HB1152ham001 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. La Shawn K. Ford

Filed: 2/24/2014

09800HB1152ham001 LRB098 06722 NHT 55952 a

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 1152

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 1152 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section 34-1.05 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/34-1.05 new)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on May 31, 2015)

Sec. 34-1.05. The Chicago Educational Governance Task Force.

(a) The General Assembly makes the following findings:

(1) City of Chicago School District 299 is one of the only school districts in this State with an appointed, not an elected, school board.

(2) For 15 years, City of Chicago School District 299 has implemented a staggering number of reforms, including probation, student retention, school closings, charters, turnarounds, and the wholesale firing of 1,300 educators in the summer of 2011.

(3) Many of these reforms are controversial and require a robust democratic discussion and decision-making process.

(4) For the past 15 years, citizens have had little to no voice in school policy.

(5) All children must be able to walk across the street to receive a world class education.

(b) The Chicago Educational Governance Task Force is created for the purpose of recommending the best structure and procedure for the governance of City of Chicago School District 299 in order to protect the welfare of the students of the City of Chicago.

(c) The Task Force shall be composed of the following members:

(1) Three members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and 3 members appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

(2) Three members appointed by the President of the Senate and 3 members appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate.

(3) The Chief Executive Officer of City of Chicago School District 299 or her or his designee.

(4) The President of the Chicago Board of Education or her or his designee.

(5) The president of a Chicago professional teachers' organization or his or her designee.

(6) The president of the association representing principals in the schools of the district or his or her designee.

(7) The student representative from the Chicago Board of Education or her or his designee.

(d) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint one of his or her appointees under subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of this Section as a co-chairperson of the Chicago Educational Governance Task Force. The President of the Senate shall appoint one of his or her appointees under subdivision (2) of subsection (c) of this Section as a co-chairperson of the Chicago Educational Governance Task Force. Members appointed by the legislative leaders shall be appointed for the duration of the Chicago Educational Governance Task Force. In the event of a vacancy, the appointment to fill the vacancy shall be made by the legislative leader of the same chamber and party as the leader who made the original appointment.

(e) The State Board of Education shall provide administrative and other support to the Task Force.

(f) The members of the Task Force shall serve on a pro bono basis. These members shall aid in the gathering of pertinent information on the impact of various school governance structures, including without limitation an elected representative school board and mayoral control, as well as gathering and analyzing data about the district's current governance structure.

(g) The Task Force shall report its recommendation as to which governance structure is best designed to serve the students of the City of Chicago to the General Assembly on or before May 30, 2015.

(h) The Task Force is abolished and this Section is repealed on May 31, 2015.".