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SB2135 Engrossed |
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LRB093 14551 NHT 40042 b |
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| AN ACT relating to schools.
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| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, |
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| represented in the General Assembly:
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| Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section |
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| 2-3.134 as follows:
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| (105 ILCS 5/2-3.134 new)
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| Sec. 2-3.134. K-3 class size reduction grant program. A |
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| class size
reduction grant program is created. The program |
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| shall be implemented
and
administered by the State Board of |
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| Education. From
appropriations made for purposes of this |
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| Section, the State Board shall award grants to schools that |
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| meet
the criteria established by this Section for the award of |
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| those grants.
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| Grants shall be awarded pursuant to application. The form |
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| and manner of
applications and the criteria for the award of |
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| grants shall be prescribed by
the State Board of Education. The |
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| grant criteria as so prescribed, however,
shall provide that |
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| only those schools that are on the State
Board of Education |
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| Early
Academic Warning List or the academic
watch list
under |
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| Section 2-3.25d that maintain grades kindergarten through 3 are |
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| grant eligible.
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| Grants awarded to eligible schools under this Section shall |
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| be used and
applied by the schools to defray the costs and |
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| expenses of operating and
maintaining classes in grades |
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| kindergarten through 3 with an average class size within a |
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| specific grade of no more than 20 pupils. If a school's |
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| facilities are inadequate to allow for this specified class |
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| size, then a school may use the grant funds for teacher aides |
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| instead.
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| The State Board of Education shall adopt any rules, |
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| consistent with the
requirements of this Section, that are |
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| necessary to implement and administer
the K-3 class size |