Public Act 097-0097
 
SB0621 EnrolledLRB097 04371 NHT 44410 b

    AN ACT concerning education.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
10-22.22e as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/10-22.22e new)
    Sec. 10-22.22e. Science and mathematics partnership
school.
    (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the
contrary and subject to the provisions of this Section, 4 or
more contiguous school districts with all or portion of their
territory located within the geographic boundaries of the same
municipality may, when in their judgment the interest of the
districts and of the students therein will be best served,
jointly operate, through an institution of higher education
located in the municipality, a science and mathematics
partnership school for serving some or all of grades
kindergarten through 8. The partnership school may (i) restrict
attendance to pupils who reside within the geographic
boundaries of the areas served by the school districts and (ii)
select students for enrollment based on admission criteria that
focuses on academic proficiency in science and mathematics
established by the partnership school and approved by the
districts' school boards; however, in no case may the
partnership school discriminate on the basis of disability,
race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion,
ancestry, marital status, or need for special education
services in the establishment of its attendance boundaries or
in the selection of students for enrollment. The number of
students enrolled from each school district shall be
approximately equal in number. If there are more students
eligible for enrollment in the partnership school from a school
district than there are spaces available, eligible students
must be selected by lottery.
    (b) The school board of each school district shall, by
proper resolution, enter into the joint operation of the
partnership school. The school boards of the participating
districts shall execute a partnership school contract with the
institution of higher education for the joint operation,
subject to the provisions of this Section. The agreement for
joint operation of the partnership school shall include, but
not be limited to, provisions for administration, staff,
programs, financing, facilities, and transportation.
    (c) Each participating school district shall pay its per
capita cost of educating the students residing in the district
and attending the partnership school for the maintenance and
operation of the partnership school. The manner of determining
per capita cost must be set forth in the agreement. Each
district shall pay the amount owed under the terms of the
agreement from the fund that the district would have used if
the district had incurred the costs directly and may levy taxes
and issue bonds as otherwise authorized for these purposes in
order to make payments.
    (d) The teachers and other non-administrative, certified
employees who work in the partnership school must be selected
according to criteria established by the partnership school and
agreed to by the school districts' school boards. The number of
such employees selected from each school district must be
approximately equal in number. Their selection must be for a
2-year or 4-year period, upon the completion of which they must
be assigned to a comparable position in the school from which
they were selected. While working in the partnership school,
these employees shall remain employees of and be paid by the
school district from which they were selected, and their wages
and benefits must be the same as if they were teaching or
otherwise working in that district, provided that additional
wages and benefits may be provided to these teachers and other
staff if the participating school districts and the exclusive
bargaining representatives of their teachers and other staff
agree. The contractual continued service status of a teacher
and the retirement benefits of those employees who accept work
with the partnership school must not be affected. A school term
worked in the partnership school must be considered a school
term worked in the school district from which the employees
were selected for contractual continued service attainment
purposes. The time spent in employment with a participating
district by any teacher who has not yet entered upon
contractual continued service and accepts selection to work in
the partnership school is not lost when computing the time
necessary for the teacher to enter upon contractual continued
service.