Distributed via Email: March 20, 2009

QUICK RESPONSE TO GOVERNOR'S BUDGET

It didn't take long for legislators and interest groups to respond to the new budget outline presented by Governor Patrick Quinn on Wednesday (please see Alliance Legislative Report 96-8). Some legislators think that this is not the time, in the middle of a recession, to raise the state income tax rate. Employee unions oppose the proposed budget cuts and pension changes, believing that state government employees take on an unfair share of the burden. Business groups are against the elimination of corporate income tax deductions and the reduction in the amount of reimbursement retail businesses receive in helping the state administer and collect the state sales tax. Still others have voiced concerns about not making the full payments to the state pension systems and the proposed new income tax exemptions.

The governor's budget address is the first step in the arduous state budget process. Legislators – House and Senate; Republicans and Democrats – will now make the next move regarding the Fiscal Year 2010 state budget. This give and take will continue over the next two months until the legislature votes on a budget bill – most likely in the last days of May.

KEY BILLS UP FOR FLOOR VOTES

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate will be taking key floor votes next week in an effort to advance legislation to the next chamber. Please keep in contact with your state legislators and let them know your position on bills that affect your school district. The following bills will likely be considered on the floor in the coming days:

SB 123 (Demuzio, D-Carlinville) would reduce the probationary period before achieving tenure to two years instead of four years if the teacher had previously received tenure in another school district. This change would significantly reduce the amount of time school administrators have to evaluate a new teacher before making the determination is made to grant tenure thereby lessening the flexibility and opportunity school districts have to create quality teachers. The Alliance opposes the bill.

SB 187 (Maloney, D-Chicago), an Alliance initiative, allows for a chief school business official endorsement if, among other conditions, the certificate holder has 2 years of university-approved practical experience.

SB 261 (Noland, D-Elgin) restricts the collective bargaining process by increasing the number of sick days non-certified staff is allowed to accumulate from the current level of 180 days to 240 days. The bill will cost school districts financially as the employer contribution required to be paid to IMRF will increase. This is a collective bargaining "give-away" that school districts cannot afford this year. The Alliance opposes the bill.

SB 1276 (Demuzio), an Alliance initiative, establishes a superintendent mentoring program.

HB 242 (Nekritz, D-Des Plaines), an initiative of the Alliance and other local government organizations, provides that the debt service extension base must be increased each year by the Consumer Price Index percentage increase for the previous calendar year, not to exceed 5%.

HB 493 (Pritchard, R-Sycamore) is an Alliance initiative that allows a taxing district to add an explanation of the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law to the Truth in Taxation Notice.

HB 628 (Osterman, D-Chicago) requires that the parent, an independent educational evaluator, or an expert retained by or on behalf of a parent or child must be afforded access of sufficient duration and extent to educational personnel, facilities, classrooms, and buildings and to the child in order to conduct an evaluation of the child or the child's performance. It provides that a parent or guardian who is a prevailing party in an impartial due process hearing or in a civil action may recover from an opposing party reasonable expert witness costs incurred by the parent or guardian. The Alliance opposes the bill.

HB 737 (Smith, D-Canton) and SB 235 (Lightford, D-Maywood), Alliance initiatives, update the school principal mentoring program and affect various aspects of the Illinois Distinguished Principal Leadership Institute.

HB 955 (Reitz, D-Sparta), an Alliance initiative, provides that a pupil who becomes non-resident during a grading period or school term (instead of just school term) shall not be charged tuition for the remainder of the grading period in which he or she became a non-resident pupil.

HB 1124 (Miller, D-Dolton) is an Alliance initiative allowing a school district to hold a referendum to remove the Health and Life Safety levy from PTELL.

HB 1345 (Joyce, D-Chicago) redefines a "public record" (for purposes of FOIA) to include the portion of a settlement agreement entered into by or on behalf of a public body that shows the total amount of any moneys or total financial value of other agreements that resulted in a financial payment to or by the public body and the amount expended by or on behalf of the public body for the prosecution, defense, or settlement of any litigation. The Alliance opposes the bill.

HB 2502 (Turner, D-Chicago), an initiative of the Alliance and other local government organizations, provides that the extension limitation under PTELL may be no less than 2%.

BILL ACTION THIS WEEK

SB 152 (Garrett, D-Lake Forest) requires that the State Board of Education, in conjunction with the Department of Public Health, develop and make available to each school board guidelines for the management of students with life-threatening food allergies and requires school boards to implement a policy based on these guidelines no later than Jan. 1, 2011. The bill was amended by the Senate Education Committee to address Alliance concerns and was sent to the Senate floor.

SB 153 (Garrett) requires that a school board that employs a person who is an elected trustee on the IMRF board shall make available to the trustee at least 20 days of paid leave of absence per year to attend meetings of the Fund's Board of Trustees. The original bill required IMRF to reimburse the school district for the actual cost of hiring a substitute employee during such leaves of absence. The bill was amended by the Senate Education Committee to "allow" (instead of require) IMRF to reimburse the school district for the costs of the leave. Only the Alliance opposed the amendment. The bill was sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

SB 1293 (Clayborne, D-E. St. Louis) adjusts school district debt limitations for Belle Valley S.D. 119. The bill was approved by the Senate and was sent to the House of Representatives.

HB 281 (Bellock, R-Westmont) requires that the State Board of Education, in conjunction with the Department of Public Health, develop and make available to each school board guidelines for the management of students with life-threatening food allergies and requires school boards to implement a policy based on these guidelines no later than Jan. 1, 2011. The bill was amended to address Alliance concerns and then was approved by the House of Representatives and sent to the Senate.

HB 288 (Fritchey, D-Chicago) changes the title of the Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act and allows a teacher to conduct (instead of requiring a teacher to observe) a brief period of silence at the opening of every school day with the participation of all pupils assembled. The bill was approved by the House of Representatives and was sent to the Senate for consideration.

HB 392 (Golar, D-Chicago) makes various changes in the Grow Your Own Teacher Education Act. The bill was approved by the House of Representatives and was sent to the Senate for consideration.

HB 645 (Burke, D-Chicago) allows chiropractors to provide verification to schools regarding a doctor's note for sick leave for employees or absence for students. The bill was approved by the House of Representatives and was sent to the Senate for consideration.

HB 979 (Coulson, R-Glenview) provides that for students with an Individualized Education Plan at the age of 14½, the IEP must include measurable postsecondary goals based upon age appropriate transition assessments and information that is related to training, education, employment and independent living skills. The bill was approved by the House of Representatives and was sent to the Senate for consideration.

HB 1079 (Eddy, R-Hutsonville) creates the Dual Credit Quality Act designed to develop policies to permit multiple appropriate measures using differentiated assessment for granting eligibility for dual credit to high school students. The bill, supported by the Alliance, was approved by the House of Representatives and was sent to the Senate for consideration.

BILLS SCHEDULED FOR COMMITTEE NEXT WEEK

SENATE REVENUE COMMITTEE
Wednesday, March 25, 9 a.m., Room 400, State Capitol

SB 1513 (Clayborne) removes the IMRF property tax levy from under the scope of the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL).

SB 2126 (Viverito, D-Burbank) would create a CPI (Consumer Price Index) "floor" for calculating the extension limitation under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL). It provides that the extension limitation under PTELL may be no less than 2%, even if the CPI dips well below this level as it has currently.

*The legislative report is written and edited by the lobbyists of the Illinois Association of School Boards to provide information to the members of the organizations that comprise the Statewide School Management Alliance.

General Assembly Bill Text/Status

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