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1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
52-3.25g as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.25g)  (from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.25g)
7    Sec. 2-3.25g. Waiver or modification of mandates within the
8School Code and administrative rules and regulations.
9    (a) In this Section:
10        "Board" means a school board or the governing board or
11    administrative district, as the case may be, for a joint
12    agreement.
13        "Eligible applicant" means a school district, joint
14    agreement made up of school districts, or regional
15    superintendent of schools on behalf of schools and programs
16    operated by the regional office of education.
17        "Implementation date" has the meaning set forth in
18    Section 24A-2.5 of this Code.
19        "State Board" means the State Board of Education.
20    (b) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this School
21Code or any other law of this State to the contrary, eligible
22applicants may petition the State Board of Education for the
23waiver or modification of the mandates of this School Code or

 

 

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1of the administrative rules and regulations promulgated by the
2State Board of Education. Waivers or modifications of
3administrative rules and regulations and modifications of
4mandates of this School Code may be requested when an eligible
5applicant demonstrates that it can address the intent of the
6rule or mandate in a more effective, efficient, or economical
7manner or when necessary to stimulate innovation or improve
8student performance. Waivers of mandates of the School Code may
9be requested when the waivers are necessary to stimulate
10innovation or improve student performance or when the applicant
11demonstrates that it can address the intent of the mandate of
12the School Code in a more effective, efficient, or economical
13manner. Waivers may not be requested from laws, rules, and
14regulations pertaining to special education, teacher educator
15licensure, teacher tenure and seniority, or Section 5-2.1 of
16this Code or from compliance with the Every Student Succeeds
17Act (Public Law 114-95). Eligible applicants may not seek a
18waiver or seek a modification of a mandate regarding the
19requirements for (i) student performance data to be a
20significant factor in teacher or principal evaluations or (ii)
21teachers and principals to be rated using the 4 categories of
22"excellent", "proficient", "needs improvement", or
23"unsatisfactory". On September 1, 2014, any previously
24authorized waiver or modification from such requirements shall
25terminate.
26    (c) Eligible applicants, as a matter of inherent managerial

 

 

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1policy, and any Independent Authority established under
2Section 2-3.25f-5 of this Code may submit an application for a
3waiver or modification authorized under this Section. Each
4application must include a written request by the eligible
5applicant or Independent Authority and must demonstrate that
6the intent of the mandate can be addressed in a more effective,
7efficient, or economical manner or be based upon a specific
8plan for improved student performance and school improvement.
9Any eligible applicant requesting a waiver or modification for
10the reason that intent of the mandate can be addressed in a
11more economical manner shall include in the application a
12fiscal analysis showing current expenditures on the mandate and
13projected savings resulting from the waiver or modification.
14Applications and plans developed by eligible applicants must be
15approved by the board or regional superintendent of schools
16applying on behalf of schools or programs operated by the
17regional office of education following a public hearing on the
18application and plan and the opportunity for the board or
19regional superintendent to hear testimony from staff directly
20involved in its implementation, parents, and students. The time
21period for such testimony shall be separate from the time
22period established by the eligible applicant for public comment
23on other matters.
24    (c-5) If the applicant is a school district, then the
25district shall post information that sets forth the time, date,
26place, and general subject matter of the public hearing on its

 

 

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1Internet website at least 14 days prior to the hearing. If the
2district is requesting to increase the fee charged for driver
3education authorized pursuant to Section 27-24.2 of this Code,
4the website information shall include the proposed amount of
5the fee the district will request. All school districts must
6publish a notice of the public hearing at least 7 days prior to
7the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation within the
8school district that sets forth the time, date, place, and
9general subject matter of the hearing. Districts requesting to
10increase the fee charged for driver education shall include in
11the published notice the proposed amount of the fee the
12district will request. If the applicant is a joint agreement or
13regional superintendent, then the joint agreement or regional
14superintendent shall post information that sets forth the time,
15date, place, and general subject matter of the public hearing
16on its Internet website at least 14 days prior to the hearing.
17If the joint agreement or regional superintendent is requesting
18to increase the fee charged for driver education authorized
19pursuant to Section 27-24.2 of this Code, the website
20information shall include the proposed amount of the fee the
21applicant will request. All joint agreements and regional
22superintendents must publish a notice of the public hearing at
23least 7 days prior to the hearing in a newspaper of general
24circulation in each school district that is a member of the
25joint agreement or that is served by the educational service
26region that sets forth the time, date, place, and general

 

 

