Sherman v. Township High School District 214

937 N.E.2d 286, 404 Ill. App. 3d 1101, 344 Ill. Dec. 580, 2010 Ill. App. LEXIS 1053
Appellate Court of Illinois·Decided September 30, 2010·No. 1-09-2746·Published·Cited by 8 cases

Opinion

JUSTICE ROBERT E. GORDON

delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff brought a pro se declaratory judgment action against Township High School District 214 (District 214) and the Illinois State Board of Education (State Board) asserting that a $350 fee for a Buffalo Grove High School driver education course was unauthorized under the Illinois Administrative Code (23 Ill. Adm. Code §252.30(a)(3), amended at 32 Ill. Reg. 10935, eff. July 7, 2008) and the free education clause of the Illinois Constitution (Ill. Const. 1970, art. X, §1). Plaintiff also sought an injunction against the imposition of the $350 fee. Both defendants filed combined motions to dismiss for failure to state a cause of action and for lack of standing under sections 2 — 615 and 2 — 619 of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure. 735 ILCS 5/2 — 615, 2 — 619 (West 2008). The trial court dismissed the case with prejudice, and plaintiff now appeals. For the reasons stated below, we affirm.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff Dawn Sherman was a 15-year-old sophomore at Buffalo Grove High School when the instant action was filed. Robert Sherman is plaintiff’s father, next friend, and a taxpayer in Buffalo Grove. Defendant District 214 is the administrative unit for a 68-square-mile area of Illinois which serves approximately 250,000 citizens and educates students on seven high school campuses, including Buffalo Grove High School. Defendant State Board is the administrative agency charged with supervising all Illinois public schools, including Buffalo Grove High School.

Pursuant to the Illinois School Code (School Code), “[a]ny school district which maintains grades 9 through 12 shall offer a driver education course in any such school which it operates.” 105 ILCS 5/27 — 24.2 (West 2008). This course “shall consist of *** classroom instruction” and “individual behind-the-wheel instruction.” 105 ILCS 5/27 — 23 (West 2008). Additionally, “[s]ubject to rules *** of the State Board of Education, the district may charge a reasonable fee, not to exceed $50, to students who participate in the [driver education] course.” 105 ILCS 5/27 — 23 (West 2008). School districts, however, may request a waiver of mandates within the School Code, such as the Driver Education Act (105 ILCS 5/27 — 24 through 27 — 24.8 (West 2008)), under section 2 — 3.25g (105 ILCS 5/2 — 3.25g (West 2008)) (Waiver Provision).

On August 8, 2006, District 214 submitted a Waiver Provision application to the Illinois General Assembly requesting it to waive the “reasonable fee, not to exceed $50” portion of the Driver Education Act and raise the fee for the Buffalo Grove High School driver education course (Driver Education Course) to $350 for a five-year period. The Waiver Provision outlines specific requirements a school district must complete to request a waiver of a School Code mandate. In relevant part, the Waiver Provision requires school districts to:

“demonstrate that the intent of the mandate can be addressed in a more effective, efficient, or economical manner or be based upon a specific plan for improved student performance and school improvement. *** [If the] intent of the mandate can be addressed in a more economical manner[, the school district] shall include in the application a fiscal analysis showing current expenditures on the mandate and projected savings resulting from the waiver or modification.” (Emphasis added.) 105 ILCS 5/2 — 3.25g(c) (West 2008).

Pursuant to this requirement, District 214’s “fiscal analysis showing current expenditures” (105 ILCS 5/2 — 3.25g(c) (West 2008)) estimated the Driver Education Course would cost District 214 $685,897 for “Teacher Salaries,” $63,000 for “Benefits,” $20,000 for “Vehicle Cost,” and $22,500 for “Supplies.” The “projected savings from the waiver modification” estimated the Driver Education Course would cost District 214 $993 per student during the 2005-06 school year and that District 214 would save $350 per student by instituting the fee, but would still incur a $643 cost for each student enrolled.

Following a “public hearing” on the application and approval “by the board or regional superintendent,” the waiver application is then required to be submitted to the State Board with specific “description[s]” of its required obligations under the Waiver Provision. 105 ILCS 5/2 — 3.25(c), (d) (West 2008). The Waiver Provision provides:

“The application as submitted to the State Board of Education shall include a description of the public hearing. The description shall include, but need not be limited to, the means of notice, the number of people in attendance, the number of people who spoke as proponents or opponents of the waiver, a brief description of their comments, and whether there were any written statements submitted. The State Board shall review the applications and requests for completeness and shall compile the requests in reports to be filed with the General Assembly.” 105 ILCS 5/2 — 3.25g(d) (West 2008).

After the State Board “review[s] the applications *** for completeness,” it submits the waiver application to the “General Assembly!, which] may disapprove the report of the State Board in whole or in part,” but “[i]f the General Assembly fails to disapprove any waiver request *** within [a] 60 day period, the waiver or modification shall be deemed granted.” 105 ILCS 5/2 — 3.25g(d) (West 2008).

Pursuant to the Waiver Provision, District 214 submitted its waiver application to the State Board in accordance with all necessary requirements. The State Board reviewed District 214’s application “for completeness” and submitted the application to the General Assembly. The General Assembly subsequently granted District 214’s waiver request to raise the $50 portion of the Driver Education Act. A $350 fee was then charged to all Buffalo Grove High School students who enrolled in its Driver Education Course.

In December 2008, plaintiff registered for Buffalo Grove High School’s Driver Education Course and was informed of the $350 fee. Plaintiff refused to pay the required fee; and on January 29, 2009, through her father and next friend, Robert Sherman, filed this pro se complaint against various defendants for declaratory judgment claiming that the $350 fee was unlawful and requesting a temporary restraining order against imposition of the fee. On February 3, 2009, the trial court denied plaintiff’s motion for a temporary restraining order and ordered plaintiff to pay the $350 fee under protest without prejudice to her claims.

Pursuant to the “Parties’ Stipulations To Clarify The Amended Complaint” of May 22, 2009, plaintiff alleges three causes of action against two defendants.

Sherman v. Township High School District 214, 937 N.E.2d 286, 404 Ill. App. 3d 1101, 344 Ill. Dec. 580, 2010 Ill. App. LEXIS 1053 (Ill. Ct. App. 2010).

937 N.E.2d 286 (Sherman v. Township High School District 214) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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