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Illinois Compiled Statutes
Information maintained by the Legislative Reference Bureau Updating the database of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) is an ongoing process. Recent laws may not yet be included in the ILCS database, but they are found on this site as Public Acts soon after they become law. For information concerning the relationship between statutes and Public Acts, refer to the Guide. Because the statute database is maintained primarily for legislative drafting purposes, statutory changes are sometimes included in the statute database before they take effect. If the source note at the end of a Section of the statutes includes a Public Act that has not yet taken effect, the version of the law that is currently in effect may have already been removed from the database and you should refer to that Public Act to see the changes made to the current law.
() 105 ILCS 5/27A-10
(105 ILCS 5/27A-10)
Sec. 27A-10. Employees.
(a) A person shall be deemed to be employed by a charter school unless a
collective bargaining agreement or the charter school
contract otherwise provides.
(b) In all school districts, including special charter districts and
districts located in
cities having a population exceeding 500,000, the local school board shall
determine by policy or by negotiated
agreement, if one exists, the employment status of any school district
employees who are employed by a charter school and who seek to return to
employment in the public
schools of the district. Each local school board shall grant, for a period of
up to 5 years, a leave of absence to those of its teachers who accept
employment with a charter school. At the end of the authorized leave of
absence, the teacher must return to the school district or resign; provided that if the teacher chooses to return to the school district, the
teacher must be assigned to a position that requires the teacher's licensure
and legal qualifications. The
contractual
continued service status and retirement benefits of a
teacher of the district who is granted a leave of absence to accept employment
with a charter school shall not be affected by that leave of absence.
(c) Charter schools shall employ in instructional positions, as defined in
the charter, individuals who are licensed under Article 21B of this
Code or who possess the following qualifications:
(i) graduated with a bachelor's degree from an | | accredited institution of higher learning;
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(ii) been employed for a period of at least 5 years
| | in an area requiring application of the individual's education;
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(iii) passed a content area knowledge test required
| | under Section 21B-30 of this Code; and
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(iv) demonstrate continuing evidence of professional
| | growth, which shall include, but not be limited to, successful teaching experience, attendance at professional meetings, membership in professional organizations, additional credits earned at institutions of higher learning, travel specifically for educational purposes, and reading of professional books and periodicals.
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(c-5) Charter schools employing individuals without licensure in
instructional positions shall provide such mentoring, training, and staff
development for those individuals as the charter schools determine necessary
for satisfactory performance in the classroom.
(c-10) At least 75% of the individuals employed in instructional positions by the charter school shall hold teaching licenses issued under Article 21B of this Code. Charter schools may employ non-licensed staff in all other positions.
(c-15) Charter schools are
exempt from any annual cap on new
participants in an alternative educator licensure program. The second
and third phases of the program may
be conducted and completed at the charter school, and the
alternative provisional educator endorsement is valid for 4 years or the length
of the charter (or any extension of the charter), whichever is longer.
(d) A teacher at a charter school may resign his or her position only if
the teacher gives notice of resignation to the charter school's governing body
at least 60 days before the end of the school term, and the resignation must
take effect immediately upon the end of the school term.
(Source: P.A. 103-175, eff. 6-30-23.)
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105 ILCS 5/27A-10.5 (105 ILCS 5/27A-10.5) Sec. 27A-10.5. Educational or charter management organization. (a) In this Section: "CMO" means a charter management organization. "EMO" means an educational management organization. (b) All authorizers shall ensure that any charter school established on or after January 1, 2015 has a governing body that is separate and distinct from the governing body of any CMO or EMO. In reviewing charter applications and charter renewal applications, authorizers shall review the governance model proposed by the applicant to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest. (c) No charter school may employ a staff person who is simultaneously employed by an EMO or CMO.
(Source: P.A. 103-175, eff. 6-30-23.) |
105 ILCS 5/27A-10.10 (105 ILCS 5/27A-10.10) Sec. 27A-10.10. Closure of charter school; unspent public funds; procedures for the disposition of property and assets. (a) Upon the closing of a charter school authorized by one or more local school boards, the governing body of the charter school or its designee shall refund to the chartering entity or entities all unspent public funds. The charter school's other property and assets shall be disposed of under the provisions of the charter application and contract. If the application and contract are silent or ambiguous as to the disposition of any of the school's property or assets, any property or assets of the charter school purchased with public funds shall be returned to the school district or districts from which the charter school draws enrollment, at no cost to the receiving district or districts, subject to each district's acceptance of the property or asset. Any unspent public funds or other property or assets received by the charter school directly from any State or federal agency shall be refunded to or revert back to that State or federal agency, respectively. (b) Upon the closing of a charter school authorized by the State Board, the governing body of the charter school or its designee shall refund all unspent public funds to the State Board. The charter school's other property and assets shall be disposed of under the provisions of the charter application and contract. If the application and contract are silent or ambiguous as to the disposition of any of the school's property or assets, any property or assets of the charter school purchased with public funds shall be returned to the school district or districts from which the charter school draws its enrollment, at no cost to the receiving district or districts, subject to each district's acceptance of the property or asset. Any unspent public funds or other property or assets provided by a State agency other than the State Board or by a federal agency shall be refunded to or revert back to that State or federal agency, respectively.
