Rep. Rita Mayfield

Filed: 4/25/2017

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 3769

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 3769 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
527A-3 and 27A-7.10 and by adding Section 27A-7.15 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/27A-3)
7    Sec. 27A-3. Definitions. For purposes of this Article:
8    "At-risk pupil" means a pupil who, because of physical,
9emotional, socioeconomic, or cultural factors, is less likely
10to succeed in a conventional educational environment.
11    "Authorizer" means an entity authorized under this Article
12to review applications, decide whether to approve or reject
13applications, enter into charter contracts with applicants,
14oversee charter schools, and decide whether to renew, not
15renew, or revoke a charter.
16    "Commission" means the State Charter School Commission

 

 

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1established under Section 27A-7.5 of this Code.
2    "Local school board" means the duly elected or appointed
3school board or board of education of a public school district,
4including special charter districts and school districts
5located in cities having a population of more than 500,000,
6organized under the laws of this State.
7    "State Board" means the State Board of Education.
8    "University authorizer" means an institution that grants
94-year degrees that is approved by the State Board for
10chartering authority, as established under Section 27A-7.15 of
11this Code. Such institutions must be either:
12        (1) a public institution of higher education, as
13    defined in Section 1 of the Board of Higher Education Act;
14    or
15        (2) a university or college that is deemed a
16    post-secondary educational institution, as defined in
17    Section 1 of the Private College Act.
18(Source: P.A. 97-152, eff. 7-20-11.)
 
19    (105 ILCS 5/27A-7.10)
20    Sec. 27A-7.10. Authorizer powers and duties; immunity;
21principles and standards.
22    (a) Authorizers are responsible for executing, in
23accordance with this Article, all of the following powers and
24duties:
25        (1) Soliciting and evaluating charter applications.

 

 

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1        (2) Approving quality charter applications that meet
2    identified educational needs and promote a diversity of
3    educational choices.
4        (3) Declining to approve weak or inadequate charter
5    applications.
6        (4) Negotiating and executing sound charter contracts
7    with each approved charter school.
8        (5) Monitoring, in accordance with charter contract
9    terms, the performance and legal compliance of charter
10    schools.
11        (6) Determining whether each charter contract merits
12    renewal, nonrenewal, or revocation.
13    (b) An authorizing entity may delegate its duties to
14officers, employees, and contractors.
15    (c) Regulation by authorizers is limited to the powers and
16duties set forth in subsection (a) of this Section and must be
17consistent with the spirit and intent of this Article.
18    (d) An authorizing entity, members of the local school
19board, or the Commission, in their official capacity, and
20employees of an authorizer are immune from civil and criminal
21liability with respect to all activities related to a charter
22school that they authorize, except for willful or wanton
23misconduct.
24    (e) The Commission, and all local school boards, and
25university authorizers that have a charter school operating are
26required to develop and maintain chartering policies and

 

 

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1practices consistent with recognized principles and standards
2for quality charter authorizing in all major areas of
3authorizing responsibility, including all of the following:
4        (1) Organizational capacity and infrastructure.
5        (2) Soliciting and evaluating charter applications.
6        (3) Performance contracting.
7        (4) Ongoing charter school oversight and evaluation.
8        (5) Charter renewal decision-making.
9    Authorizers shall carry out all their duties under this
10Article in a manner consistent with nationally recognized
11principles and standards and with the spirit and intent of this
12Article.
13(Source: P.A. 97-152, eff. 7-20-11.)
 
14    (105 ILCS 5/27A-7.15 new)
15    Sec. 27A-7.15. University authorizers; application to
16State Board; applications to university authorizers.
17    (a) In any city having a population exceeding 500,000
18inhabitants, a public institution of higher education, as
19defined by Section 1 of the Board of Higher Education Act, or a
20post-secondary educational institution, as defined in Section
211 of the Private College Act, that grants 4-year degrees may
22apply to the State Board to authorize high-quality charter
23schools that prioritize re-enrolled high school dropouts,
24at-risk students, or students at risk of dropping out.
25    (b) An eligible university under this Section shall apply

 

 

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1to the State Board for approval as an authorizer before the
2university can authorize a charter school. An applicant must
3include in its application to the State Board at least the
4following:
5        (1) how chartering schools is a way for the applicant
6    to carry out its mission;
7        (2) a description of the capacity of the applicant to
8    serve as an authorizer, including the personnel who will
9    perform the authorizing duties, their qualifications, the
10    amount of time they will be assigned to this
11    responsibility, and the financial resources allocated by
12    the applicant to this responsibility;
13        (3) a description of the application and review process
14    the applicant will use to make decisions regarding the
15    granting of charters;
16        (4) the process to be used for providing ongoing
17    oversight of the charter school consistent with the
18    contract expectations that assures that the schools
19    chartered comply with both the provisions of applicable law
20    and the contract;
21        (5) the process for making decisions regarding the
22    renewal or termination of the school's charter based on
23    evidence that demonstrates the academic, organizational,
24    and financial competency of the charter school, including
25    its success in increasing student achievement and meeting
26    the goals of the charter school agreement; and

 

 

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1        (6) an assurance specifying that the applicant is
2    committed to serving as an authorizer, including a written
3    statement from the applicant's chancellor, president, or
4    other official in a similar role supporting the application
5    for authorization.
6    The State Board shall approve a university authorizer
7application if the applicant demonstrates its ability to
8implement the procedures and satisfy the criteria for
9authorizer responsibilities as set forth in subsection (a) of
10Section 27A-7.10.
11    (c) The State Board shall approve or deny a university
12authorizer application within 45 days of receipt of an
13application. The State Board shall notify a denied applicant in
14writing of the specific deficiencies. If denied, the applicant
15may submit a revised application within 30 business days. After
16receipt of the revised application, the State Board has 30
17business days to make a final decision to approve or deny the
18application. A denied applicant under this Section may resubmit
19an application in a future application period.
20    (d) The State Board shall annually review a university
21authorizer's performance and, after completing the review,
22shall transmit a report with findings to the university
23authorizer. The State Board may at any time take corrective
24action against a university authorizer, including terminating
25a university authorizer's ability to charter a school for:
26        (1) failing to demonstrate the criteria under

