HB3754 EngrossedLRB098 14418 NHT 49097 b

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 State Finance Act is amended by changing
5Section 5.796 as follows:
 
6    (30 ILCS 105/5.796)
7    Sec. 5.796. The State Charter School Commission Fund. This
8Section is repealed on July 31, 2014.
9(Source: P.A. 97-152, eff. 7-20-11; 97-813, eff. 7-13-12.)
 
10    Section 10. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
1127A-3, 27A-5, 27A-7.5, 27A-7.10, 27A-8, 27A-9, and 27A-12 as
12follows:
 
13    (105 ILCS 5/27A-3)
14    Sec. 27A-3. Definitions. For purposes of this Article:
15    "At-risk pupil" means a pupil who, because of physical,
16emotional, socioeconomic, or cultural factors, is less likely
17to succeed in a conventional educational environment.
18    "Authorizer" means an entity authorized under this Article
19to review applications, decide whether to approve or reject
20applications, enter into charter contracts with applicants,
21oversee charter schools, and decide whether to renew, not

 

 

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1renew, or revoke a charter.
2    "Commission" means the State Charter School Commission
3established under Section 27A-7.5 of this Code.
4    "Local school board" means the duly elected or appointed
5school board or board of education of a public school district,
6including special charter districts and school districts
7located in cities having a population of more than 500,000,
8organized under the laws of this State.
9    "State Board" means the State Board of Education.
10(Source: P.A. 97-152, eff. 7-20-11.)
 
11    (105 ILCS 5/27A-5)
12    Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
13    (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian,
14nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A charter
15school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit
16corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
17authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
18    (b) A charter school may be established under this Article
19by creating a new school or by converting an existing public
20school or attendance center to charter school status. Beginning
21on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd
22General Assembly, in all new applications submitted to the
23State Board or a local school board to establish a charter
24school in a city having a population exceeding 500,000,
25operation of the charter school shall be limited to one campus.

 

 

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1The changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act of the
293rd General Assembly do not apply to charter schools existing
3or approved on or before the effective date of this amendatory
4Act.
5    (b-5) In this subsection (b-5), "virtual-schooling" means
6the teaching of courses through online methods with online
7instructors, rather than the instructor and student being at
8the same physical location. "Virtual-schooling" includes
9without limitation instruction provided by full-time, online
10virtual schools.
11    From April 1, 2013 through April 1, 2014, there is a
12moratorium on the establishment of charter schools with
13virtual-schooling components in school districts other than a
14school district organized under Article 34 of this Code. This
15moratorium does not apply to a charter school with
16virtual-schooling components existing or approved prior to
17April 1, 2013 or to the renewal of the charter of a charter
18school with virtual-schooling components already approved
19prior to April 1, 2013.
20    On or before March 1, 2014, the State Charter School
21Commission shall submit to the General Assembly a report on the
22effect of virtual-schooling, including without limitation the
23effect on student performance, the costs associated with
24virtual-schooling, and issues with oversight. The report shall
25include policy recommendations for virtual-schooling.
26    (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by

 

 

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1its board of directors or other governing body in the manner
2provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter school
3shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open
4Meetings Act.
5    (d) A charter school shall comply with all applicable
6health and safety requirements applicable to public schools
7under the laws of the State of Illinois.
8    (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a
9charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a
10charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks,
11instructional materials, and student activities.
12    (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the
13management and operation of its fiscal affairs including, but
14not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each
15charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by an
16outside, independent contractor retained by the charter
17school. Annually, by December 1, every charter school must
18submit to the State Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the
19Form 990 the charter school filed that year with the federal
20Internal Revenue Service.
21    (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of
22this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, and
23its charter. A charter school is exempt from all other State
24laws and regulations in the School Code governing public
25schools and local school board policies, except the following:
26        (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of the School Code

 

 

