Rep. Cynthia Soto

Filed: 4/2/2009

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 363

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 363 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
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 recognizes all of the following:
10         (1) The Illinois Constitution indicates 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

 

 

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1     prekindergarten through high school.
2         (3) The public school is a major institution in
3     communities that offers resources and opportunities for
4     many stakeholders, including not only families with
5     children who seek and deserve a quality education, but also
6     including the entire community that seeks educational
7     improvement.
8         (4) The equitable and efficient use of available
9     facilities-related resources among different schools and
10     among racial, ethnic, income, and disability groups is
11     essential to maximize the development of quality
12     educational facilities for all children, youth, and
13     adults. These factors vary according to the needs of each
14     school community, are vitally impacted by
15     facilities-related decisions, and, therefore, should
16     include the school community's voice to the greatest extent
17     possible in all current and future uses of the school
18     building.
19         (5) School openings, school closings, school
20     consolidations, school turnarounds, school phase-outs,
21     school construction, school repairs, school
22     modernizations, school boundary changes, and other related
23     school facility decisions often have profound impacts on
24     education in a community. These decisions must be carried
25     out only according to clear systemwide criteria and with
26     genuine involvement of local school councils, parents,

 

 

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1     educators, and the community in decision-making.
2         (6) The General Assembly has previously stated that it
3     intended to make the individual school in the City of
4     Chicago the essential unit for educational governance and
5     improvement and to place the primary responsibility for
6     school governance and improvement in the hands of parents,
7     teachers, and community residents at each school. A school
8     facility policy must be consistent with these principles.
9     (b) To ensure that the intent of the General Assembly is
10 carried out in a fair and equitable manner and to establish
11 educationally sound and fiscally responsible criteria for
12 related facilities planning, the following process shall apply
13 to the school district:
14         (1) A Special Joint Chicago Education Facilities
15     Committee shall be established within 30 days after the
16     effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General
17     Assembly and shall consist of 4 members of the House of
18     Representatives' Elementary & Secondary Education
19     Committee, 4 members of the Senate's Education Committee,
20     and 4 representatives of school community organizations
21     with past involvement in school facility issues. The
22     Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint the 4
23     members of the House Elementary and Secondary Committee, 2
24     of whom shall be Republicans and 2 of whom shall be
25     Democrats. The Speaker of the House shall appoint one of
26     the 4 appointed House members as Co-Chairperson of the

 

 

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1     Committee. The Speaker of the House shall appoint one
2     representative of each of 2 school community organizations
3     with past involvement in Chicago school facility issues as
4     committee members. The President of the Senate shall
5     appoint the 4 members of the Senate Education Committee, 2
6     of whom shall be Republicans and 2 of whom shall be
7     Democrats. The President of the Senate shall appoint one of
8     the 4 appointed Senate members as a Co-Chairperson of the
9     Committee. The President of the Senate shall appoint one
10     representative of each of 2 school community organizations
11     with past involvement in Chicago school facility issues as
12     committee members. Additionally, the chief executive
13     officer of the school district or his or her designee, a
14     representative from the Chicago Teachers Union, and a
15     representative from the Chicago Principals Association
16     shall serve on the Committee.
17         (2) The Committee shall call on independent experts, as
18     needed, to gather and analyze pertinent information on a
19     pro bono basis, provided that such experts shall have no
20     previous or on-going financial interest in school facility
21     issues related to the school district. The Committee shall
22     secure pro bono expert assistance within 30 days after the
23     establishment of the Committee.
24         (3) The Committee shall be empowered to gather further
25     evidence in the form of testimony or documents or other
26     materials.

 

 

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1         (4) The Committee, with the help of the independent
2     experts, shall analyze past Chicago experiences and data
3     with respect to school openings, school closings, school
4     consolidations, school turnarounds, school phase-outs,
5     school construction, school repairs, school
6     modernizations, school boundary changes, and other related
7     school facility decisions on their students. The Committee
8     shall consult widely with stakeholders, including public
9     officials, about these facility issues and their related
10     costs and shall examine relevant best practices from other
11     school systems for dealing with these issues
12     systematically and equitably. These initial investigations
13     shall include opportunities for input from local
14     stakeholders through hearings, focus groups, and
15     interviews.
16         (5) The Committee shall prepare a draft policy by
17     September 30, 2009 describing how these issues can be
18     addressed effectively based upon educationally sound and
19     fiscally responsible practices.
20         (6) The Committee shall hold hearings in separate
21     relevant areas of the school district at times that shall
22     maximize school community participation to obtain comments
23     on the draft policy. The final hearing shall take place no
24     later than 30 days prior to the completion of the final
25     draft to be presented to the General Assembly for approval.
26     The final proposed policy shall be made available to the

 

 

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1     public in the school district at least 7 days before formal
2     introduction in the General Assembly.
3         (7) The Committee shall prepare a final proposed
4     policy, which may be introduced in the form of legislation
5     by a member of the General Assembly and may address the
6     issues, standards, and procedures set forth in this
7     Section. The legislation may address issues of system-wide
8     criteria for ensuring clear priorities, equity, and
9     efficiency.
10         (8) Without limitation, the legislation may establish
11     significant decision-making roles for key stakeholders,
12     including the individual school and community; require
13     clear criteria or processes for establishing criteria for
14     making school facility decisions; and include clear
15     criteria for setting priorities with respect to school
16     openings, school closings, school consolidations, school
17     turnarounds, school phase-outs, school construction,
18     school repairs, school modernizations, school boundary
19     changes, and other related school facility decisions,
20     including the encouragement of multiple community uses for
21     school space.
22         (9) Without limitation, the legislation may seek to
23     establish criteria for student mobility; the transferring
24     of students to lower performing schools; teacher mobility;
25     insufficient notice to and the lack of inclusion in
26     decision-making of local school councils, parents, and

 

 

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1     community members about school facility decisions; and
2     costly facilities-related expenditures due to poor
3     educational and facilities planning.
4     (c) The Board of Education shall provide administrative
5 support to the Committee.
 
6     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
7 becoming law.".