Distributed via Email: August 26, 2016
GOVERNOR VETOES BILL ON ESP RIGHTS
Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill that would have granted new rights to educational support personnel (ESP) in school districts in cases of reduction in force (RIF). HB 6299 (Andrade, D-Chicago) provides that if ESPs are dismissed as a result of a RIF and the employee accepts re-employment with the same district, the employee maintains any rights accrued during the previous service with the school district. The Alliance had opposed the bill throughout the legislative session and strongly urged the governor to veto the bill.
The governor, in his veto message, stated that the bill “would impose another mandate on school districts in how they manage their personnel” and that these decisions “should be made at the local level, not mandated by statute.”
The Alliance letter to Governor Rauner can be found here. The governor’s veto message is available here.
LEGISLATION RECENTLY SIGNED INTO LAW
HB 4365 (Welch, D-Hillside) , beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, requires the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) to require all member schools that have certified athletic trainers to complete a monthly report on student-athletes who have sustained a concussion. In subsequent years, IHSA must file a report to the General Assembly with this data. The bill is now Public Act 99-0831, effective Aug. 19, 2016.
HB 5918 (Thapedi, D-Chicago) provides that a charter shall be granted for a period of five school years (instead of may be granted for a period not less than five and not more than 10 school years) and may be renewed in incremental periods not to exceed ten (instead of five) school years. The bill is now Public Act 99-0840, effective Jan. 1, 2017.
HB 6162 (Skoog, D-Peru) provides that employees may use personal sick leave benefits provided by the employer for absences due to an illness, injury, or medical appointment of the employee's child, spouse, sibling, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandchild, grandparent, or stepparent, for reasonable periods of time as the employee's attendance may be necessary, on the same terms upon which the employee is able to use sick leave benefits for the employee's own illness or injury. The bill is now Public Act 99-0841, effective Jan. 1, 2017.
HB 6333 (Gabel, D-Evanston) requires a school district to request an asthma action plan from the parents or guardian of a pupil with asthma. It requires the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and an asthma advocacy group to develop model asthma emergency response protocols and school personnel who work with pupils to receive training every two years. The bill is now Public Act 99-0843, effective Aug. 19, 2017.
SB 1582 (Nybo, R-Elmhurst) allows students with IEP’s who attend certain private day schools to be transported in a multi-functional school activity bus. The bill is now Public Act 99-0888, effective Jan. 1, 2017.
SB 2186 (Althoff, R-Crystal Lake) provides that a school district is subject to, and its school board must comply with, any valid local government zoning ordinance or resolution that applies where the pertinent part of the school district is located. The unit of local government must streamline the zoning application and review process for a public school district by reducing application fees and other costs associated with a school district project to the greatest extent practicable and reflective of actual cost. The bill is now Public Act 99-0890, effective Aug. 25, 2016.
SB 2393 (Harmon, D-Oak Park) requires school districts to provide a “breakfast after the bell” program to students if 70 percent or more are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, are classified as low-income, or can be claimed for free or reduced-price meals. Districts may determine the service model that best suits its students, and are exempt if 70 percent or more of free or reduced-price eligible students are being served through existing breakfast programs or if the expense reimbursement would not cover the costs of implementation. The bill is now Public Act 99-0850, effective Jan. 1, 2017.
SB 2427 (Jones, D-Chicago) requires residential property owners in Cook County who are no longer living in the residence to notify the assessment officer by April 1 so as not to be fined for the purposes of erroneous homestead exemptions applied. The bill is now Public Act 99-0851, effective Aug. 19, 2016.
IASB LEGAL DATES CALENDAR AVAILABLE
IASB has posted its Annual School Calendar of legal dates and deadlines for 2016-2017 online. This is published in order to help school districts prepare their local school calendars. Dates contained in it comply with all statutory deadlines in the Election Code, the School Code, and selected acts of the General Assembly. There are new deadlines included in this edition based on recently enacted legislation.
The calendar is in PDF format that can easily be downloaded here.
This legislative report was 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.
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Bill Text/Status: Illinois General Assembly www.ilga.gov
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