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1    regarding criminal history records checks and checks of the
2    Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer and
3    Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants for
4    employment;
5        (2) Sections 24-24 and 34-84A of the School Code
6    regarding discipline of students;
7        (3) The Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
8    Tort Immunity Act;
9        (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
10    Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of
11    officers, directors, employees, and agents;
12        (5) The Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
13        (6) The Illinois School Student Records Act;
14        (7) Section 10-17a of the School Code regarding school
15    report cards; and
16        (8) The P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act.
17    The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection (g)
18is declaratory of existing law.
19    (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a
20school district, the governing body of a State college or
21university or public community college, or any other public or
22for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of a
23school building and grounds or any other real property or
24facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert
25for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and
26maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service,

 

 

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1activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required to
2perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
3However, a charter school that is established on or after the
4effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General
5Assembly and that operates in a city having a population
6exceeding 500,000 may not contract with a for-profit entity to
7manage or operate the school during the period that commences
8on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd
9General Assembly and concludes at the end of the 2004-2005
10school year. Except as provided in subsection (i) of this
11Section, a school district may charge a charter school
12reasonable rent for the use of the district's buildings,
13grounds, and facilities. Any services for which a charter
14school contracts with a school district shall be provided by
15the district at cost. Any services for which a charter school
16contracts with a local school board or with the governing body
17of a State college or university or public community college
18shall be provided by the public entity at cost.
19    (i) In no event shall a charter school that is established
20by converting an existing school or attendance center to
21charter school status be required to pay rent for space that is
22deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter
23agreement, in school district facilities. However, all other
24costs for the operation and maintenance of school district
25facilities that are used by the charter school shall be subject
26to negotiation between the charter school and the local school

 

 

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1board and shall be set forth in the charter.
2    (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age or
3grade level.
4    (k) If the charter school is approved by the State Board
5Commission, then the State Board Commission charter school is
6its own local education agency.
7(Source: P.A. 97-152, eff. 7-20-11; 97-154, eff. 1-1-12;
897-813, eff. 7-13-12; 98-16, eff. 5-24-13.)
 
9    (105 ILCS 5/27A-7.5)
10    Sec. 27A-7.5. State Charter School Commission abolished;
11transfer to State Board; appeals.
12    (a) On the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
1398th General Assembly, the A State Charter School Commission is
14abolished and the terms of all members end. On that date, all
15of the powers, duties, assets, liabilities, contracts,
16property, records, and pending business of the Commission are
17transferred to the State Board. For purposes of the Successor
18Agency Act and Section 9b of the State Finance Act, the State
19Board is declared to be the successor agency of the Commission.
20Beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
2198th General Assembly, references in statutes, rules, forms,
22and other documents to the Commission shall, in appropriate
23contexts, be deemed to refer to the State Board. Standards and
24procedures of the Commission in effect on the effective date of
25this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly shall be

 

 

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1deemed standards and procedures of the State Board and shall
2remain in effect until amended or repealed by the State Board.
3established as an independent commission with statewide
4chartering jurisdiction and authority. The Commission shall be
5under the State Board for administrative purposes only.
6    (a-5) The State Board shall provide administrative support
7to the Commission as needed.
8    (b) The Commission is responsible for authorizing
9high-quality charter schools throughout this State,
10particularly schools designed to expand opportunities for
11at-risk students, consistent with the purposes of this Article.
12    (c) The Commission shall consist of 9 members, appointed by
13the State Board. The State Board shall make these appointments
14from a slate of candidates proposed by the Governor, within 60
15days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
1697th General Assembly with respect to the initial Commission
17members. In making the appointments, the State Board shall
18ensure statewide geographic diversity among Commission
19members. The Governor shall propose a slate of candidates to
20the State Board within 60 days after the effective date of this
21amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly and 60 days prior
22to the expiration of the term of a member thereafter. If the
23Governor fails to timely propose a slate of candidates
24according to the provisions of this subsection (c), then the
25State Board may appoint the member or members of the
26Commission.