(c) If a determination is made to close a charter school located within the boundaries of a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code for at least one school year, the charter school shall give at least 60 days' notice of the closure to all affected students and parents or legal guardians. (Source: P.A. 103-175, eff. 6-30-23.) |
105 ILCS 5/27A-11
(105 ILCS 5/27A-11)
Sec. 27A-11. Local financing.
(a) For purposes of the School Code, pupils enrolled in a charter school
shall be included in the pupil enrollment of the school district within which
the
pupil resides. Each charter school (i) shall determine the school district in
which each pupil who is enrolled in the charter school resides,
(ii) shall
report the aggregate number of pupils resident of a school district who are
enrolled in the charter school to the school district in which those pupils
reside, and (iii) shall maintain accurate records of daily attendance that
shall be deemed sufficient to file claims under Section 18-8.15 notwithstanding
any other requirements of that Section regarding hours of instruction and
teacher licensure.
(b) Except for a charter school established by referendum under Section
27A-6.5, as part of a charter school contract, the charter school and the
local
school board shall agree on funding and any services to be provided by the
school district to the charter school.
Agreed funding that a charter school is to receive from the local school
board for a school year shall be paid in
equal quarterly installments with the payment of the
installment for the first quarter being made not later than July 1, unless the
charter establishes a different payment schedule. However, if a charter school dismisses a pupil from the charter school after receiving a quarterly payment, the charter school shall return to the school district, on a quarterly basis, the prorated portion of public funding provided for the education of that pupil for the time the student is not enrolled at the charter school. Likewise, if a pupil transfers to a charter school between quarterly payments, the school district shall provide, on a quarterly basis, a prorated portion of the public funding to the charter school to provide for the education of that pupil.
All services centrally or otherwise provided by the school district
including, but not limited to, rent, food services, custodial services,
maintenance,
curriculum, media services, libraries, transportation, and warehousing shall be
subject to
negotiation between a charter school and the local school board and paid
for out
of the revenues negotiated pursuant to this subsection (b); provided that the
local school board shall not attempt, by negotiation or otherwise, to obligate
a charter school to provide pupil transportation for pupils for whom a district
is not required to provide transportation under the criteria set forth in
subsection (a)(13) of Section 27A-7.
In no event shall the funding be less than 97% or more than 103%
of the
school district's per capita student tuition multiplied by
the
number of students residing in the district who are enrolled in the charter
school.
It is the intent of the General Assembly that funding and service agreements
under this subsection (b) shall be neither a financial incentive nor a
financial disincentive to the establishment of a charter school.
The charter school may set and collect reasonable fees. Fees collected
from students enrolled at a charter school shall be retained
by the charter school.
(c) Notwithstanding subsection (b) of this Section, the proportionate share
of State and federal resources generated by students with disabilities or staff
serving them shall be directed to charter schools enrolling those students by
their school districts or administrative units. The proportionate share of
moneys generated under other federal or State categorical aid programs shall be
directed to charter schools serving students eligible for that aid.
(d) The governing body of a charter school is authorized to accept
gifts,
donations, or grants of any kind made to the charter school and to expend or
use gifts, donations, or grants in accordance with the conditions prescribed by
the donor; however, a gift, donation, or grant may not be accepted by the
governing body if it is subject to any condition contrary to applicable law or
contrary
to the terms of the contract between the charter school and the local school
board. Charter schools shall be encouraged to solicit and utilize community
volunteer speakers and other instructional resources when providing instruction
on the Holocaust and other historical events.
(e) (Blank).
(f) (Blank).
(g) At the non-renewal or revocation of its charter, each
charter school
shall refund to the local board of education all unspent funds.
(h) A charter school is authorized to incur temporary, short
term debt to
pay operating expenses in anticipation of receipt of funds from the local
school board.
(Source: P.A. 103-175, eff. 6-30-23.)
