State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
Legislation

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90_SB1452

      105 ILCS 5/10-22.31       from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.31
          Amends the School Code.  In provisions concerning special
      education and joint agreements between school boards, removes
      a provision that allows  a  governing  board  to  appoint  an
      executive  board  to  administer  the joint agreement only if
      more than 17  school  districts  are  parties  to  the  joint
      agreement.  Effective immediately.
                                                     LRB9010239NTsb
                                               LRB9010239NTsb
 1        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  School  Code by changing Section
 2    10-22.31.
 3        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section  5.   The  School  Code  is  amended  by changing
 6    Section 10-22.31 as follows:
 7        (105 ILCS 5/10-22.31) (from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.31)
 8        Sec. 10-22.31.  Special education.
 9        (a)  To enter into joint  agreements  with  other  school
10    boards  to  provide the needed special educational facilities
11    and to employ a director and other  professional  workers  as
12    defined  in  Section  14-1.10  and to establish facilities as
13    defined  in  Section  14-1.08  for  the  types  of   children
14    described  in Sections 14-1.02 through 14-1.07.  The director
15    (who may be employed under a multi-year contract as  provided
16    in  subsection  (c)  of  this Section) and other professional
17    workers may be employed  by  one  district,  which  shall  be
18    reimbursed on a mutually agreed basis by other districts that
19    are  parties  to  the  joint  agreement.  Such agreements may
20    provide that one district may supply professional workers for
21    a  joint  program  conducted  in  another   district.    Such
22    agreement   shall   provide   that   any   full-time   school
23    psychologist who is employed by a joint agreement program and
24    spends  over  50%  of  his or her time in one school district
25    shall not be required to work a different  teaching  schedule
26    than  the  other school psychologists in that district.  Such
27    agreement shall include, but not be  limited  to,  provisions
28    for  administration,  staff,  programs,  financing,  housing,
29    transportation,  an  advisory body, and for the withdrawal of
30    districts from the  joint  agreement.   Except  as  otherwise
31    provided  in  Section 10-22.31.1, the withdrawal of districts
                            -2-                LRB9010239NTsb
 1    from the joint agreement shall be by petition to the regional
 2    board of school trustees.  Such agreement may be  amended  at
 3    any  time as provided in the joint agreement or, if the joint
 4    agreement does not so provide, then  such  agreement  may  be
 5    amended   at   any  time  upon  the  adoption  of  concurring
 6    resolutions by the school boards of all member districts.   A
 7    fully  executed  copy  of  any  such  agreement  or amendment
 8    entered into on or after January 1, 1989 shall be filed  with
 9    the  State Board of Education.  Such petitions for withdrawal
10    shall be made to the regional board of school trustees of all
11    counties  having  jurisdiction  over  one  or  more  of   the
12    districts in the joint agreement.  Upon receipt of a petition
13    for withdrawal, the regional boards of school trustees having
14    jurisdiction  over  the  cooperating  districts shall publish
15    notice of and  conduct  a  joint  hearing  on  the  issue  as
16    provided in Section 7-6.  No such petition may be considered,
17    however,  unless in compliance with Section 7-8.  If approved
18    by a 2/3 vote of all trustees of those regional boards, at  a
19    joint  meeting,  the  withdrawal  takes effect as provided in
20    Section 7-9 of this Act.
21        (b)  To either (1) designate an  administrative  district
22    to  act  as fiscal and legal agent for the districts that are
23    parties to the joint agreement, or (2) designate a  governing
24    board  composed  of  one  member  of the school board of each
25    cooperating district and designated by such boards to act  in
26    accordance with the joint agreement.  No such governing board
27    may  levy  taxes  and  no  such governing board may incur any
28    indebtedness except within an annual  budget  for  the  joint
29    agreement  approved  by the governing board and by the boards
30    of at least a majority of the cooperating school districts or
31    a number of districts greater than a majority if required  by
32    the  joint  agreement.   If more than 17 school districts are
33    parties to the joint  agreement,   The  governing  board  may
34    appoint   an  executive  board  of  at  least  7  members  to
                            -3-                LRB9010239NTsb
 1    administer the joint agreement in accordance with its  terms.
