Public Act 1381 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB5633 Enrolled LRB096 19474 MJR 34866 b

Public Act 096-1381

AN ACT concerning education.

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

Section 5. The School Construction Law is amended by changing Sections 5-5 and 5-25 as follows:

(105 ILCS 230/5-5)

Sec. 5-5. Definitions. As used in this Article:

"Approved school construction bonds" mean bonds that were approved by referendum after January 1, 1996 but prior to January 1, 1998 as provided in Sections 19-2 through 19-7 of the School Code to provide funds for the acquisition, development, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, improvement, architectural planning, and installation of capital facilities consisting of buildings, structures, durable-equipment, and land for educational purposes.

"Grant index" means a figure for each school district equal to one minus the ratio of the district's equalized assessed valuation per pupil in average daily attendance to the equalized assessed valuation per pupil in average daily attendance of the district located at the 90th percentile for all districts of the same category. For the purpose of calculating the grant index, school districts are grouped into 2 categories, Category I and Category II. Category I consists of elementary and unit school districts. The equalized assessed valuation per pupil in average daily attendance of each school district in Category I shall be computed using its grades kindergarten through 8 average daily attendance figure. A unit school district's Category I grant index shall be used for projects or portions of projects constructed for elementary school pupils. Category II consists of high school and unit school districts. The equalized assessed valuation per pupil in average daily attendance of each school district in Category II shall be computed using its grades 9 through 12 average daily attendance figure. A unit school district's Category II grant index shall be used for projects or portions of projects constructed for high school pupils. The changes made by this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly apply to all grants made on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act, provided that for grants not yet made on the effective date of this amendatory Act but made in fiscal year 2001 and for grants made in fiscal year 2002, the grant index for a school district shall be the greater of (i) the grant index as calculated under this Law on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act or (ii) the grant index as calculated under this Law before the effective date of this amendatory Act. The grant index shall be no less than 0.35 and no greater than 0.75 for each district; provided that the grant index for districts whose equalized assessed valuation per pupil in average daily attendance is at the 99th percentile and above for all districts of the same type shall be 0.00.

The grant index shall be calculated for each of those school districts forming a reorganized school district or cooperative high school if one or more of the following happen within the current or prior 2 fiscal years:

(1) a new school district is created in accordance with Article 11E of the School Code;

(2) an existing school district annexes all of the territory of one or more entire other school districts in accordance with Article 7 of the School Code; or

(3) a cooperative high school is formed in accordance with Section 10-22.22c of the School Code. The average grant index of those school districts shall be used as the grant index for the newly reorganized district or cooperative high school.

"School construction project" means the acquisition, development, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, improvement, architectural planning, and installation of capital facilities consisting of buildings, structures, durable equipment, and land for educational purposes.

"School district" means a school district or a Type 40 area vocational center that is jointly owned if the joint agreement includes language that specifies how the debt obligation is to be paid, including in the event that an entity withdraws from the joint agreement.

"School district" includes a cooperative high school, which shall be considered a high school district for the purpose of calculating its grant index.

"School maintenance project" means a project, other than a school construction project, intended to provide for the maintenance or upkeep of buildings or structures for educational purposes, but does not include ongoing operational costs.

(Source: P.A. 96-731, eff. 8-25-09.)

(105 ILCS 230/5-25)

Sec. 5-25. Eligibility and project standards.

(a) The State Board of Education shall establish eligibility standards for school construction project grants and debt service grants. These standards shall include minimum enrollment requirements for eligibility for school construction project grants of 200 students for elementary districts, 200 students for high school districts, and 400 students for unit districts. The total enrollment of member districts forming a cooperative high school in accordance with subsection (c) of Section 10-22.22 of the School Code shall meet the minimum enrollment requirements specified in this subsection (a). The State Board of Education shall approve a district's eligibility for a school construction project grant or a debt service grant pursuant to the established standards.

For purposes only of determining a Type 40 area vocational center's eligibility for an entity included in a school construction project grant or a school maintenance project grant, an area vocational center shall be deemed eligible if one or more of its member school districts satisfy the grant index criteria set forth in this Law. A Type 40 area vocational center that makes application for school construction funds after August 25, 2009 (the effective date of Public Act 96-731) this amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly shall be placed on the respective application cycle list. Type 40 area vocational centers must be placed last on the priority listing of eligible entities for the applicable fiscal year.

(b) The Capital Development Board shall establish project standards for all school construction project grants provided pursuant to this Article. These standards shall include space and capacity standards as well as the determination of recognized project costs that shall be eligible for State financial assistance and enrichment costs that shall not be eligible for State financial assistance.

(c) The State Board of Education and the Capital Development Board shall not establish standards that disapprove or otherwise establish limitations that restrict the eligibility of (i) a school district with a population exceeding 500,000 for a school construction project grant based on the fact that any or all of the school construction project grant will be used to pay debt service or to make lease payments, as authorized by subsection (b) of Section 5-35 of this Law, or (ii) a school district located in whole or in part in a county that imposes a tax for school facility purposes pursuant to Section 5-1006.7 of the Counties Code.

(d) A reorganized school district or cooperative high school may use a school construction application that was submitted by a school district that formed the reorganized school district or cooperative high school if that application has not been entitled for a project by the State Board of Education and any one or more of the following happen within the current or prior 2 fiscal years:

(1) a new school district is created in accordance with Article 11E of the School Code;

(2) an existing school district annexes all of the territory of one or more other school districts in accordance with Article 7 of the School Code; or

(3) a cooperative high school is formed in accordance with subsection (c) of Section 10-22.22 of the School Code. A new elementary district formed from a school district conversion, as defined in Section 11E-15 of the School Code, may use only the application of the dissolved district whose territory is now included in the new elementary district and must obtain the written approval of the local school board of any other school district that includes territory from that dissolved district. A new high school district formed from a school district conversion, as defined in Section 11E-15 of the School Code, may use only the application of any dissolved district whose territory is now included in the new high school district, but only after obtaining the written approval of the local school board of any other school district that includes territory from that dissolved district. A cooperative high school using this Section must obtain the written approval of the local school board of the member school district whose application it is using. All other eligibility and project standards apply to this Section.

(Source: P.A. 96-37, eff. 7-13-09; 96-731, eff. 8-25-09; revised 9-15-09.)