97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB5727

 

Introduced 2/16/2012, by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/34-1.05 new

    Amends the School Code. Creates the Chicago Educational Governance Task Force for the purpose of recommending the best structure and procedure for the governance of City of Chicago School District 299. Sets forth the composition of the Task Force and the duties of the Task Force. Requires the Task Force to report its recommendation to the General Assembly on or before May 30, 2013 as to which governance structure is best designed to serve the students of the City of Chicago.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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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 adding Section
534-1.05 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/34-1.05 new)
7    Sec. 34-1.05. The Chicago Educational Governance Task
8Force.
9    (a) The General Assembly makes the following findings:
10        (1) City of Chicago School District 299 is one of the
11    only school districts in this State with an appointed, not
12    an elected, school board.
13        (2) For 15 years, City of Chicago School District 299
14    has implemented a staggering number of reforms, including
15    probation, student retention, school closings, charters,
16    turnarounds, and the wholesale firing of 1,300 educators in
17    the summer of 2011.
18        (3) Many of these reforms are controversial and require
19    a robust democratic discussion and decision-making
20    process.
21        (4) For the past 15 years, citizens have had little to
22    no voice in school policy.
23        (5) All children must be able to walk across the street

 

 

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1    to receive a world class education.
2    (b) The Chicago Educational Governance Task Force is
3created for the purpose of recommending the best structure and
4procedure for the governance of City of Chicago School District
5299 in order to protect the welfare of the students of the City
6of Chicago.
7    (c) The Task Force shall be composed of the following
8members:
9        (1) Two members each appointed by the Speaker of the
10    House of Representatives and the Minority Leader of the
11    House of Representatives, at least one of whom must either
12    be a member of the Elementary & Secondary Education
13    Committee or a member whose representative district
14    includes a portion of City of Chicago School District 299.
15        (2) Two members each appointed by the President of the
16    Senate and the Minority Leader of the Senate, at least one
17    of whom must either be a member of the Education Committee
18    or a member whose legislative district includes a portion
19    of City of Chicago School District 299.
20        (3) Two representatives of Chicago school community
21    organizations with past involvement in school governance
22    issues, appointed by the Speaker of the House of
23    Representatives.
24        (4) Two representatives of Chicago school community
25    organizations with past involvement in school governance
26    issues, appointed by the President of the Senate.

 

 

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1        (5) The Chief Executive Officer of City of Chicago
2    School District 299 or her or his designee.
3        (6) The President of the Chicago Board of Education or
4    her or his designee.
5        (7) The President of the Chicago Teachers Union or his
6    or her designee.
7        (8) The president of the association representing
8    principals in the schools of the district or his or her
9    designee.
10        (9) The student representative from the Chicago Board
11    of Education or her or his designee.
12    (d) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall
13appoint one of the appointed House members as a co-chairperson
14of the Chicago Educational Governance Task Force. The President
15of the Senate shall appoint one of the appointed Senate members
16as a co-chairperson of the Chicago Educational Governance Task
17Force. Members appointed by the legislative leaders shall be
18appointed for the duration of the Chicago Educational
19Governance Task Force. In the event of a vacancy, the
20appointment to fill the vacancy shall be made by the
21legislative leader of the same chamber and party as the leader
22who made the original appointment.
23    (e) The members of the Task Force shall serve on a pro bono
24basis. These members shall aid in the gathering of pertinent
25information on the impact of various school governance
26structures, including without limitation an elected

 

 

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1representative school board and mayoral control, as well as
2gathering and analyzing data about the district's current
3governance structure.
4    (f) The Task Force shall report its recommendation as to
5which governance structure is best designed to serve the
6students of the City of Chicago to the General Assembly on or
7before May 30, 2013.