§ 1B-22 — Additional Powers of the Panel

For Panels established under Section 1B-4 for a district which had its financial plan rescinded by the State Board for violating that plan as provided in Section 1A-8, the Panel shall have the following additional powers: (a) As necessary to carry out its purposes when district resources are not readily available or appropriate for use by the Panel, the Panel may make and execute contracts, leases, subleases and all other instruments or agreements necessary or convenient for the exercise of the powers and functions granted by this Article. (b) As necessary to carry out its purposes when district resources are not readily available or appropriate for use by the Panel, the Panel may purchase personal property necessary or convenient for its purposes; mortgage, pledge or otherwise grant security interests in such properties; and convey to the district such of its property as, in the judgment of the Panel, is no longer necessary for its purposes. (c) As necessary to carry out its purposes when district resources are not readily available or appropriate for use by the Panel, the Panel may appoint officers, agents, and employees of the Panel, define their duties and qualifications, and fix their compensation and employee benefits. (d) In order to investigate allegations of or incidents of waste, fraud, or financial mismanagement which the Board is unable or unwilling to properly investigate as requested by the Panel, the Panel may appoint an Inspector General who shall have the authority to conduct investigations into such allegations or incidents. The Inspector General shall make recommendations to the Panel about its investigations. The Inspector General shall be independent of the operations of the Panel and the Board and perform other duties requested by the Panel. The Inspector General shall have access to all information and personnel necessary to perform the duties of the office. If the Inspector General determines that a possible criminal act has been committed or that special expertise is required in the investigation, he shall immediately notify the State's Attorney in the county in which the district is located. All investigations conducted by the Inspector General shall be conducted in a manner that ensures the preservation of evidence for use in criminal prosecutions. At all times the Inspector General shall be granted access to any building or facility that is owned, operated, or leased by the Panel or the Board. The Inspector General shall have the power to subpoena witnesses and compel the production of books and papers pertinent to an investigation authorized by this Code. Any person who (1) fails to appear in response to a subpoena; (2) fails to answer any question; (3) fails to produce any books or papers pertinent to an investigation under this Code; or (4) knowingly gives false testimony during an investigation under this Code is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. The Inspector General shall provide to the Panel and the State Board of Education a summary of reports and investigations made under this Section for the previous fiscal year no later than January 1 of each year. The summaries shall detail the final disposition of those recommendations. The summaries shall not contain any confidential or identifying information concerning the subjects of the reports and investigations. The summaries shall also include detailed recommended administrative actions and matters for consideration by the State Board of Education or the General Assembly. (e) No hiring or appointment of any person in any position by the Board, the superintendent, or any other officer or employee of the Board shall be made or entered into unless it is consistent with the Financial Plan and Budget in effect and the staffing plan approved by the Panel under this Section. The hiring or appointment of any person shall not be binding on the Board unless and until it is in compliance with this Section. The Board shall submit to the Panel for approval by the Panel a staffing plan for the upcoming school year at the same time as the submission of the Budget, except that the staffing plan for the fiscal year ending in 1997 shall be submitted to the Panel within 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1996. The staffing plan shall be accompanied by a cost analysis and such other information as the Panel may require. The Panel may prescribe standards, procedures, and forms for submission of the staffing plan. The Panel shall approve the staffing plan if the information required to be submitted is complete and the staffing plan is consistent with the Budget and Financial Plan in effect. Otherwise, the Panel shall reject the staffing plan. In the event of rejection, the Panel shall prescribe a procedure and standards for revision of the staffing plan. The Panel shall act on the staffing plan at the same time as the approval of the Budget, except that the staffing plan for the fiscal year ending in 1997 shall be acted upon within 60 days of the submission of the staffing plan by the Board. The Board shall report to the Panel, at such times and in such manner as the Panel may direct, concerning the Board's compliance with each staffing plan. The Panel may review the Board's operations, obtaining budgetary data and financial statements, may require the Board to produce reports, and shall have access to any other information in the possession of the Board that it deems relevant. The Panel may issue directives to the Board to assure compliance with