 2    However,  if  20  school  districts,  a majority of which are
 3    located wholly or partially in a county with a population  in
 4    excess  of  3,000,000  inhabitants,  are  parties  to a joint
 5    agreement that does not have an administrative district:  (i)
 6    at least a majority of the members appointed by the governing
 7    board to the executive board shall be members of  the  school
 8    boards   of  the  cooperating  districts;  and  (ii)  if  the
 9    governing board wishes to appoint members who are not  school
10    board   members,  they  shall  be  superintendents  from  the
11    cooperating districts.
12        (c)  To employ a director of a  joint  agreement  program
13    under a multi-year contract.  No such contract can be offered
14    or  accepted for less than or more than 3 years, except for a
15    person serving as a director of  a  special  education  joint
16    agreement  for  the  first time in Illinois.  In such a case,
17    the initial contract shall be for  a  2  year  period.   Such
18    contract  may be discontinued at any time by mutual agreement
19    of the  contracting  parties,  or  may  be  extended  for  an
20    additional 3 years at the end of any year.
21        The  contract  year  is July 1 through the following June
22    30th, unless the contract  specifically  provides  otherwise.
23    Notice  of  intent  not  to  renew a contract when given by a
24    controlling board  or  administrative  district  must  be  in
25    writing  stating  the  specific  reason  therefor.  Notice of
26    intent not to  renew  the  contract  must  be  given  by  the
27    controlling  board or the administrative district at least 90
28    days  before  the  contract  expires.   Failure to do so will
29    automatically extend the contract for one additional year.
30        By accepting the terms of the  multi-year  contract,  the
31    director  of  a  special education joint agreement waives all
32    rights granted under Sections 24-11  through  24-16  for  the
33    duration  of his or her employment as a director of a special
34    education joint agreement.
                            -4-                LRB9010239NTsb
 1        (d)  To designate a district that is a party to the joint
 2    agreement as the issuer of bonds or notes  for  the  purposes
 3    and  in  the  manner  provided  in  this  Section.  It is not
 4    necessary for such district to  also  be  the  administrative
 5    district for the joint agreement, nor is it necessary for the
 6    same district to be designated as the issuer of all series of
 7    bonds  or notes issued hereunder.  Any district so designated
 8    may, from time to time, borrow money and, in evidence of  its
 9    obligation to repay the borrowing, issue its negotiable bonds
10    or   notes   for  the  purpose  of  acquiring,  constructing,
11    altering, repairing, enlarging and equipping any building  or
12    portion  thereof, together with any land or interest therein,
13    necessary  to  provide  special  educational  facilities  and
14    services as defined in Section 14-1.08.  Title in and to  any
15    such  facilities  shall  be held in accordance with the joint
16    agreement.
17        Any  such  bonds  or  notes  shall  be  authorized  by  a
18    resolution of the board of education of the issuing district.
19    The resolution may contain such covenants as  may  be  deemed
20    necessary  or advisable by the district to assure the payment
21    of the bonds or notes.  The  resolution  shall  be  effective
22    immediately upon its adoption.
23        Prior to the issuance of such bonds or notes, each school
24    district  that is a party to the joint agreement shall agree,
25    whether by amendment to the joint agreement or by  resolution
26    of the board of education, to be jointly and severally liable
27    for  the  payment of the bonds and notes.  The bonds or notes
28    shall be payable solely  and  only  from  the  payments  made
29    pursuant to such agreement.
30        Neither  the bonds or notes nor the obligation to pay the
31    bonds or notes under any joint agreement shall constitute  an
32    indebtedness of any district, including the issuing district,
33    within   the  meaning  of  any  constitutional  or  statutory
34    limitation.
                            -5-                LRB9010239NTsb
 1        As long as any bonds or notes are outstanding and unpaid,
 2    the agreement by a district to pay the bonds and notes  shall
 3    be irrevocable notwithstanding the district's withdrawal from
 4    membership in the joint special education program.
 5        (e)  If  a  district  whose  employees are on strike was,
 6    prior to the strike, sending students  with  disabilities  to
 7    special   educational  facilities  and  services  in  another
 8    district or cooperative, the district affected by the  strike
 9    shall  continue  to  send such students during the strike and
10    shall be eligible to receive appropriate State reimbursement.
