98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
SB2341

 

Introduced 2/15/2013, by Sen. Antonio Muņoz

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/27A-5
105 ILCS 5/27A-7.10
105 ILCS 5/27A-8
105 ILCS 5/27A-11

    Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code. Provides that, as public schools, charter schools are responsible for the expenditure of public funds and are accountable to their authorizer to account for those funds, and, if qualified, charter schools also receive federal categorical funds and must comply with all federal rules regarding the expenditure of these funds. Requires each charter school, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, to submit to its authorizer and the State Board of Education a copy of the charter school's audit and a copy of the Form 990 the charter school filed that year with the federal Internal Revenue Service (instead of requiring an annual submission to the State Board by December 1); makes a related change. Provides that an authorizer may require quarterly financial statements from a charter school if deemed necessary for proper financial oversight of the charter school. Makes changes concerning chartering policies and practices and giving preference to certain charter school proposals. Provides that in no event shall the funding that a charter school is to receive from a school board for a school year be less than 97% (instead of 75%) or more than 100% (instead of 125%) of the school district's per capita student tuition multiplied by the number of students residing in the district who are enrolled in the charter school. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning education, which may be referred to as
2the Illinois Charter Public School Financial Accountability
3Law.
 
4    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
5represented in the General Assembly:
 
6    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
727A-5, 27A-7.10, 27A-8, and 27A-11 as follows:
 
8    (105 ILCS 5/27A-5)
9    Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
10    (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian,
11nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A charter
12school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit
13corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
14authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
15    (b) A charter school may be established under this Article
16by creating a new school or by converting an existing public
17school or attendance center to charter school status. Beginning
18on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd
19General Assembly, in all new applications submitted to the
20State Board or a local school board to establish a charter
21school in a city having a population exceeding 500,000,
22operation of the charter school shall be limited to one campus.
23The changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act of the

 

 

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193rd General Assembly do not apply to charter schools existing
2or approved on or before the effective date of this amendatory
3Act.
4    (b-5) As public schools, charter schools are responsible
5for the expenditure of public funds and are accountable to
6their authorizer to account for those funds. If qualified,
7charter schools also receive federal categorical funds and must
8comply with all federal rules regarding the expenditure of
9these funds, including federal rules governing the provision of
10special education services to students with disabilities and
11the provision of educational services to students who are
12English language learners.
13    (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by
14its board of directors or other governing body in the manner
15provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter school
16shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open
17Meetings Act.
18    (d) A charter school shall comply with all applicable
19health and safety requirements applicable to public schools
20under the laws of the State of Illinois.
21    (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a
22charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a
23charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks,
24instructional materials, and student activities.
25    (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the
26management and operation of its fiscal affairs including, but

 

 

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1not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each
2charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by an
3outside, independent contractor retained by the charter
4school. To ensure financial accountability for the use of
5public funds, on or before December 1 of every year of
6operation, each charter school shall Annually, by December 1,
7every charter school must submit to its authorizer and the
8State Board a copy of the charter school's its audit and a copy
9of the Form 990 the charter school filed that year with the
10federal Internal Revenue Service. In addition, an authorizer
11may require quarterly financial statements from a charter
12school if deemed necessary for proper financial oversight of
13the charter school.
14    (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of
15this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, and
16its charter. A charter school is exempt from all other State
17laws and regulations in the School Code governing public
18schools and local school board policies, except the following:
19        (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of the School Code
20    regarding criminal history records checks and checks of the
21    Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer and
22    Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants for
23    employment;
24        (2) Sections 24-24 and 34-84A of the School Code
25    regarding discipline of students;
26        (3) The Local Governmental and Governmental Employees

 

 

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1    Tort Immunity Act;
2        (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
3    Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of
4    officers, directors, employees, and agents;
5        (5) The Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
6        (6) The Illinois School Student Records Act;
7        (7) Section 10-17a of the School Code regarding school
8    report cards; and
9        (8) The P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act.
10    The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection (g)
11is declaratory of existing law.
12    (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a
13school district, the governing body of a State college or
14university or public community college, or any other public or
15for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of a
16school building and grounds or any other real property or
17facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert
18for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and
19maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service,
20activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required to
21perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
22However, a charter school that is established on or after the
23effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General
24Assembly and that operates in a city having a population
25exceeding 500,000 may not contract with a for-profit entity to
26manage or operate the school during the period that commences

