Public Act 0894 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB2882 Enrolled LRB094 19085 NHT 54594 b

Public Act 094-0894

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section 2-3.136 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/2-3.136)

Sec. 2-3.136. Class K-3 class size reduction grant programs program.

(a) A K-3 class size reduction grant program is created. The program shall be implemented and administered by the State Board of Education. From appropriations made for purposes of this Section, the State Board shall award grants to schools that meet the criteria established by this subsection (a) Section for the award of those grants.

Grants shall be awarded pursuant to application. The form and manner of applications and the criteria for the award of grants shall be prescribed by the State Board of Education. The grant criteria as so prescribed, however, shall provide that only those schools that are on the State Board of Education Early Academic Warning List or the academic watch list under Section 2-3.25d that maintain grades kindergarten through 3 are grant eligible.

Grants awarded to eligible schools under this subsection (a) Section shall be used and applied by the schools to defray the costs and expenses of operating and maintaining classes in grades kindergarten through 3 with an average class size within a specific grade of no more than 20 pupils. If a school's facilities are inadequate to allow for this specified class size, then a school may use the grant funds for teacher aides instead.

(b) A K-3 pilot class size reduction grant program is created. The program shall be implemented and administered by the State Board of Education. From appropriations made for purposes of this subsection (b), the State Board shall award grants to schools that meet the criteria established by this Section for the award of those grants.

Grants shall be awarded pursuant to application. The form and manner of application and the criteria for the award of grants shall be prescribed by the State Board of Education.

Grants awarded to eligible schools under this subsection (b) shall be used and applied by the schools to defray the costs and expenses of operating and maintaining classes in grades kindergarten through 3 of no more than 15 pupils per teacher per class. A teacher aide may not be used to meet this requirement.

(c) If a school board determines that a school is using funds awarded under this Section for purposes not authorized by this Section, then the school board, rather than the school, shall determine how the funds are used.

(d) The State Board of Education shall adopt any rules, consistent with the requirements of this Section, that are necessary to implement and administer the K-3 class size reduction grant programs program.

(Source: P.A. 93-814, eff. 7-27-04; 94-566, eff. 1-1-06.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2006.