 

 

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1    (d) Members appointed to the Commission shall collectively
2possess strong experience and expertise in public and nonprofit
3governance, management and finance, public school leadership,
4higher education, assessments, curriculum and instruction, and
5public education law. All members of the Commission shall have
6demonstrated understanding of and a commitment to public
7education, including without limitation charter schooling. At
8least 3 members must have past experience with urban charter
9schools.
10    (e) To establish staggered terms of office, the initial
11term of office for 3 Commission members shall be 4 years and
12thereafter shall be 4 years; the initial term of office for
13another 3 members shall be 3 years and thereafter shall be 4
14years; and the initial term of office for the remaining 3
15members shall be 2 years and thereafter shall be 4 years. The
16initial appointments must be made no later than October 1,
172011.
18    (f) Whenever a vacancy on the Commission exists, the State
19Board shall appoint a member for the remaining portion of the
20term.
21    (g) Subject to the State Officials and Employees Ethics
22Act, the Commission is authorized to receive and expend gifts,
23grants, and donations of any kind from any public or private
24entity to carry out the purposes of this Article, subject to
25the terms and conditions under which they are given, provided
26that all such terms and conditions are permissible under law.

 

 

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1Funds received under this subsection (g) must be deposited into
2the State Charter School Commission Fund.
3    (b) The State Charter School Commission Fund is created as
4a special fund in the State treasury. All money in the Fund
5shall be used, subject to appropriation, by the State Board,
6acting on behalf and with the consent of the Commission, for
7operational and administrative costs of the Commission. On July
81, 2014, the State Comptroller shall order transferred and the
9State Treasurer shall transfer all money in the State Charter
10School Commission Fund to the State Board of Education Special
11Purpose Trust Fund.
12    Subject to appropriation, any funds appropriated for use by
13the State Board, acting on behalf and with the consent of the
14Commission, may be used for the following purposes, without
15limitation: personal services, contractual services, and other
16operational and administrative costs. The State Board is
17further authorized to make expenditures with respect to any
18other amounts deposited in accordance with law into the State
19Charter School Commission Fund.
20    (g-5) Funds or spending authority for the operation and
21administrative costs of the Commission shall be appropriated to
22the State Board in a separate line item. The State
23Superintendent of Education may not reduce or modify the budget
24of the Commission or use funds appropriated to the Commission
25without the approval of the Commission.
26    (h) The Commission shall operate with dedicated resources

 

 

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1and staff qualified to execute the day-to-day responsibilities
2of charter school authorizing in accordance with this Article.
3The Commission may employ and fix the compensation of such
4employees and technical assistants as it deems necessary to
5carry out its powers and duties under this Article, without
6regard to the requirements of any civil service or personnel
7statute; and may establish and administer standards of
8classification of all such persons with respect to their
9compensation, duties, performance, and tenure and enter into
10contracts of employment with such persons for such periods and
11on such terms as the Commission deems desirable.
12    (i) Every 2 years, the Commission shall provide to the
13State Board and local school boards a report on best practices
14in charter school authorizing, including without limitation
15evaluating applications, oversight of charters, and renewal of
16charter schools.
17    (j) The Commission may charge a charter school that it
18authorizes a fee, not to exceed 3% of the revenue provided to
19the school, to cover the cost of undertaking the ongoing
20administrative responsibilities of the eligible chartering
21authority with respect to the school. This fee must be
22deposited into the State Charter School Commission Fund.
23    (c) On the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
2498th General Assembly, any (k) Any charter school authorized by
25the Commission State Board prior to this amendatory Act of the
2698th 97th General Assembly shall have its authorization

 

 

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1transferred to the Commission upon a vote of the State Board,
2which shall then become the school's authorizer for all
3purposes under this Article. However, in no case shall such
4transfer take place later than July 1, 2012. At this time, all
5of the powers, duties, assets, liabilities, contracts,
6property, records, and pending business of the Commission State
7Board as the school's authorizer must be transferred to the
8State Board Commission. Any charter school authorized by a
9local school board or boards may seek transfer of authorization
10to the State Board Commission during its current term only with
11the approval of the local school board or boards. At the end of
12its charter term, a charter school authorized by a local school
13board or boards must reapply to the board or boards before it
14may apply for authorization to the State Board Commission under
15the terms of this Article amendatory Act of the 97th General
16Assembly.
17    (d) On the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
1898th 97th General Assembly, all rules of the State Board
19applicable to matters falling within the responsibility of the
20Commission shall be applicable to the actions of the State
21Board Commission. The Commission shall thereafter have the
22authority to propose to the State Board modifications to all
23rules applicable to matters falling within the responsibility
24of the Commission. The State Board shall retain rulemaking
25authority for the Commission, but shall work jointly with the
26Commission on any proposed modifications. Upon recommendation

