Distributed via Email: March 7, 2008

ANOTHER BILL TO RE-CONSTRUCT ISBE

The House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee last week approved a bill to reconstitute the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The sponsor of HB 4232, Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie), charged that the ISBE was operating under the direct control of the governor and that more autonomy is needed for the board to act in the best interests of school districts and students throughout the state. The bill was approved on a vote of 21-0 with one member voting "present". It was then sent to the House floor for consideration. As amended, the bill would:

• terminate the term of each current member of the ISBE and provide for newly appointed members to take office (current board members could be reappointed);
• establish a nomination panel to provide a list of 27 nominees to the governor for appointment to the Board (the governor could only appoint from this list of nominees). The members of the Nomination Panel must be appointed by the following appointing authorities: the governor, the attorney general, and the secretary of state. If the governor does not select all appointees within a certain timeframe, the Nomination Panel may appoint those members not yet selected for appointment by the governor;
• require that the nomination panel be comprised of 7 members: 2 former school superintendents, 1 former elementary school teacher, 1 former high school teacher, 2 former state legislators with experience and involvement in the education appropriation process, and a member of a nonprofit agency committed to education reform;
• provide that the State Board may remove for incompetence, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office any member of the State Board by a two-thirds vote in favor of removal;
• create an ISBE advisory board; and
• further define ISBE duties and responsibilities.

STATEWIDE HEARINGS ON FY '09 BUDGET

The Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, Michael Madigan, has scheduled hearings across the state to take testimony from citizens regarding the crafting of the Fiscal Year 2009 state budget. School district representatives have been specifically invited to participate in the hearings.

The first two meetings are scheduled for Monday, March 10, in Decatur and Marion; the hearings begin at 6 p.m. The other schedule hearings begin on March 17 and run through March 27. Hearing locations are Schaumburg, East Peoria, Champaign, Aurora, Crystal Lake, Cicero, Joliet, Rock Island, Northbrook, Kankakee, South Holland, Chicago, Rockford, Belleville, and Oak Lawn.

For more information on times and locations of the meetings, or to register to participate by providing testimony at one of the hearings, please contact Deanna Sullivan (dsullivan@iasb.com) or Susan Hilton (shilton@iasb.com). You are encouraged to participate by testifying and advocating for your school district. The personal story of your district's financial picture makes the most compelling testimony. However, Alliance lobbyists will provide additional talking points for these meetings.

BILL ACTION FROM THIS WEEK

HB 1279 (Burke, D-Chicago), a bill from last year that was amendatorily vetoed by the governor, will require all school districts to provide Automated External Defibrillators (AED) at all outdoor athletic facilities. You can review the bill in Alliance Legislative Report 95-40. The Senate accepted the governor's amendatory veto and the bill will become law.

HB 4226 (Eddy, R-Hutsonville) allows the ISBE calculation for state reimbursement for transportation costs to include the number of pupils enrolled in early education programs and those students attending summer school. The bill, supported by the Alliance, was approved by the House of Representatives and was sent to the Senate for consideration.

HB 4309 (Reis, R-Willow Hill) as amended, provides that if a school district closes one or more recognized school buildings due to a condition beyond the control of the district prior to providing any instruction, then the district may claim a full day of attendance for a maximum of 2 school days based on the average of the 3 prior school days of attendance immediately preceding the closure of the school building. The bill, supported by the Alliance, was approved by the House of Representatives and was sent to the Senate for consideration.

HB 4387 (D'Amico, D-Chicago) as amended, requires that all vehicles used for driver's education programs be American Made. School boards shall require that all vehicles purchased or leased on or after the effective date of this Act, used for driver education shall have a VIN that begins with 1, 4 or 5. The bill, opposed by the Alliance, was approved by the House Drivers Education and Safety Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

HB 4437 (Flowers, D-Chicago) requires students who participate in an interscholastic athletic program to undergo an EKG test. The bill, opposed by the Alliance, failed to receive the required number of votes for approval in the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee.

HB 4457 (Eddy) allows school districts to accept and open sealed bids at a public bid opening conducted by an electronic process for communicating, accepting, and opening competitive bids. The bill, supported by the Alliance, was approved by the House and was sent to the Senate.

HB 4527 (Lang) increases the amount of certain grants from the state to public and school libraries. The bill, supported by the Alliance, was approved by the House State Government Administration Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

HB 4702 (Osmond, R-Antioch) states that for payment for students attending a residential program designed to correct alcohol or other drug dependencies, the cost of the educational services shall be paid by the district of the student's residence (instead of providing that the cost of educational services shall be paid by the district in which the student resides in an amount equal to the cost of providing educational services in a treatment facility). This would apply to all Illinois students receiving educational services, whether placed pursuant to the School Code or the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, by court order, or by a state agency or whether the student voluntarily enrolls or is enrolled by a parent or guardian. The bill was approved by the House of Representatives and was sent to the Senate.

