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1     AN ACT concerning education.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
5 34-18.37 as follows:
 
6     (105 ILCS 5/34-18.37 new)
7     Sec. 34-18.37. Establishing an equitable and effective
8 school facility development process.
9     (a) The General Assembly finds all of the following:
10         (1) The Illinois Constitution recognizes that a
11     "fundamental goal of the People of the State is the
12     educational development of all persons to the limits of
13     their capacities".
14         (2) Quality educational facilities are essential for
15     fostering the maximum educational development of all
16     persons through their educational experience from
17     pre-kindergarten through high school.
18         (3) The public school is a major institution in our
19     communities. Public schools offer resources and
20     opportunities for the children of this State who seek and
21     deserve quality education, but also benefit the entire
22     community that seeks improvement through access to
23     education.

 

 

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1         (4) The equitable and efficient use of available
2     facilities-related resources among different schools and
3     among racial, ethnic, income, and disability groups is
4     essential to maximize the development of quality public
5     educational facilities for all children, youth, and
6     adults. The factors that impact the equitable and efficient
7     use of facility-related resources vary according to the
8     needs of each school community. Therefore, decisions that
9     impact school facilities should include the input of the
10     school community to the greatest extent possible.
11         (5) School openings, school closings, school
12     consolidations, school turnarounds, school phase-outs,
13     school construction, school repairs, school
14     modernizations, school boundary changes, and other related
15     school facility decisions often have a profound impact on
16     education in a community. In order to minimize the negative
17     impact of school facility decisions on the community, these
18     decisions should be implemented according to a clear
19     system-wide criteria and with the significant involvement
20     of local school councils, parents, educators, and the
21     community in decision-making.
22         (6) The General Assembly has previously stated that it
23     intended to make the individual school in the City of
24     Chicago the essential unit for educational governance and
25     improvement and to place the primary responsibility for
26     school governance and improvement in the hands of parents,

 

 

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1     teachers, and community residents at each school. A school
2     facility policy must be consistent with these principles.
3     (b) In order to ensure that school facility-related
4 decisions are made with the input of the community and reflect
5 educationally sound and fiscally responsible criteria, a
6 Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall be established
7 within 15 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act
8 of the 96th General Assembly.
9     (c) The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall
10 consist of all of the following members:
11         (1) Two members of the House of Representatives
12     appointed by the Speaker of the House, at least one of whom
13     shall be a member of the Elementary & Secondary Education
14     Committee.
15         (2) Two members of the House of Representatives
16     appointed by the Minority Leader of the House, at least one
17     of whom shall be a member of the Elementary & Secondary
18     Education Committee.
19         (3) Two members of the Senate appointed by the
20     President of the Senate, at least one of whom shall be a
21     member of the Education Committee.
22         (4) Two members of the Senate appointed by the Minority
23     Leader of the Senate, at least one of whom shall be a
24     member of the Education Committee.
25         (5) Two representatives of school community
26     organizations with past involvement in school facility

 

 

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1     issues appointed by the Speaker of the House.
2         (6) Two representatives of school community
3     organizations with past involvement in school facility
4     issues appointed by the President of the Senate.
5         (7) The chief executive officer of the school district
6     or his or her designee.
7         (8) The president of the union representing teachers in
8     the schools of the district or his or her designee.
9         (9) The president of the association representing
10     principals in the schools of the district or his or her
11     designee.
12     (d) The Speaker of the House shall appoint one of the
13 appointed House members as a co-chairperson of the Chicago
14 Educational Facilities Task Force. The President of the Senate
15 shall appoint one of the appointed Senate members as a
16 co-chairperson of the Chicago Educational Facilities Task
17 Force. Members appointed by the legislative leaders shall be
18 appointed for the duration of the Chicago Educational
19 Facilities Task Force; in the event of a vacancy, the
20 appointment to fill the vacancy shall be made by the
21 legislative leader of the same chamber and party as the leader
22 who made the original appointment.
23     (e) The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall
24 call on independent experts, as needed, to gather and analyze
25 pertinent information on a pro bono basis, provided that these
26 experts have no previous or on-going financial interest in

 

 

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1 school facility issues related to the school district. The
2 Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall secure pro bono
3 expert assistance within 15 days after the establishment of the
4 Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force.
5     (f) The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall be
6 empowered to gather further evidence in the form of testimony
7 or documents or other materials.
8     (g) The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force, with the
9 help of the independent experts, shall analyze past Chicago
10 experiences and data with respect to school openings, school
11 closings, school consolidations, school turnarounds, school
12 phase-outs, school construction, school repairs, school
13 modernizations, school boundary changes, and other related
14 school facility decisions on students. The Chicago Educational
15 Facilities Task Force shall consult widely with stakeholders,
16 including public officials, about these facility issues and
17 their related costs and shall examine relevant best practices
18 from other school systems for dealing with these issues
19 systematically and equitably. These initial investigations
20 shall include opportunities for input from local stakeholders
21 through hearings, focus groups, and interviews.
22     (h) The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall
23 prepare final recommendations on or before October 30, 2009
24 describing how the issues set forth in subsection (g) of this
25 Section can be addressed effectively based upon educationally
26 sound and fiscally responsible practices.

 

 

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1     (i) The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall
2 hold hearings in separate areas of the school district at times
3 that shall maximize school community participation to obtain
4 comments on draft recommendations. The final hearing shall take
5 place no later than 15 days prior to the completion of the
6 final recommendations.
7     (j) The Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force shall
8 prepare final proposed policy and legislative recommendations
9 for the General Assembly, the Governor, and the school
10 district. The recommendations may address issues, standards,
11 and procedures set forth in this Section. The final
12 recommendations shall be made available to the public through
13 posting on the school district's Internet website and other
14 forms of publication and distribution in the school district at
15 least 7 days before the final recommendations are submitted to
16 the General Assembly, the Governor, and the school district.
17     (k) The final recommendations may address issues of
18 system-wide criteria for ensuring clear priorities, equity,
19 and efficiency.
20     Without limitation, the final recommendations may propose
21 significant decision-making roles for key stakeholders,
22 including the individual school and community; recommend clear
23 criteria or processes for establishing criteria for making
24 school facility decisions; and include clear criteria for
25 setting priorities with respect to school openings, school
26 closings, school consolidations, school turnarounds, school

 

 

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1 phase-outs, school construction, school repairs, school
2 modernizations, school boundary changes, and other related
3 school facility decisions, including the encouragement of
4 multiple community uses for school space.
5     Without limitation, the final recommendations may propose
6 criteria for student mobility; the transferring of students to
7 lower performing schools; teacher mobility; insufficient
8 notice to and the lack of inclusion in decision-making of local
9 school councils, parents, and community members about school
10 facility decisions; and costly facilities-related expenditures
11 due to poor educational and facilities planning.
12     (l) The State Board of Education and the school district
13 shall provide administrative support to the Chicago
14 Educational Facilities Task Force.
 
15     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
16 becoming law.