11        (f)  With respect to those joint agreements that  have  a
12    governing board composed of one member of the school board of
13    each  cooperating  district and designated by those boards to
14    act in accordance with the  joint  agreement,  the  governing
15    board  shall have, in addition to its other powers under this
16    Section, the authority  to  issue  bonds  or  notes  for  the
17    purposes  and in the manner provided in this subsection.  The
18    governing board of the joint agreement may from time to  time
19    borrow  money and, in evidence of its obligation to repay the
20    borrowing, issue  its  negotiable  bonds  or  notes  for  the
21    purpose  of  acquiring,  constructing,  altering,  repairing,
22    enlarging  and  equipping  any  building  or portion thereof,
23    together with any land  or  interest  therein,  necessary  to
24    provide   special  educational  facilities  and  services  as
25    defined in Section 14-1.08 and including also facilities  for
26    activities   of   administration   and   educational  support
27    personnel employees.  Title in and  to  any  such  facilities
28    shall be held in accordance with the joint agreement.
29        Any  such  bonds  or  notes  shall  be  authorized  by  a
30    resolution  of  the  governing  board.   The  resolution  may
31    contain   such  covenants  as  may  be  deemed  necessary  or
32    advisable by the governing board to assure the payment of the
33    bonds or notes and interest accruing thereon.  The resolution
34    shall be effective immediately upon its adoption.
                            -6-                LRB9010239NTsb
 1        Each school  district  that  is  a  party  to  the  joint
 2    agreement  shall  be  automatically  liable, by virtue of its
 3    membership in the  joint  agreement,  for  its  proportionate
 4    share  of  the  principal  amount of the bonds and notes plus
 5    interest accruing thereon, as  provided  in  the  resolution.
 6    Subject  to  the  joint  and  several  liability  hereinafter
 7    provided  for,  the  resolution  may  provide  for  different
 8    payment  schedules  for  different  districts except that the
 9    aggregate amount of  scheduled  payments  for  each  district
10    shall be equal to its proportionate share of the debt service
11    in  the  bonds  or  notes  based  upon  the fraction that its
12    equalized assessed valuation bears  to  the  total  equalized
13    assessed  valuation  of all the district members of the joint
14    agreement as adjusted in the manner hereinafter provided.  In
15    computing that fraction the most recent  available  equalized
16    assessed  valuation  at the time of the issuance of the bonds
17    and notes shall be used, and the equalized assessed valuation
18    of any district maintaining grades K to 12 shall  be  doubled
19    in  both  the  numerator and denominator of the fraction used
20    for all of the  districts  that  are  members  of  the  joint
21    agreement.  In case of default in payment by any member, each
22    school  district that is a party to the joint agreement shall
23    automatically be jointly and severally liable for the  amount
24    of  any  deficiency.  The bonds or notes and interest thereon
25    shall  be  payable  solely  and  only  from  the  funds  made
26    available pursuant  to  the  procedures  set  forth  in  this
27    subsection.   No project authorized under this subsection may
28    require an annual contribution for  bond  payments  from  any
29    member  district  in  excess of 0.15% of the value of taxable
30    property as  equalized  or  assessed  by  the  Department  of
31    Revenue  in  the  case of districts maintaining grades K-8 or
32    9-12 and 0.30% of the value of taxable property as  equalized
33    or  assessed  by  the  Department  of  Revenue in the case of
34    districts maintaining grades K-12.  This limitation on taxing
                            -7-                LRB9010239NTsb
 1    authority  is  expressly  applicable  to   taxing   authority
 2    provided  under Section 17-9 and other applicable Sections of
 3    this Act.  Nothing contained  in  this  subsection  shall  be
 4    construed  as  an  exception  to the property tax limitations
 5    contained in  Section  17-2,  17-2.2a,  17-5,  or  any  other
 6    applicable Section of this Act.
 7        Neither  the bonds or notes nor the obligation to pay the
 8    bonds or notes under any joint agreement shall constitute  an
 9    indebtedness  of  any  district  within  the  meaning  of any
10    constitutional or statutory limitation.
11        As long as any bonds or notes are outstanding and unpaid,
12    the obligation of a district to pay its  proportionate  share
13    of  the  principal  of and interest on the bonds and notes as
14    required in this Section shall be a general obligation of the
15    district  payable  from  any  and  all  sources  of   revenue
16    designated  for that purpose by the board of education of the
17    district  and  shall  be  irrevocable   notwithstanding   the
18    district's  withdrawal  from  membership in the joint special
19    education program.
20    (Source: P.A. 89-397,  eff.  8-20-95;  89-613,  eff.  8-9-96;
21    89-626,  eff.  8-9-96;  90-103,  eff.  7-11-97;  90-515, eff.
22    8-22-97; revised 11-13-97.)
23        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect  upon
24    becoming law.

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