 

 

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1of proposed rule modifications by the Commission and pursuant
2to the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, the State Board
3shall consider such changes within the intent of this
4amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly and grant any and
5all changes consistent with that intent.
6    (e) Beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act
7of the 98th General Assembly, the State Board (l) The
8Commission shall have the responsibility to consider appeals
9under this Article immediately upon appointment of the initial
10members of the Commission under subsection (c) of this Section.
11Appeals pending on the effective date of this amendatory Act of
12the 98th General Assembly at the time of initial appointment
13shall be determined by the State Board Commission; the State
14Board Commission may extend the time for review as necessary
15for thorough review, but in no case shall the extension exceed
16the time that would have been available had the appeal been
17submitted to the State Board Commission on the effective date
18of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly appointment
19of its initial members. In any appeal filed with the State
20Board Commission under this Article, both the applicant and the
21school district in which the charter school plans to locate
22shall have the right to request a hearing before the State
23Board Commission. If more than one entity requests a hearing,
24then the State Board Commission may hold only one hearing,
25wherein the applicant and the school district shall have an
26equal opportunity to present their respective positions.

 

 

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1(Source: P.A. 97-152, eff. 7-20-11; 97-641, eff. 12-19-11;
297-1156, eff. 1-25-13.)
 
3    (105 ILCS 5/27A-7.10)
4    Sec. 27A-7.10. Authorizer powers and duties; immunity;
5principles and standards.
6    (a) Authorizers are responsible for executing, in
7accordance with this Article, all of the following powers and
8duties:
9        (1) Soliciting and evaluating charter applications.
10        (2) Approving quality charter applications that meet
11    identified educational needs and promote a diversity of
12    educational choices.
13        (3) Declining to approve weak or inadequate charter
14    applications.
15        (4) Negotiating and executing sound charter contracts
16    with each approved charter school.
17        (5) Monitoring, in accordance with charter contract
18    terms, the performance and legal compliance of charter
19    schools.
20        (6) Determining whether each charter contract merits
21    renewal, nonrenewal, or revocation.
22    (b) An authorizing entity may delegate its duties to
23officers, employees, and contractors.
24    (c) Regulation by authorizers is limited to the powers and
25duties set forth in subsection (a) of this Section and must be

 

 

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1consistent with the spirit and intent of this Article.
2    (d) An authorizing entity, members of the local school
3board, or the State Board Commission, in their official
4capacity, and employees of an authorizer are immune from civil
5and criminal liability with respect to all activities related
6to a charter school that they authorize, except for willful or
7wanton misconduct.
8    (e) The State Board Commission and all local school boards
9that have a charter school operating are required to develop
10and maintain chartering policies and practices consistent with
11recognized principles and standards for quality charter
12authorizing in all major areas of authorizing responsibility,
13including all of the following:
14        (1) Organizational capacity and infrastructure.
15        (2) Soliciting and evaluating charter applications.
16        (3) Performance contracting.
17        (4) Ongoing charter school oversight and evaluation.
18        (5) Charter renewal decision-making.
19    Authorizers shall carry out all their duties under this
20Article in a manner consistent with nationally recognized
21principles and standards and with the spirit and intent of this
22Article.
23(Source: P.A. 97-152, eff. 7-20-11.)
 
24    (105 ILCS 5/27A-8)
25    Sec. 27A-8. Evaluation of charter proposals.

