NTsbam

 1                     AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 78

 2        AMENDMENT NO.     .  Amend Senate Bill  78  by  inserting
 3    immediately below the title the following:

 4        "WHEREAS,  The  General  Assembly  recognizes the growing
 5    role of charter schools in the educational infrastructure  of
 6    this State; and

 7        WHEREAS,  It  is  the  intent  of the General Assembly to
 8    increase the maximum  number  of  charter  schools  permitted
 9    within  this  State based on current usage and need as of the
10    date of this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly; and

11        WHEREAS, In so doing, the General Assembly is recognizing
12    current needs as of the date of this amendatory  Act  of  the
13    92nd  General  Assembly  and makes no determination regarding
14    those regions of the State that  have  not  yet  reached  the
15    maximum  number  of  charter schools allowed under State law;
16    and

17        WHEREAS, The General Assembly will address the allocation
18    of charter schools for the remaining regions  of  this  State
19    when  those  regions reach or approach the maximum allocation
20    of charter schools under State law; therefore"; and

21    by replacing everything after the enacting  clause  with  the
 
                            -2-              LRB9203389NTsbam
 1    following:

 2        "Section  5.   The  School  Code  is  amended by changing
 3    Section 27A-4 as follows:

 4        (105 ILCS 5/27A-4)
 5        Sec. 27A-4.  General Provisions.
 6        (a)  The General Assembly does not  intend  to  alter  or
 7    amend  the provisions of any court-ordered desegregation plan
 8    in effect for any school district.  A charter school shall be
 9    subject to all federal  and  State  laws  and  constitutional
10    provisions   prohibiting   discrimination  on  the  basis  of
11    disability, race,  creed,  color,  gender,  national  origin,
12    religion,  ancestry,  marital  status,  or  need  for special
13    education services.
14        (b)  The total number of charter schools operating  under
15    this  Article  at  any  one time shall not exceed 60 45.  Not
16    more than 30 15 charter schools shall operate at any one time
17    in any city having a population exceeding 500,000;  not  more
18    than  15 charter schools shall operate at any one time in the
19    counties of DuPage,  Kane,  Lake,  McHenry,  Will,  and  that
20    portion  of Cook County that is located outside a city having
21    a population  exceeding  500,000,  with  not  more  than  one
22    charter  school  that  has  been  initiated  by  a  board  of
23    education,  or  by  an intergovernmental agreement between or
24    among boards of education, operating at any one time  in  the
25    school  district where the charter school is located; and not
26    more than 15 charter schools shall operate at any one time in
27    the remainder of the State, with not more  than  one  charter
28    school that has been initiated by a board of education, or by
29    an  intergovernmental  agreement  between  or among boards of
30    education, operating at any one time in the  school  district
31    where the charter school is located.
32        For  purposes  of  implementing  this  Section, the State
 
                            -3-              LRB9203389NTsbam
 1    Board shall assign a number to  each  charter  submission  it
 2    receives   under   Section   27A-6   for   its   review   and
 3    certification,  based on the chronological order in which the
 4    submission is received by it.  The State Board shall promptly
 5    notify local  school  boards  when  the  maximum  numbers  of
 6    certified  charter  schools  authorized  to operate have been
 7    reached.
 8        (c)  No charter shall be granted under this Article  that
 9    would  convert any existing private, parochial, or non-public
10    school to a charter school.
11        (d)  Enrollment in a charter school shall be open to  any
12    pupil  who  resides  within  the geographic boundaries of the
13    area served by the local school board.
14        (e)  Nothing in this Article  shall  prevent  2  or  more
15    local  school  boards  from  jointly  issuing  a charter to a
16    single shared  charter  school,  provided  that  all  of  the
17    provisions  of  this Article are met as to those local school
18    boards.
19        (f)  No local school board shall require any employee  of
20    the school district to be employed in a charter school.
21        (g)  No  local  school  board  shall  require  any  pupil
22    residing  within  the  geographic boundary of its district to
23    enroll in a charter school.
24        (h)  If there are more eligible applicants for enrollment
25    in  a  charter  school  than  there  are  spaces   available,
26    successful applicants shall be selected by lottery.  However,
27    priority shall be given to siblings of pupils enrolled in the
28    charter school and to pupils who were enrolled in the charter
29    school  the  previous school year, unless expelled for cause.
30    A charter school that leases or purchases a building that was
31    used as a school during the immediately prior school year may
32    give priority to pupils who were enrolled in the  school  the
33    prior  year.   Dual enrollment at both a charter school and a
34    public school or non-public school shall not be allowed.    A
 
                            -4-              LRB9203389NTsbam
 1    pupil  who  is  suspended  or  expelled from a charter school
 2    shall be deemed to be suspended or expelled from  the  public
 3    schools of the school district in which the pupil resides.
 4        (i)  (Blank).
 5    (Source:  P.A.  91-357,  eff.  7-29-99;  91-405, eff. 8-3-99;
 6    91-407, eff. 8-3-99; revised 8-27-99.)

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

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