HB 4705 (Currie, D-Chicago) allows for the continuation of the distribution of funds by the ISBE to achieve a goal of "Preschool for All Children" by removing certain provisions that limit this distribution to a time period from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2008. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

HB 4727 (Reitz, D-Sparta) provides that a pupil who becomes a non-resident during a grading period (instead of school term) shall not be charged tuition for the remainder of the grading period in which he or she became a non-resident pupil. An Alliance initiative, the bill was approved by the House of Representatives and was sent to the Senate for consideration.

HB 4822 (Coulson, R-Glenview) provides when a student turns age 14 1/2 (or younger if determined appropriate by the IEP Team), an IEP must include (i) measurable postsecondary goals based upon age-appropriate transition assessments and other information available regarding the student that are related to training, education, employment, and, where appropriate, independent living skills and (ii) the transition services needed to assist the student in reaching those goals, including courses of study. The bill was approved by the House Disability Services Committee and was sent to the House floor.

HB 5115 (Davis, W., D-Hazel Crest) provides that the Community Service Education Program must be jointly administered by the ISBE and the Office of the Lieutenant Governor (instead of being administered solely by the State Board). The bill was approved by the House State Government Administration Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

HB 5240 (Pihos, R-Glen Ellyn), with respect to sick leave for teachers, provides that a school board may require a certificate from a physician as a basis for pay during leave after an absence of 30 days for child birth. It provides that for paid sick leave for adoption or placement for adoption, the school board may require that the teacher or other employee provide evidence that the formal adoption process is underway, and such leave is limited to 30 days unless a longer leave has been negotiated with the exclusive bargaining representative. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

HB 5338 (Lindner, R-Sugar Grove) requires the ISBE to develop and make available to each school board guidelines for the management of students with life-threatening food allergies. It requires each school board to implement a plan based on the guidelines for the management of students with life-threatening food allergies. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

HB 5367 (Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora) allows school boards to award high school diplomas to honorably discharged veterans who served in the armed forces during the Vietnam Conflict. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

HB 5493 (Watson, R-Jacksonville) encourages school boards to implement American Sign Language (ASL) courses into school foreign language curriculum in a manner deemed appropriate by the ISBE. The bill was approved by the House Higher Education Committee and was sent to the House floor.

HB 5611 (Jefferson, D-Rockford) requires the ISBE to establish and administer a program that provides stipends ($20,000 over 5 years) to teachers (with at least 4 years of experience) who choose to teach at hard-to-staff public schools. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

HB 5717 (Coulson), an Alliance initiative, clarifies that any child who received a health examination before entering the fifth grade for the 2007-2008 school year is not required to receive an additional health examination before entering 6^th grade in the 2008-2009 school year. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor.

SB 1997 (DeLeo, D-Chicago) prevents the IHSA from allowing exclusive coverage of any sporting events, which will most likely result in school districts having to pay dues to participate in IHSA events. The bill, opposed by the Alliance, was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

SB 2002 (Haine, D-Alton) allows units of local governments and school districts to opt into the State Local Government Health Insurance Pool with an enrollment of less than 100% of the employees if those not enrolled are covered under the Act's plan or another plan as spouses or dependents (now, permits less than 100% enrollment if those not enrolled are covered under the Act's plan or another plan as spouses or dependents and at least 85% of the unit's, district's, or facility's employees are enrolled in coverage under the Act's plan). The bill was approved by the Senate Insurance Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

SB 2352 (Wilhelmi, D-Crest Hill) provides that when calculating the state reimbursement for transportation costs, the State Board of Education may not deduct the number of pupils enrolled in early education programs from the number of pupils eligible for reimbursement if the pupils enrolled in the early education programs are transported at the same time as other eligible pupils. The bill, supported by the Alliance, was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

SB 2387 (Collins, D-Chicago) adds the processes of homeownership as part of the financial literacy component of consumer education. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

SB 2487 (Forby, D-Benton), an ISBE initiative, clarifies and corrects the newly created Article 11E for school district reorganizations. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

SB 2500 (Demuzio, D-Carlinville), an Alliance initiative, creates the new superintendent mentoring program, established by the ISBE. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor.