 

 

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1    (a) This Section does not apply to a charter school
2established by referendum under Section 27A-6.5. In evaluating
3any charter school proposal submitted to it, the local school
4board or and the State Board Commission shall give preference
5to proposals that:
6        (1) demonstrate a high level of local pupil, parental,
7    community, business, and school personnel support;
8        (2) set rigorous levels of expected pupil achievement
9    and demonstrate feasible plans for attaining those levels
10    of achievement; and
11        (3) are designed to enroll and serve a substantial
12    proportion of at-risk children; provided that nothing in
13    the Charter Schools Law shall be construed as intended to
14    limit the establishment of charter schools to those that
15    serve a substantial portion of at-risk children or to in
16    any manner restrict, limit, or discourage the
17    establishment of charter schools that enroll and serve
18    other pupil populations under a nonexclusive,
19    nondiscriminatory admissions policy.
20    (b) In the case of a proposal to establish a charter school
21by converting an existing public school or attendance center to
22charter school status, evidence that the proposed formation of
23the charter school has received majority support from certified
24teachers and from parents and guardians in the school or
25attendance center affected by the proposed charter, and, if
26applicable, from a local school council, shall be demonstrated

 

 

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1by a petition in support of the charter school signed by
2certified teachers and a petition in support of the charter
3school signed by parents and guardians and, if applicable, by a
4vote of the local school council held at a public meeting. In
5the case of all other proposals to establish a charter school,
6evidence of sufficient support to fill the number of pupil
7seats set forth in the proposal may be demonstrated by a
8petition in support of the charter school signed by parents and
9guardians of students eligible to attend the charter school. In
10all cases, the individuals, organizations, or entities who
11initiate the proposal to establish a charter school may elect,
12in lieu of including any petition referred to in this
13subsection as a part of the proposal submitted to the local
14school board, to demonstrate that the charter school has
15received the support referred to in this subsection by other
16evidence and information presented at the public meeting that
17the local school board is required to convene under this
18Section.
19    (c) Within 45 days of receipt of a charter school proposal,
20the local school board shall convene a public meeting to obtain
21information to assist the board in its decision to grant or
22deny the charter school proposal. A local school board may
23develop its own process for receiving charter school proposals
24on an annual basis that follows the same timeframes as set
25forth in this Article. Only after the local school board
26process is followed may a charter school applicant appeal to

 

 

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1the State Board Commission.
2    (d) Notice of the public meeting required by this Section
3shall be published in a community newspaper published in the
4school district in which the proposed charter is located and,
5if there is no such newspaper, then in a newspaper published in
6the county and having circulation in the school district. The
7notices shall be published not more than 10 days nor less than
85 days before the meeting and shall state that information
9regarding a charter school proposal will be heard at the
10meeting. Copies of the notice shall also be posted at
11appropriate locations in the school or attendance center
12proposed to be established as a charter school, the public
13schools in the school district, and the local school board
14office. If 45 days pass without the local school board holding
15a public meeting, then the charter applicant may submit the
16proposal to the State Board Commission, where it must be
17addressed in accordance with the provisions set forth in
18subsection (g) of this Section.
19    (e) Within 30 days of the public meeting, the local school
20board shall vote, in a public meeting, to either grant or deny
21the charter school proposal. If the local school board has not
22voted in a public meeting within 30 days after the public
23meeting, then the charter applicant may submit the proposal to
24the State Board Commission, where it must be addressed in
25accordance with the provisions set forth in subsection (g) of
26this Section.