 

 

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1    subsection (b) of this Section under which the State Board
2    approved the university authorizer;
3        (2) unsatisfactory performance as an approved
4    university authorizer; or
5        (3) any good cause shown that provides the State Board
6    a legally sufficient reason to take corrective action
7    against an authorizer.
8    The State Board shall adopt rules to ensure that a
9university authorizer is afforded due process protections
10during a corrective action process. These rules shall include
11providing a university authorizer with written notice of the
12State Board's decision, an opportunity for the university
13authorizer to be heard, and a timeline for final disposition of
14the State Board's decision.
15    (e) In the event that a university authorizer loses its
16authorizing authority, either voluntarily or through State
17Board termination, the State Board shall assist any charter
18school authorized by the university authorizer with securing a
19new authorizer. Charter schools under a closing university
20authorizer may transfer to a local school board with the
21approval of that local school board. If the local school board
22does not approve a transfer of a charter school as allowed
23under this subsection (e), the charter school shall be
24transferred to the Commission. The State Board shall approve
25the transfer of a charter school authorized by a university
26authorizer to a local school board or the Commission under this

 

 

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1subsection (e).
2    (f) A university authorizer may approve proposals from new
3charter school applicants and existing charter schools that are
4in the final year of their contract with their local school
5board or boards, and authorize the transfer of an existing
6charter school that is currently operating under a contract
7with a local school board or boards.
8        (1) A charter school currently authorized by a local
9    school board or boards may seek transfer of authorization
10    to a university authorizer during its current term only
11    with the approval of the local school board or boards.
12        (2) A charter school authorized by a local school board
13    may apply to not more than one university authorizer during
14    its final year of its contract in lieu of applying for a
15    renewal with its current local school board authorizer. A
16    charter school originally authorized by a local school
17    board shall not simultaneously apply to both a university
18    authorizer for a new charter contract and its local school
19    board for a renewed contract. If a university authorizer
20    approves an application from an existing charter school,
21    the charter school and its local school board or boards
22    shall terminate their charter contract on June 30 of that
23    calendar year and shall engage in the closure processes set
24    forth in subsection (a) of Section 27A-10.10, unless the
25    charter school and local school board or boards mutually
26    agree to other terms. If a charter school originally

 

 

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1    authorized by a local school board or boards is denied
2    approval from a university authorizer, the charter school
3    may appeal its local school board's or boards' decision not
4    to renew to the Commission. The Commission shall abide by
5    the requirements set forth in Section 27A-9 regarding
6    appeals of local school board's decisions not to renew a
7    charter.
8    (g) A charter school deemed a replicating charter before
9the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 100th General
10Assembly that is approved by a university authorizer shall
11maintain replication status.
12    (h) In evaluating any charter school proposal submitted to
13it, a university authorizer shall give preference to proposals
14that:
15        (1) demonstrate a high level of local pupil, parental,
16    community, business, and school personnel support;
17        (2) set rigorous levels of expected pupil achievement
18    and demonstrate feasible plans for attaining those levels
19    of achievement; and
20        (3) are designed to enroll and serve a substantial
21    proportion of re-enrolled high school dropouts, students
22    at risk of dropping out, or at-risk students.
23    (i) A charter school approved by a university authorizer
24shall be its own local education agency.
25    (j) A university authorizer shall grant charters in
26accordance with the charter terms set forth in subsection (a)

 

 

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1of Section 27A-9. A university authorizer shall evaluate
2decisions to renew, not to renew, or a revoke a charter in
3accordance with the requirements set forth in subsections (b)
4and (c) of Section 27A-9. A charter school authorized by
5university authorizers may appeal a decision to revoke or not
6to renew its charter to the Commission, as set forth by the
7procedures in Section 27A-9.
8    (k) A university authorizer may charge a charter school
9that it authorizes a fee, not to exceed 3% of the revenue
10provided to the school, to cover the cost of undertaking the
11ongoing administrative responsibilities of the eligible
12chartering authority with respect to the school. The revenues
13from those fees shall be used for the following purposes:
14personal services, contractual services, and other operational
15and administrative costs related to the authorization and
16oversight of the university authorizer's charter schools.
17    (l) In no event shall the funding for university-authorized
18charter schools be less than 75% or more than 125% of the host
19school district's per capita student tuition multiplied by the
20number of students residing in the host school district who are
21enrolled in the university-authorized charter school. The
22university authorizer shall report the aggregate number of
23charter school pupils resident in a school district to the
24State Board. The State Board shall report the enrollment
25numbers to that district and shall notify the district of the
26amount of funding to be paid to the university-authorized

 

 

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1charter school enrolling such students. The State Board shall
2withhold from funds otherwise due the district the funds
3authorized by this Article to be paid to the
4university-authorized charter school and shall pay those
5amounts to the university-authorized charter school.
6    (m) The State Board shall pay directly to a
7university-authorized charter school any federal or State aid
8attributable to a student with a disability attending the
9school. The proportionate share of moneys generated under other
10federal or State categorical aid programs shall be directed to
11those charter schools serving students eligible for that aid.
12(n) Enrollment in a university-authorized charter school shall
13be open to any student who resides within 50 miles of the
14university-authorized charter school.".