SB0277ham001 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Executive Committee

Filed: 4/13/2005

09400SB0277ham001 LRB094 06701 NHT 44436 a

AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 277

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 277 on page 1, lines 4 and 5, by replacing "Section 24-11" with "Sections 24-11, 34-84, 34-84.1, and 34-85"; and

on page 1, line 17, by replacing "This Section and" with "This Section applies to all school districts. This Section and"; and

on page 2, lines 6 and 7, by deleting "or achieved permanent appointment pursuant to Section 34-84 of this Code"; and

on page 4, lines 17 and 18, by deleting "or achieved permanent appointment pursuant to Section 34-84 of this Code"; and

on page 5, immediately below line 35, by inserting the following:

"(105 ILCS 5/34-84) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-84)

Sec. 34-84. Appointments and promotions of teachers. Appointments and promotions of teachers shall be made for merit only, and after satisfactory service for a probationary period as provided under Section 24-11 of this Code, of 3 years with respect to probationary employees employed as full-time teachers in the public school system of the district before January 1, 1998 and 4 years with respect to probationary employees who are first employed as full-time teachers in the public school system of the district on or after January 1, 1998 (during which period the board may dismiss or discharge any such probationary employee upon the recommendation, accompanied by the written reasons therefor, of the general superintendent of schools) appointments of teachers shall enter upon contractual continued service become permanent, subject to removal for cause in the manner provided by Section 34-85.

As used in this Article, "teachers" means and includes all members of the teaching force excluding the general superintendent and principals.

There shall be no reduction in teachers because of a decrease in student membership or a change in subject requirements within the attendance center organization after the 20th day following the first day of the school year, except that: (1) this provision shall not apply to desegregation positions, special education positions, or any other positions funded by State or federal categorical funds, and (2) at attendance centers maintaining any of grades 9 through 12, there may be a second reduction in teachers on the first day of the second semester of the regular school term because of a decrease in student membership or a change in subject requirements within the attendance center organization.

The school principal shall make the decision in selecting teachers to fill new and vacant positions consistent with Section 34-8.1.

(Source: P.A. 89-15, eff. 5-30-95; 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)

(105 ILCS 5/34-84.1) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-84.1)

Sec. 34-84.1. Teachers employed in Department of Defense overseas dependents' schools. By mutual agreement of a teacher and the board of education, the board may, but is not required to, grant the teacher a leave of absence to accept employment in a Department of Defense overseas dependents' school. If such a leave of absence is granted, the teacher may elect, for a period not exceeding the lesser of the period for which he is so employed or 5 years, (a) to preserve his contractual continued service permanent status under this Act, and (b) to continue receipt, on the same basis as if he were teaching in the school system subject to the board of education, of service credit earned for requirements of promotion, incremental increases in salary, leaves of absence and other privileges based on an established period of service or employment.

A person employed to replace a teacher making the election provided for in this Section does not acquire contractual continued service permanent status as a teacher under this Article.

(Source: Laws 1967, p. 1999.)

(105 ILCS 5/34-85) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-85)

Sec. 34-85. Removal for cause; Notice and hearing; Suspension. No teacher employed by the board of education shall (after serving the probationary period specified in Section 24-11 of this Code 34-84) be removed except for cause. No principal employed by the board of education shall be removed during the term of his or her performance contract except for cause, which may include but is not limited to the principal's repeated failure to implement the school improvement plan or to comply with the provisions of the Uniform Performance Contract, including additional criteria established by the Council for inclusion in the performance contract pursuant to Section 34-2.3.

The general superintendent must first approve written charges and specifications against the teacher or principal. A local school council may direct the general superintendent to approve written charges against its principal on behalf of the Council upon the vote of 7 members of the Council. The general superintendent must approve those charges within 45 days or provide a written reason for not approving those charges. A written notice of those charges shall be served upon the teacher or principal within 10 days of the approval of the charges. If the teacher or principal cannot be found upon diligent inquiry, such charges may be served upon him by mailing a copy thereof in a sealed envelope by prepaid certified mail, return receipt requested, to the teacher's or principal's last known address. A return receipt showing delivery to such address within 20 days after the date of the approval of the charges shall constitute proof of service.

No hearing upon the charges is required unless the teacher or principal within 10 days after receiving notice requests in writing of the general superintendent that a hearing be scheduled, in which case the general superintendent shall schedule a hearing on those charges before a disinterested hearing officer on a date no less than 15 nor more than 30 days after the approval of the charges. The general superintendent shall forward a copy of the notice to the State Board of Education within 5 days from the date of the approval of the charges. Within 10 days after receiving the notice of hearing, the State Board of Education shall provide the teacher or principal and the general superintendent with a list of 5 prospective, impartial hearing officers. Each person on the list must be accredited by a national arbitration organization and have had a minimum of 5 years of experience as an arbitrator in cases involving labor and employment relations matters between educational employers and educational employees or their exclusive bargaining representatives.