 

 

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1    (f) Within 7 days of the public meeting required under
2subsection (e) of this Section, the local school board shall
3file a report with the State Board granting or denying the
4proposal. If the local school board has approved the proposal,
5within 30 days of receipt of the local school board's report,
6the State Board shall determine whether the approved charter
7proposal is consistent with the provisions of this Article and,
8if the approved proposal complies, certify the proposal
9pursuant to Section 27A-6.
10    (g) If the local school board votes to deny the proposal,
11then the charter school applicant has 30 days from the date of
12that vote to submit an appeal to the State Board Commission. In
13such instances or in those instances referenced in subsections
14(d) and (e) of this Section, the State Board Commission shall
15follow the same process and be subject to the same timelines
16for review as the local school board.
17    (h) The State Board Commission may reverse a local school
18board's decision to deny a charter school proposal if the State
19Board Commission finds that the proposal (i) is in compliance
20with this Article and (ii) is in the best interests of the
21students the charter school is designed to serve. Final
22decisions of the State Board Commission are subject to judicial
23review under the Administrative Review Law.
24    (i) In the case of a charter school proposed to be jointly
25authorized by 2 or more school districts, the local school
26boards may unanimously deny the charter school proposal with a

 

 

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1statement that the local school boards are not opposed to the
2charter school, but that they yield to the State Board
3Commission in light of the complexities of joint
4administration.
5(Source: P.A. 96-105, eff. 7-30-09; 96-734, eff. 8-25-09;
696-1000, eff. 7-2-10; 97-152, eff. 7-20-11.)
 
7    (105 ILCS 5/27A-9)
8    Sec. 27A-9. Term of charter; renewal.
9    (a) A charter may be granted for a period not less than 5
10and not more than 10 school years. A charter may be renewed in
11incremental periods not to exceed 5 school years.
12    (b) A charter school renewal proposal submitted to the
13local school board or State Board the Commission, as the
14chartering entity, shall contain:
15        (1) A report on the progress of the charter school in
16    achieving the goals, objectives, pupil performance
17    standards, content standards, and other terms of the
18    initial approved charter proposal; and
19        (2) A financial statement that discloses the costs of
20    administration, instruction, and other spending categories
21    for the charter school that is understandable to the
22    general public and that will allow comparison of those
23    costs to other schools or other comparable organizations,
24    in a format required by the State Board.
25    (c) A charter may be revoked or not renewed if the local

 

 

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1school board or State Board the Commission, as the chartering
2entity, clearly demonstrates that the charter school did any of
3the following, or otherwise failed to comply with the
4requirements of this law:
5        (1) Committed a material violation of any of the
6    conditions, standards, or procedures set forth in the
7    charter.
8        (2) Failed to meet or make reasonable progress toward
9    achievement of the content standards or pupil performance
10    standards identified in the charter.
11        (3) Failed to meet generally accepted standards of
12    fiscal management.
13        (4) Violated any provision of law from which the
14    charter school was not exempted.
15    In the case of revocation, the local school board or State
16Board the Commission, as the chartering entity, shall notify
17the charter school in writing of the reason why the charter is
18subject to revocation. The charter school shall submit a
19written plan to the local school board or State Board the
20Commission, whichever is applicable, to rectify the problem.
21The plan shall include a timeline for implementation, which
22shall not exceed 2 years or the date of the charter's
23expiration, whichever is earlier. If the local school board or
24State Board the Commission, as the chartering entity, finds
25that the charter school has failed to implement the plan of
26remediation and adhere to the timeline, then the chartering

 

 

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1entity shall revoke the charter. Except in situations of an
2emergency where the health, safety, or education of the charter
3school's students is at risk, the revocation shall take place
4at the end of a school year. Nothing in this amendatory Act of
5the 96th General Assembly shall be construed to prohibit an
6implementation timetable that is less than 2 years in duration.
7    (d) (Blank).
8    (e) Notice of a local school board's decision to deny,
9revoke or not to renew a charter shall be provided to the
10Commission and the State Board. The State Board Commission may
11reverse a local board's decision if the State Board Commission
12finds that the charter school or charter school proposal (i) is
13in compliance with this Article, and (ii) is in the best
14interests of the students it is designed to serve. The State
15Board may condition the granting of an appeal on the acceptance
16by the charter school of funding in an amount less than that
17requested in the proposal submitted to the local school board.
18Final decisions of the State Board Commission shall be subject
19to judicial review under the Administrative Review Law.
20    (f) Notwithstanding other provisions of this Article, if
21the State Board Commission on appeal reverses a local board's
22decision or if a charter school is approved by referendum, the
23State Board Commission shall act as the authorized chartering
24entity for the charter school. The State Board Commission shall
25approve and certify the charter and shall perform all functions
26under this Article otherwise performed by the local school