SB 2575 (Syverson, R-Rockford) is one of the many bills attempting to deal with teacher misconduct and school districts reporting that misconduct. Negotiations are ongoing with this issue. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

SB 2638 (Harmon, D-Oak Park), for school energy savings contracts, provides that requests for proposals must be announced in each volume of the Illinois Procurement Bulletin, instead of just announced in the Illinois Procurement Bulletin. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

SB 2820 (Bond, R-Grayslake) requires each assessor (excluding Cook County) to provide to each residential taxpayer a Homestead Assessment Disclosure Document that contains certain disclosures concerning the assessed valuation of homestead property. Disclosures to be included reflect deviations in current and past year assessed value, deviations from like properties in the neighborhood, median property in the neighborhood and township, deviations in various calculations for township and neighborhood, etc. The Department of Revenue is required to annually review the disclosures to ensure that they are accurate and that they comply with all applicable laws and rules concerning property valuations. The bill also provides that, if a taxpayer files a complaint before a board of review, then, within 10 days after the complaint is filed, the board of review must provide the taxpayer with a detailed description of the rules and procedures for hearings before the board. The bill was approved by the Senate Revenue Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

SB 2858 (Trotter, D-Chicago) requires the ISBE to adopt rules for the elimination of foods containing trans fats in public school cafeterias. The bill, opposed by the Alliance, was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

SB 2864 (Cullerton, D-Chicago) is an ISBE initiative that eliminates the use of 11-15 passenger vans for interscholastic or other school sponsored non-curriculum related activities. The bill adds language to allow the use of the federally approved multifunction activity bus as a safer alternative. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

SB 2892 (Clayborne, D-Belleville) implements a "sales tax holiday" from the first Friday in August for 9 days to the following Sunday for school supplies including any article of clothing or footwear or a computer sold at or below certain selling prices. The Department of Revenue estimates the cost of the program to the General Revenue Fund to be between $33 million and $43 million. The bill was approved by the Senate Revenue Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

SB 2907 (Demuzio) allows the regional superintendent of schools to increase fees for providing courses of instruction for school bus drivers. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

BILLS SCHEDULED FOR COMMITTEE

HOUSE TRANSPORTATION AND MOTOR VEHICLES COMMITTEE
Tuesday, March 11, 1 p.m., Room 114, State Capitol

HB 5536 (Brauer, R-Springfield) amends provisions of the Illinois Vehicle Code requiring each school bus to display at the rear of the bus a sign indicating the telephone number of the owner of the school bus. It changes the sign verbiage to: "TO COMMENT ON MY DRIVING, CALL (area code and telephone number of school bus owner)".

HOUSE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Wednesday, March 12, 8 a.m., Room 114, State Capitol

HB 4229 (Sacia, R-Freeport) provides that whenever the term "registered mail" is used in the School Code, it shall be deemed to authorize the use of either registered mail or certified mail, return receipt requested.

HB 4252 (Brady, R-Bloomington) provides that if an employee of a school district has made a report to DCFS under the Mandated Reporters Act involving the conduct of a current or former employee of the school district, and a request is made by another school district for the provision of information concerning the job performance or qualifications of the current or former employee because he or she is an applicant for employment, the superintendent of the school district to which the request is being made must disclose to the requesting school district the fact that a report had been made.

HB 4546 (Schock, R-Peoria) provides that for a teacher who is first employed as a full-time teacher by a school district, the probationary period shall be 4 school terms, whether consecutive or not (instead of 4 consecutive school terms), before the teacher enters upon contractual continued service.

HB 5038 (Colvin, D-Chicago) with respect to the Early Childhood Education Block Grant, provides that not less than 11% (instead of exactly 11%) of the grant shall be used to fund programs for children ages 0-3. The bill provides that this percentage shall increase to at least 20% by Fiscal Year 2014.

HB 5085 (Turner, D-Chicago) establishes the Illinois Charter Public School Commission as an independent, state-level, charter school authorizing entity working in collaboration with the ISBE.

HB 5619 (Fritchey, D-Chicago) provides that a school district shall prohibit a high school student from participating in extracurricular athletics while in high school if he or she has a semester grade point average of less than a 2.0 on a 4.0 scale for the 2 preceding high school semesters.

HB 5621 (Brauer) encourages the implementation in schools of International Baccalaureate Organization programs by providing that, subject to appropriation, the ISBE shall grant (i) a one-time $3,000 equipment grant for providing an international baccalaureate course, (ii) $100 for each student who scores a 4 or better on at least one international baccalaureate examination, and (iii) $650 for each student who graduates through the International Baccalaureate Organization's Diploma Program.

HB 5732 (Smith, D-Canton), an Alliance initiative, disallows the regional superintendent from imposing an unfunded mandate on a school district with a compliance review audit unless statutory authority exists for such finding.