The general superintendent and the teacher or principal or their legal representatives within 3 days from receipt of the list shall alternately strike one name from the list until only one name remains. Unless waived by the teacher, the teacher or principal shall have the right to proceed first with the striking. Within 3 days of receipt of the first list provided by the State Board of Education, the general superintendent and the teacher or principal or their legal representatives shall each have the right to reject all prospective hearing officers named on the first list and to require the State Board of Education to provide a second list of 5 prospective, impartial hearing officers, none of whom were named on the first list. Within 5 days after receiving this request for a second list, the State Board of Education shall provide the second list of 5 prospective, impartial hearing officers. The procedure for selecting a hearing officer from the second list shall be the same as the procedure for the first list. Each party shall promptly serve written notice on the other of any name stricken from the list. If the teacher or principal fails to do so, the general superintendent may select the hearing officer from any name remaining on the list. The teacher or principal may waive the hearing at any time prior to the appointment of the hearing officer. Notice of the selection of the hearing officer shall be given to the State Board of Education. The hearing officer shall be notified of his selection by the State Board of Education. A signed acceptance shall be filed with the State Board of Education within 5 days of receipt of notice of the selection. The State Board of Education shall notify the teacher or principal and the board of its appointment of the hearing officer. In the alternative to selecting a hearing officer from the first or second list received from the State Board of Education, the general superintendent and the teacher or principal or their legal representatives may mutually agree to select an impartial hearing officer who is not on a list received from the State Board of Education, either by direct appointment by the parties or by using procedures for the appointment of an arbitrator established by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service or the American Arbitration Association. The parties shall notify the State Board of Education of their intent to select a hearing officer using an alternative procedure within 3 days of receipt of a list of prospective hearing officers provided by the State Board of Education. Any person selected by the parties under this alternative procedure for the selection of a hearing officer shall have the same qualifications and authority as a hearing officer selected from a list provided by the State Board of Education. The teacher or principal may waive the hearing at any time prior to the appointment of the hearing officer. The State Board of Education shall promulgate uniform standards and rules of procedure for such hearings, including reasonable rules of discovery.

The per diem allowance for the hearing officer shall be paid by the State Board of Education. The hearing officer shall hold a hearing and render findings of fact and a recommendation to the general superintendent. The teacher or principal has the privilege of being present at the hearing with counsel and of cross-examining witnesses and may offer evidence and witnesses and present defenses to the charges. The hearing officer may issue subpoenas requiring the attendance of witnesses and, at the request of the teacher or principal against whom a charge is made or the general superintendent, shall issue such subpoenas, but the hearing officer may limit the number of witnesses to be subpoenaed in behalf of the teacher or principal or the general superintendent to not more than 10 each. All testimony at the hearing shall be taken under oath administered by the hearing officer. The hearing officer shall cause a record of the proceedings to be kept and shall employ a competent reporter to take stenographic or stenotype notes of all the testimony. The costs of the reporter's attendance and services at the hearing shall be paid by the State Board of Education. Either party desiring a transcript of the hearing shall pay for the cost thereof.

Pending the hearing of the charges, the person charged may be suspended in accordance with rules prescribed by the board but such person, if acquitted, shall not suffer any loss of salary by reason of the suspension.

Before service of notice of charges on account of causes that may be deemed to be remediable, the teacher or principal shall be given reasonable warning in writing, stating specifically the causes which, if not removed, may result in charges; however, no such written warning shall be required if the causes have been the subject of a remediation plan pursuant to Article 24A. No written warning shall be required for conduct on the part of a teacher or principal which is cruel, immoral, negligent, or criminal or which in any way causes psychological or physical harm or injury to a student as that conduct is deemed to be irremediable. No written warning shall be required for a material breach of the uniform principal performance contract as that conduct is deemed to be irremediable; provided however, that not less than 30 days before the vote of the local school council to seek the dismissal of a principal for a material breach of a uniform principal performance contract, the local school council shall specify the nature of the alleged breach in writing and provide a copy of it to the principal.

The hearing officer shall consider and give weight to all of the teacher's evaluations written pursuant to Article 24A.

The hearing officer shall within 45 days from the conclusion of the hearing report to the general superintendent findings of fact and a recommendation as to whether or not the teacher or principal shall be dismissed and shall give a copy of the report to both the teacher or principal and the general superintendent. The board, within 45 days of receipt of the hearing officer's findings of fact and recommendation, shall make a decision as to whether the teacher or principal shall be dismissed from its employ. The failure of the board to strictly adhere to the timeliness contained herein shall not render it without jurisdiction to dismiss the teacher or principal. If the hearing officer fails to render a decision within 45 days, the State Board of Education shall communicate with the hearing officer to determine the date that the parties can reasonably expect to receive the decision. The State Board of Education shall provide copies of all such communications to the parties. In the event the hearing officer fails without good cause to make a decision within the 45 day period, the name of such hearing officer shall be struck for a period not less than 24 months from the master list of hearing officers maintained by the State Board of Education. The board shall not lose jurisdiction to discharge the teacher or principal if the hearing officer fails to render a decision within the time specified in this Section. If a hearing officer fails to render a decision within 3 months after the hearing is declared closed, the State Board of Education shall provide the parties with a new list of prospective, impartial hearing officers, with the same qualifications provided herein, one of whom shall be selected, as provided in this Section, to rehear the charges heard by the hearing officer who failed to render a decision. The parties may also select a hearing officer pursuant to the alternative procedure, as provided in this Section, to rehear the charges heard by the hearing officer who failed to render a decision. A violation of the professional standards set forth in "The Code of Professional Responsibility for Arbitrators of Labor-Management Disputes", of the National Academy of Arbitrators, the American Arbitration Association, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, or the failure of a hearing officer to render a decision within 3 months after the hearing is declared closed shall be grounds for removal of the hearing officer from the master list of hearing officers maintained by the State Board of Education. The decision of the board is final unless reviewed as provided in Section 34-85b of this Act.

In the event judicial review is instituted, any costs of preparing and filing the record of proceedings shall be paid by the party instituting the review. If a decision of the board hearing officer is adjudicated upon review or appeal in favor of the teacher or principal, then the trial court shall order reinstatement and shall determine the amount for which the board is liable including but not limited to loss of income and costs incurred therein. Nothing in this Section affects the validity of removal for cause hearings commenced prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1978.

(Source: P.A. 89-15, eff. 5-30-95; revised 1-20-03.)".