 

 

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1on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd
2General Assembly and concludes at the end of the 2004-2005
3school year. Except as provided in subsection (i) of this
4Section, a school district may charge a charter school
5reasonable rent for the use of the district's buildings,
6grounds, and facilities. Any services for which a charter
7school contracts with a school district shall be provided by
8the district at cost. Any services for which a charter school
9contracts with a local school board or with the governing body
10of a State college or university or public community college
11shall be provided by the public entity at cost.
12    (i) In no event shall a charter school that is established
13by converting an existing school or attendance center to
14charter school status be required to pay rent for space that is
15deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter
16agreement, in school district facilities. However, all other
17costs for the operation and maintenance of school district
18facilities that are used by the charter school shall be subject
19to negotiation between the charter school and the local school
20board and shall be set forth in the charter.
21    (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age or
22grade level.
23    (k) If the charter school is approved by the Commission,
24then the Commission charter school is its own local education
25agency.
26(Source: P.A. 96-104, eff. 1-1-10; 96-105, eff. 7-30-09;

 

 

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196-107, eff. 7-30-09; 96-734, eff. 8-25-09; 96-1000, eff.
27-2-10; 97-152, eff. 7-20-11; 97-154, eff. 1-1-12; 97-813, eff.
37-13-12.)
 
4    (105 ILCS 5/27A-7.10)
5    Sec. 27A-7.10. Authorizer powers and duties; immunity;
6principles and standards.
7    (a) Authorizers are responsible for executing, in
8accordance with this Article, all of the following powers and
9duties:
10        (1) Soliciting and evaluating charter applications.
11        (2) Approving quality charter applications that meet
12    identified educational needs and promote a diversity of
13    educational choices.
14        (3) Declining to approve weak or inadequate charter
15    applications.
16        (4) Negotiating and executing sound charter contracts
17    with each approved charter school.
18        (5) Monitoring, in accordance with charter contract
19    terms, the performance and legal compliance of charter
20    schools.
21        (5.5) Ensuring financial accountability of public
22    funds by annually reviewing each charter school's
23    financial audit and Form 990 filed with the federal
24    Internal Revenue Service.
25        (6) Determining whether each charter contract merits

 

 

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1    renewal, nonrenewal, or revocation.
2    (b) An authorizing entity may delegate its duties to
3officers, employees, and contractors.
4    (c) Regulation by authorizers is limited to the powers and
5duties set forth in subsection (a) of this Section and must be
6consistent with the spirit and intent of this Article.
7    (d) An authorizing entity, members of the local school
8board, or the Commission, in their official capacity, and
9employees of an authorizer are immune from civil and criminal
10liability with respect to all activities related to a charter
11school that they authorize, except for willful or wanton
12misconduct.
13    (e) The Commission and all local school boards that have a
14charter school operating are required to develop and maintain
15chartering policies and practices consistent with recognized
16principles and standards for quality charter authorizing in all
17major areas of authorizing responsibility, including all of the
18following:
19        (1) Organizational capacity and infrastructure.
20        (2) Soliciting and evaluating charter applications.
21        (3) Performance contracting.
22        (4) Ongoing charter school oversight and evaluation.
23        (5) Charter renewal decision-making.
24        (6) Ensuring charter financial and academic
25    accountability.
26    Authorizers shall carry out all their duties under this

 

 

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1Article in a manner consistent with nationally recognized
2principles and standards and with the spirit and intent of this
3Article.
4(Source: P.A. 97-152, eff. 7-20-11.)
 