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1subject matter of the hearing, provided that a notice appearing
2in a newspaper generally circulated in more than one school
3district shall be deemed to fulfill this requirement with
4respect to all of the affected districts. Joint agreements or
5regional superintendents requesting to increase the fee
6charged for driver education shall include in the published
7notice the proposed amount of the fee the applicant will
8request. The eligible applicant must notify in writing the
9affected exclusive collective bargaining agent and those State
10legislators representing the eligible applicant's territory of
11its intent to seek approval of a waiver or modification and of
12the hearing to be held to take testimony from staff. The
13affected exclusive collective bargaining agents shall be
14notified of such public hearing at least 7 days prior to the
15date of the hearing and shall be allowed to attend such public
16hearing. The eligible applicant shall attest to compliance with
17all of the notification and procedural requirements set forth
18in this Section.
19    (d) A request for a waiver or modification of
20administrative rules and regulations or for a modification of
21mandates contained in this School Code shall be submitted to
22the State Board of Education within 15 days after approval by
23the board or regional superintendent of schools. The
24application as submitted to the State Board of Education shall
25include a description of the public hearing. Following receipt
26of the waiver or modification request, the State Board shall

 

 

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1have 45 days to review the application and request. If the
2State Board fails to disapprove the application within that 45
3day period, the waiver or modification shall be deemed granted.
4The State Board may disapprove any request if it is not based
5upon sound educational practices, endangers the health or
6safety of students or staff, compromises equal opportunities
7for learning, or fails to demonstrate that the intent of the
8rule or mandate can be addressed in a more effective,
9efficient, or economical manner or have improved student
10performance as a primary goal. Any request disapproved by the
11State Board may be appealed to the General Assembly by the
12eligible applicant as outlined in this Section.
13    A request for a waiver from mandates contained in this
14School Code shall be submitted to the State Board within 15
15days after approval by the board or regional superintendent of
16schools. The application as submitted to the State Board of
17Education shall include a description of the public hearing.
18The description shall include, but need not be limited to, the
19means of notice, the number of people in attendance, the number
20of people who spoke as proponents or opponents of the waiver, a
21brief description of their comments, and whether there were any
22written statements submitted. The State Board shall review the
23applications and requests for completeness and shall compile
24the requests in reports to be filed with the General Assembly.
25The State Board shall file reports outlining the waivers
26requested by eligible applicants and appeals by eligible

 

 

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1applicants of requests disapproved by the State Board with the
2Senate and the House of Representatives before each March 1 and
3October 1.
4    Except as otherwise provided in this subsection (d), the
5The report shall be reviewed by a panel of 4 members consisting
6of:
7        (1) the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
8        (2) the Minority Leader of the House of
9    Representatives;
10        (3) the President of the Senate; and
11        (4) the Minority Leader of the Senate.
12The State Board of Education may provide the panel
13recommendations on waiver requests. The members of the panel
14shall review the report submitted by the State Board of
15Education and submit to the State Board of Education any notice
16of further consideration to any waiver request within 14 days
17after the member receives the report. If 3 or more of the panel
18members submit a notice of further consideration to any waiver
19request contained within the report, the State Board of
20Education shall submit the waiver request to the General
21Assembly for consideration. If less than 3 panel members submit
22a notice of further consideration to a waiver request, the
23waiver may be approved, denied, or modified by the State Board.
24If the State Board does not act on a waiver request within 10
25days, then the waiver request is approved. If the waiver
26request is denied by the State Board, it shall submit the

 

 

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1waiver request to the General Assembly for consideration.
2    A waiver request from mandates contained under Section
317-2, 17-2A, 17-7, or 17-8 of this Code shall not be reviewed
4by the panel, but shall be submitted to the General Assembly
5for consideration under this Section.
6    The General Assembly may disapprove any waiver request
7submitted to the General Assembly pursuant to this subsection
8(d) in whole or in part within 60 calendar days after each
9house of the General Assembly next convenes after the waiver
10request is submitted by adoption of a resolution by a record
11vote of the majority of members elected in each house. If the
12General Assembly fails to disapprove any waiver request or
13appealed request within such 60 day period, the waiver or
14modification shall be deemed granted. Any resolution adopted by
15the General Assembly disapproving a report of the State Board
16in whole or in part shall be binding on the State Board.
17    (e) An approved waiver or modification may remain in effect
18for a period not to exceed 5 school years and may be renewed
19upon application by the eligible applicant. However, such
20waiver or modification may be changed within that 5-year period
21by a board or regional superintendent of schools applying on
22behalf of schools or programs operated by the regional office
23of education following the procedure as set forth in this
24Section for the initial waiver or modification request. If
25neither the State Board of Education nor the General Assembly
26disapproves, the change is deemed granted.

 

 

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1    (f) (Blank).
2(Source: P.A. 99-78, eff. 7-20-15; 100-465, eff. 8-31-17.)