 

 

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1board. The State Board shall determine whether the charter
2proposal approved by the Commission is consistent with the
3provisions of this Article and, if the approved proposal
4complies, certify the proposal pursuant to this Article. The
5State Board shall report the aggregate number of charter school
6pupils resident in a school district to that district and shall
7notify the district of the amount of funding to be paid by the
8State Board Commission to the charter school enrolling such
9students. The State Board Commission shall require the charter
10school to maintain accurate records of daily attendance that
11shall be deemed sufficient to file claims under Section 18-8.05
12notwithstanding any other requirements of that Section
13regarding hours of instruction and teacher certification. The
14State Board shall withhold from funds otherwise due the
15district the funds authorized by this Article to be paid to the
16charter school and shall pay such amounts to the charter
17school.
18    (g) (Blank). For charter schools authorized by the
19Commission, the Commission shall quarterly certify to the State
20Board the student enrollment for each of its charter schools.
21    (h) For charter schools authorized by the State Board
22Commission, the State Board shall pay directly to a charter
23school any federal or State aid attributable to a student with
24a disability attending the school.
25(Source: P.A. 96-105, eff. 7-30-09; 97-152, eff. 7-20-11.)
 

 

 

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1    (105 ILCS 5/27A-12)
2    Sec. 27A-12. Evaluation; report. On or before September 30
3of every odd-numbered year, all local school boards with at
4least one charter school, as well as the Commission, shall
5submit to the State Board any information required by the State
6Board pursuant to applicable rule. On or before the second
7Wednesday in January of every even-numbered year, the State
8Board shall issue a report to the General Assembly and the
9Governor on its findings for the previous 2 school years. The
10State Board's report shall summarize all of the following:
11        (1) The authorizer's strategic vision for chartering
12    and progress toward achieving that vision.
13        (2) The academic and financial performance of all
14    operating charter schools overseen by the authorizer,
15    according to the performance expectations for charter
16    schools set forth in this Article.
17        (3) The status of the authorizer's charter school
18    portfolio, identifying all charter schools in each of the
19    following categories: approved (but not yet open),
20    operating, renewed, transferred, revoked, not renewed,
21    voluntarily closed, or never opened.
22        (4) The authorizing functions provided by the
23    authorizer to the charter schools under its purview,
24    including the authorizer's operating costs and expenses
25    detailed in annual audited financial statements, which
26    must conform with generally accepted accounting

 

 

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1    principles.
2    Further, in the report required by this Section, the State
3Board (i) shall compare the performance of charter school
4pupils with the performance of ethnically and economically
5comparable groups of pupils in other public schools who are
6enrolled in academically comparable courses, (ii) shall review
7information regarding the regulations and policies from which
8charter schools were released to determine if the exemptions
9assisted or impeded the charter schools in meeting their stated
10goals and objectives, and (iii) shall include suggested changes
11in State law necessary to strengthen charter schools.
12    In addition, the State Board shall undertake and report on
13periodic evaluations of charter schools that include
14evaluations of student academic achievement, the extent to
15which charter schools are accomplishing their missions and
16goals, the sufficiency of funding for charter schools, and the
17need for changes in the approval process for charter schools.
18    Based on the information that the State Board receives from
19authorizers and the State Board's ongoing monitoring of both
20charter schools and authorizers, the State Board has the power
21to remove the power to authorize from any authorizer in this
22State if the authorizer does not demonstrate a commitment to
23high-quality authorization practices and, if necessary, revoke
24the chronically low-performing charters authorized by the
25authorizer at the time of the removal. The State Board shall
26adopt rules as needed to carry out this power, including

 

 

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1provisions to determine the status of schools authorized by an
2authorizer whose authorizing power is revoked.
3(Source: P.A. 96-105, eff. 7-30-09; 97-152, eff. 7-20-11.)
 
4    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
52014.