the staffing plan, including the issuance of reduction in force notices, non-renewal of employment contracts, or any other notices or actions required by contract or law. The Board shall produce such budgetary data, financial statements, reports, and other information and shall comply with such directives. After approval of each staffing plan, the Board shall regularly reexamine the estimates on which it was based and revise them as necessary. The Board shall promptly notify the Panel of any material change in the estimates in the staffing plan. The Board may submit to the Panel, or the Panel may require the Board to submit, modifications to the staffing plan based upon revised revenue or expenditure estimates or for any other good reason. The Panel shall approve or reject each modified staffing plan within 60 days of its submission in a manner similar to the provisions of this subsection for the approval or rejection of the initial staffing plan. (f) The Panel shall examine the business records and audit the accounts of the Board or require that the Board examine its business records and audit its accounts at such time and in such manner as the Panel may prescribe. The Board shall appoint a certified public accountant annually, approved by the Panel, to audit its financial statements. The audit conducted pursuant to this paragraph shall be in lieu of the audit that the Board is required to undertake pursuant to Section 3-7. (g) The Panel shall initiate and direct financial management assessments and similar analyses of the operations of the Board as may, in the judgment of the Panel, assure sound and efficient financial management of the Board. Upon the completion of these assessments, the Panel shall give directives to the Board regarding improvements and changes that derive from these assessments, which the Board shall implement. In conjunction with its budgetary submission to the Panel for each fiscal year, the Board shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Panel that the directives of the Panel have been implemented in whole or in part or, in the alternative, are not capable of being implemented. In consideration of whether to approve or reject the budget for a fiscal year, the Panel shall adjudge whether the Board has fully considered and responsibly proposed implementation of the Panel's directives. (h) The Panel shall initiate and direct a management audit of the Board at least once every 2 years. The audit shall review the personnel, organization, contracts, leases, and physical properties of the Board to determine whether the Board is managing and utilizing its resources in an economical and efficient manner. The audit shall determine the causes of any inefficiencies or uneconomical practices, including inadequacies in internal and administrative procedures, organizational structure, uses of resources, utilization of real property, allocation of personnel, purchasing policies, and equipment. (i) In the event that the Board refuses or fails to follow a directive of the Panel to issue notices of non-renewal of contracts, to issue notices of reduction in force to employees, to issue requests for bids or proposals, or to obtain financial or other information that the Panel finds necessary for the implementation of its responsibilities under this Article, the Panel may take such action in the name of the district, and such action shall be binding the same as if the action had been taken by the Board. The powers established by this paragraph do not authorize the Panel to enter into contracts in the name of the Board. (j) The Panel shall meet with the Board or its designees in closed session prior to the Board commencing any collective bargaining negotiations to discuss the financial issues relevant to the bargaining and for the purpose of the Panel approving the budget limitations for the potential collective bargaining agreement. The Board shall not make or consider any proposal which does not comply with the collective bargaining budget approved by the Panel. The Board shall keep the Panel apprised as to the status of the bargaining. The Board shall present any proposed change in the approved collective bargaining budget to the Panel in closed session for approval. Prior to the Board taking a final vote on any tentative agreement approved by the employee organization, the Board shall discuss the tentative agreement with the Panel in closed session. Upon final approval of a collective bargaining agreement by both the Board and the employee organization, the Board shall submit the final collective bargaining agreement to the Panel for approval. At the same time that the Board submits the final agreement to the Panel, the Board shall notify the employee organization that the final agreement has been submitted and the date of the Panel meeting at which the final agreement will be considered. The employee organization shall be provided an opportunity to discuss the final agreement with the Panel prior to the Panel taking action on the agreement. No collective bargaining agreement shall be binding upon the district unless the Board has followed the requirements of this paragraph and the final agreement has been approved by the Panel. (k) The budget of the Panel or any revisions to the budget, including any costs to the Panel associated with the appointment of an Inspector General, shall be approved by the State Superintendent upon request of the Panel and after opportunity for response by the Board.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 89-572, eff. 7-30-96.)