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105 ILCS 5/27A-11.5 (105 ILCS 5/27A-11.5) Sec. 27A-11.5. State financing. The State Board shall make the following funds available to school districts and charter schools: (1) From a separate appropriation made to the State | | Board for purposes of this subdivision (1), the State Board shall make transition impact aid available to school districts that approve a new charter school. The amount of the aid shall equal 90% of the per capita funding paid to the charter school during the first year of its initial charter term, 65% of the per capita funding paid to the charter school during the second year of its initial term, and 35% of the per capita funding paid to the charter school during the third year of its initial term. This transition impact aid shall be paid to the local school board in equal quarterly installments, with the payment of the installment for the first quarter being made by August 1st immediately preceding the first, second, and third years of the initial term. The district shall file an application for this aid with the State Board in a format designated by the State Board. If the appropriation is insufficient in any year to pay all approved claims, the impact aid shall be prorated. If any funds remain after these claims have been paid, then the State Board may pay all other approved claims on a pro rata basis. Transition impact aid shall be paid for charter schools that are in the first, second, or third year of their initial term. Transition impact aid shall not be paid for any charter school that is proposed and created by one or more boards of education, as authorized under subsection (b) of Section 27A-7.
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| (2) From a separate appropriation made for the
| | purpose of this subdivision (2), the State Board shall make grants to charter schools to pay their start-up costs of acquiring educational materials and supplies, textbooks, electronic textbooks and the technological equipment necessary to gain access to and use electronic textbooks, furniture, and other equipment or materials needed during their initial term. The State Board shall annually establish the time and manner of application for these grants, which shall not exceed $250 per student enrolled in the charter school.
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| (3) The Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund is
| | created as a special fund in the State treasury. Federal funds, such other funds as may be made available for costs associated with the establishment of charter schools in Illinois, and amounts repaid by charter schools that have received a loan from the Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund shall be deposited into the Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund, and the moneys in the Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund shall be appropriated to the State Board and used to provide interest-free loans to charter schools. These funds shall be used to pay start-up costs of acquiring educational materials and supplies, textbooks, electronic textbooks and the technological equipment necessary to gain access to and use electronic textbooks, furniture, and other equipment or materials needed in the initial term of the charter school and for acquiring and remodeling a suitable physical plant, within the initial term of the charter school. Loans shall be limited to one loan per charter school and shall not exceed $750 per student enrolled in the charter school. A loan shall be repaid by the end of the initial term of the charter school. The State Board may deduct amounts necessary to repay the loan from funds due to the charter school or may require that the local school board that authorized the charter school deduct such amounts from funds due the charter school and remit these amounts to the State Board, provided that the local school board shall not be responsible for repayment of the loan. The State Board may use up to 3% of the appropriation to contract with a non-profit entity to administer the loan program.
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| (4) A charter school may apply for and receive,
| | subject to the same restrictions applicable to school districts, any grant administered by the State Board that is available for school districts.
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| If a charter school fails to make payments toward administrative costs, the State Board may withhold State funds from that school until it has made all payments for those costs.
(Source: P.A. 103-175, eff. 6-30-23; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24.)
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105 ILCS 5/27A-12
(105 ILCS 5/27A-12)
Sec. 27A-12. Evaluation; report. On or before September 30 of every odd-numbered year, all local school boards with at least one charter school shall submit to the State Board any information required by the State Board pursuant to applicable rule. On or before the second Wednesday in January of every even-numbered year, the State Board shall issue a report to the General Assembly and the Governor on its findings for the previous 2 school years. The State Board's report shall summarize all of the following: (1) The authorizer's strategic vision for chartering | | and progress toward achieving that vision.
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| (2) The academic and financial performance of all
| | operating charter schools overseen by the authorizer, according to the performance expectations for charter schools set forth in this Article.
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| (3) The status of the authorizer's charter school
| | portfolio, identifying all charter schools in each of the following categories: approved (but not yet open), operating, renewed, transferred, revoked, not renewed, voluntarily closed, or never opened.
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| (4) The authorizing functions provided by the
| | authorizer to the charter schools under its purview, including the authorizer's operating costs and expenses detailed in annual audited financial statements, which must conform with generally accepted accounting principles.
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Further, in the report required by this Section, the State
Board (i) shall
compare the performance of charter school pupils with the performance of
ethnically and economically comparable groups of pupils in other public schools
who are enrolled in academically comparable courses,
(ii) shall review information regarding the regulations and policies from
which
charter schools were released to determine if the exemptions assisted or
impeded
the charter schools in meeting their stated goals and objectives, and (iii)
shall
include suggested changes in State law necessary to strengthen charter schools.
In addition, the State Board shall undertake and report on periodic
evaluations of charter schools that include evaluations of student academic
achievement, the extent to which charter schools are accomplishing their
missions
and goals, the sufficiency of funding for charter schools, and the need for
changes in the approval process for charter schools.
Based on the information that the State Board receives from authorizers and the State Board's ongoing monitoring of both charter schools and authorizers, the State Board has the power to remove the power to authorize from any authorizer in this State if the authorizer does not demonstrate a commitment to high-quality authorization practices and, if necessary, revoke the chronically low-performing charters authorized by the authorizer at the time of the removal. The State Board shall adopt rules as needed to carry out this power, including provisions to determine the status of schools authorized by an authorizer whose authorizing power is revoked.
(Source: P.A. 103-175, eff. 6-30-23.)
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