5    (105 ILCS 5/27A-8)
6    Sec. 27A-8. Evaluation of charter proposals.
7    (a) This Section does not apply to a charter school
8established by referendum under Section 27A-6.5. In evaluating
9any charter school proposal submitted to it, the local school
10board and the Commission shall give preference to proposals
11that:
12        (1) demonstrate a high level of local pupil, parental,
13    community, business, and school personnel support;
14        (2) set rigorous levels of expected pupil achievement
15    and demonstrate feasible plans for attaining those levels
16    of achievement; and
17        (3) are designed to enroll and serve a substantial
18    proportion of at-risk children; provided that nothing in
19    the Charter Schools Law shall be construed as intended to
20    limit the establishment of charter schools to those that
21    serve a substantial portion of at-risk children or to in
22    any manner restrict, limit, or discourage the
23    establishment of charter schools that enroll and serve
24    other pupil populations under a nonexclusive,
25    nondiscriminatory admissions policy; and .

 

 

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1        (4) establish an economically sound financial and
2    administrative plan for school operations.
3    (b) In the case of a proposal to establish a charter school
4by converting an existing public school or attendance center to
5charter school status, evidence that the proposed formation of
6the charter school has received majority support from certified
7teachers and from parents and guardians in the school or
8attendance center affected by the proposed charter, and, if
9applicable, from a local school council, shall be demonstrated
10by a petition in support of the charter school signed by
11certified teachers and a petition in support of the charter
12school signed by parents and guardians and, if applicable, by a
13vote of the local school council held at a public meeting. In
14the case of all other proposals to establish a charter school,
15evidence of sufficient support to fill the number of pupil
16seats set forth in the proposal may be demonstrated by a
17petition in support of the charter school signed by parents and
18guardians of students eligible to attend the charter school. In
19all cases, the individuals, organizations, or entities who
20initiate the proposal to establish a charter school may elect,
21in lieu of including any petition referred to in this
22subsection as a part of the proposal submitted to the local
23school board, to demonstrate that the charter school has
24received the support referred to in this subsection by other
25evidence and information presented at the public meeting that
26the local school board is required to convene under this

 

 

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1Section.
2    (c) Within 45 days of receipt of a charter school proposal,
3the local school board shall convene a public meeting to obtain
4information to assist the board in its decision to grant or
5deny the charter school proposal. A local school board may
6develop its own process for receiving charter school proposals
7on an annual basis that follows the same timeframes as set
8forth in this Article. Only after the local school board
9process is followed may a charter school applicant appeal to
10the Commission.
11    (d) Notice of the public meeting required by this Section
12shall be published in a community newspaper published in the
13school district in which the proposed charter is located and,
14if there is no such newspaper, then in a newspaper published in
15the county and having circulation in the school district. The
16notices shall be published not more than 10 days nor less than
175 days before the meeting and shall state that information
18regarding a charter school proposal will be heard at the
19meeting. Copies of the notice shall also be posted at
20appropriate locations in the school or attendance center
21proposed to be established as a charter school, the public
22schools in the school district, and the local school board
23office. If 45 days pass without the local school board holding
24a public meeting, then the charter applicant may submit the
25proposal to the Commission, where it must be addressed in
26accordance with the provisions set forth in subsection (g) of

 

 

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1this Section.
2    (e) Within 30 days of the public meeting, the local school
3board shall vote, in a public meeting, to either grant or deny
4the charter school proposal. If the local school board has not
5voted in a public meeting within 30 days after the public
6meeting, then the charter applicant may submit the proposal to
7the Commission, where it must be addressed in accordance with
8the provisions set forth in subsection (g) of this Section.
9    (f) Within 7 days of the public meeting required under
10subsection (e) of this Section, the local school board shall
11file a report with the State Board granting or denying the
12proposal. If the local school board has approved the proposal,
13within 30 days of receipt of the local school board's report,
14the State Board shall determine whether the approved charter
15proposal is consistent with the provisions of this Article and,
16if the approved proposal complies, certify the proposal
17pursuant to Section 27A-6.
18    (g) If the local school board votes to deny the proposal,
19then the charter school applicant has 30 days from the date of
20that vote to submit an appeal to the Commission. In such
21instances or in those instances referenced in subsections (d)
22and (e) of this Section, the Commission shall follow the same
23process and be subject to the same timelines for review as the
24local school board.
25    (h) The Commission may reverse a local school board's
26decision to deny a charter school proposal if the Commission

 

 

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1finds that the proposal (i) is in compliance with this Article
2and (ii) is in the best interests of the students the charter
3school is designed to serve. Final decisions of the Commission
4are subject to judicial review under the Administrative Review
5Law.
6    (i) In the case of a charter school proposed to be jointly
7authorized by 2 or more school districts, the local school
8boards may unanimously deny the charter school proposal with a
9statement that the local school boards are not opposed to the
10charter school, but that they yield to the Commission in light
11of the complexities of joint administration.
12(Source: P.A. 96-105, eff. 7-30-09; 96-734, eff. 8-25-09;
1396-1000, eff. 7-2-10; 97-152, eff. 7-20-11.)
 