HB 5769 (Ryg, D-Vernon Hills) contains provisions of the "school accountability" proposal that was added to the school construction/gaming expansion bill from December (see Alliance Legislative Report 95-48). The provisions require mandatory school board training, the creation of an Education Inspector General, new financial policies on a long term financial plan and a capital improvement plan, the inclusion of certain items in the full budget document, and other mandates.

HB 5914 (Rose, R-Charleston) provides for a State Board of Education consisting of 7 members elected on a nonpartisan basis at the general election in 2010 and every 6 years thereafter (now, the Board consists of 9 members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate).

HB 5970 (Smith) provides that "master principal designation program" shall also be known as the Illinois Distinguished Principal Leadership Institute.

HOUSE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Wednesday, March 12, 11 a.m., Room 118, State Capitol

HB 4582 (Lyons, D-Chicago) prevents the IHSA from allowing exclusive coverage of any sporting events, which will most likely result in school districts having to pay dues to participate in IHSA events.

SENATE REVENUE COMMITTEE
Wednesday, March 12, 1 p.m., Room 400, State Capitol

SB 2072 (Pankau, R-Roselle) adds disabled persons to those who can receive the senior assessment freeze and changes the title to reflect this addition.

SB 2398 (Link, D-Vernon Hills) expands the alternative general homestead exemption (7% Solution) by increasing the maximum amount of the exemption to $40,000 for 2007 and thereafter. It also provides that for the long-time occupant homestead exemption, that the property's base homestead value is increased by 7% for each taxable year after the base year for qualified taxpayers with an income of $100,000 or less (in place of the current program parameters).

HOUSE LABOR COMMITTEE
Wednesday, March 12, 1:30 p.m., Room 118, State Capitol

HB 5320 (Hamos, D-Chicago) requires an employer to provide an employee up to 7 sick days with
pay during each 12-month period. It provides that an employee may use the sick days for physical or mental illness, injury, medical condition, professional medical diagnosis or care, or a medical appointment of the employee or a family member.

HB 5323 (Bradley,J.) amends the Prevailing Wage Act to provide that the Act applies to the demolition of public works.

SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Wednesday, March 12, 2:30 p.m., Room 212, State Capitol

SB 2013 (Garrett, D-Lake Forest) provides that the reimbursement for special education is for staff working on behalf of certain children (instead of for those children), and provides for a specified increase in the reimbursement from the 2008-2009 school year through the 2013-2014 school year.

SB 2071 (Koehler, D-Pekin) makes changes concerning a school district's authority to replace a school building or build additions to replace portions of a building. With respect to one of the exceptions to a school district's debt limitation, allows additional indebtedness by the execution of a lease with a public building commission.

SB 2084 (Silverstein, D-Chicago) requires that, beginning July 1, 2009, each school bus that is purchased new shall be equipped with seat safety belts for each passenger and provides that the ISBE shall adopt rules to ensure that school districts require all passengers on those buses to wear seat safety belts.

SB 2170 (Murphy, R-Palatine) provides that teachers (not just school authorities) may inspect and search places and areas owned or controlled by the school, as well as personal effects left in those places and areas by students, without notice to or the consent of the student and without a search warrant, but that school authorities and teachers must be acting on a reasonable suspicion based on professional experience and judgment in performing inspections and searches.

SB 2182 (Cullerton) requires a driver of a school bus to open the service door and driver's window before crossing a railroad track or tracks.

SB 2293 (Maloney, D-Chicago) requires that certain contracts involving an expenditure in excess of $25,000 or a lower amount as required by school board policy (rather than $10,000) be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. Changes an exception with respect to contracts for repair, maintenance, remodeling, renovation, or construction or a single project involving an expenditure not to exceed $50,000 (rather than $20,000).

SB 2412 (Demuzio) provides that the ISBE and the Board of Higher Education shall work in collaboration to support school leadership preparation statewide, including without limitation support for a systematic approach to school leadership preparation, partnerships between school districts and preparation programs, and preparation program selectivity and rigor.

SB 2481 (Lightford, D-Chicago) is an ISBE initiative that eliminates the statute allowing for out-of-state testing waivers. Additionally, the proposal would make a corresponding change to allow provisional certificates to be valid for two years, including testing deficiencies. Currently, provisional certificates are valid for 9 months.

SB 2738 (Cronin, R-Elmhurst) creates the "SafeCall" program, to be implemented by the ISBE, to provide students, teachers, other school employees, and the community with the means to relay information anonymously concerning dangerous, violent, or criminal activities to appropriate law enforcement or public safety agencies through a single electronic hotline.

General Assembly Bill Text/Status

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