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1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section 
52-3.206 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.206 new)
7    Sec. 2-3.206. School district reorganization feasibility 
8studies; grant program. 
9    (a) The State Board of Education may award grants to 
10school districts for the purpose of incentivizing those 
11districts to conduct reorganization feasibility studies.
12    (b) To be eligible for a grant under this Section, the 
13board of the school district that is applying for the grant 
14shall:
15        (1) negotiate a proposed agreement to secure the 
16    services of a third party consultant who will conduct the 
17    reorganization feasibility study;
18        (2) adopt a resolution that is signed by the board 
19    president of the district and calls for the initiation of 
20    a school district reorganization feasibility study in 
21    accordance with the terms of the proposed agreement and 
22    any rules adopted by the State Board of Education; and
23        (3) submit the completed agreement form, the signed 
 
 
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1    board resolution, and such other information as the State 
2    Board of Education may, by administrative rule, require, 
3    to the regional office of education or the executive 
4    director of the intermediate service center for the 
5    district for approval.
6    (c) Upon receipt of a complete application from a 
7district, the regional office of education or the executive 
8director of the intermediate service center shall either (i) 
9approve the agreement and send the agreement to the State 
10Board of Education or (ii) disapprove the agreement and return 
11the agreement to the district with a letter of explanation.
12    (d) From funds appropriated to it for that purpose, the 
13State Board of Education may award grants under this Section 
14to districts for which it receives an approved agreement under 
15subsection (c) for costs incurred by those districts to 
16conduct a reorganization feasibility study.
17    (e) To ensure that eligible districts are aware of the 
18grant-funding opportunities provided under this Section, the 
19State Board of Education shall annually notify the board and 
20superintendent of each school district in the State of the 
21availability of grant funds for the purpose of conducting 
22school district reorganization feasibility studies and shall 
23provide with that notice all of the following information:
24        (1) information concerning the procedures for applying 
25    for grant funding under this Section during the next award 
26    cycle;
 
 
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1        (2) a description of the total dollar value of grant 
2    funds that are available to be awarded during the next 
3    award cycle; and
4        (3) a list of third-party consultants who have 
5    experience conducting feasibility studies in Illinois.
6    (f) Every 2 years, each board that receives a notice under 
7subsection (e) may include the question of whether to pursue 
8grant funding under this Section as an action item on the 
9agenda at one of its meetings.
10    (g) When issuing grants under this Section, the State 
11Board of Education may provide a school district up to the 
12maximum reimbursement amount set by the State Board of 
13Education, for the purpose of covering all or part of the costs 
14borne by the school district to conduct a reorganization 
15feasibility study. In awarding grants under this Section, the 
16State Board of Education shall prioritize the awarding of 
17grants to districts that are contiguous with one another, 
18districts that have similar property tax rates, districts with 
19similar per-pupil adequacy funding, and, beginning in State 
20fiscal year 2030, other districts that have been identified as 
21priority districts by the State Board of Education pursuant to 
22rules adopted under subsection (i).
23    (h) No school district may be awarded a grant under this 
24Section in any 2 consecutive award cycles.
25    (i) The State Board of Education may adopt any rules it 
26deems necessary to implement and administer the program of 
 
 
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1grant funding established under this Section, including, but 
2not limited to, rules establishing the criteria that must be 
3met by the third-party consultants who will perform the 
4feasibility studies described in this Section, rules 
5describing minimum criteria to be included in agreements 
6executed with the third-party consultants who will perform the 
7feasibility studies described in this Section, and, beginning 
8in State fiscal year 2030, rules identifying additional types 
9of school districts to be prioritized for grant funding under 
10this Section. In State fiscal year 2035, and every 5 years 
11thereafter, the State Board of Education shall reevaluate and, 
12if necessary, amend the rules identifying additional types of 
13school districts to be prioritized for grant funding under 
14this Section.
 
15    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
16becoming law.