14    (105 ILCS 5/27A-11)
15    Sec. 27A-11. Local financing.
16    (a) For purposes of the School Code, pupils enrolled in a
17charter school shall be included in the pupil enrollment of the
18school district within which the pupil resides. Each charter
19school (i) shall determine the school district in which each
20pupil who is enrolled in the charter school resides, (ii) shall
21report the aggregate number of pupils resident of a school
22district who are enrolled in the charter school to the school
23district in which those pupils reside, and (iii) shall maintain
24accurate records of daily attendance that shall be deemed
25sufficient to file claims under Section 18-8 notwithstanding

 

 

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1any other requirements of that Section regarding hours of
2instruction and teacher certification.
3    (b) Except for a charter school established by referendum
4under Section 27A-6.5, as part of a charter school contract,
5the charter school and the local school board shall agree on
6funding and any services to be provided by the school district
7to the charter school. Agreed funding that a charter school is
8to receive from the local school board for a school year shall
9be paid in equal quarterly installments with the payment of the
10installment for the first quarter being made not later than
11July 1, unless the charter establishes a different payment
12schedule.
13    All services centrally or otherwise provided by the school
14district including, but not limited to, rent, food services,
15custodial services, maintenance, curriculum, media services,
16libraries, transportation, and warehousing shall be subject to
17negotiation between a charter school and the local school board
18and paid for out of the revenues negotiated pursuant to this
19subsection (b); provided that the local school board shall not
20attempt, by negotiation or otherwise, to obligate a charter
21school to provide pupil transportation for pupils for whom a
22district is not required to provide transportation under the
23criteria set forth in subsection (a)(13) of Section 27A-7.
24    In no event shall the funding be less than 97% 75% or more
25than 100% 125% of the school district's per capita student
26tuition multiplied by the number of students residing in the

 

 

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1district who are enrolled in the charter school.
2    It is the intent of the General Assembly that funding and
3service agreements under this subsection (b) shall be neither a
4financial incentive nor a financial disincentive to the
5establishment of a charter school.
6    The charter school may set and collect reasonable fees.
7Fees collected from students enrolled at a charter school shall
8be retained by the charter school.
9    (c) Notwithstanding subsection (b) of this Section, the
10proportionate share of State and federal resources generated by
11students with disabilities or staff serving them shall be
12directed to charter schools enrolling those students by their
13school districts or administrative units. The proportionate
14share of moneys generated under other federal or State
15categorical aid programs shall be directed to charter schools
16serving students eligible for that aid.
17    (d) The governing body of a charter school is authorized to
18accept gifts, donations, or grants of any kind made to the
19charter school and to expend or use gifts, donations, or grants
20in accordance with the conditions prescribed by the donor;
21however, a gift, donation, or grant may not be accepted by the
22governing body if it is subject to any condition contrary to
23applicable law or contrary to the terms of the contract between
24the charter school and the local school board. Charter schools
25shall be encouraged to solicit and utilize community volunteer
26speakers and other instructional resources when providing

 

 

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1instruction on the Holocaust and other historical events.
2    (e) (Blank).
3    (f) The State Board shall provide technical assistance to
4persons and groups preparing or revising charter applications.
5    (g) At the non-renewal or revocation of its charter, each
6charter school shall refund to the local board of education all
7unspent funds.
8    (h) A charter school is authorized to incur temporary,
9short term debt to pay operating expenses in anticipation of
10receipt of funds from the local school board.
11(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; 90-757, eff. 8-14-98;
1291-407, eff. 8-3-99.)
 
13    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
14becoming law.