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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Article 27B | ||||||
5 | as follows: | ||||||
6 | (105 ILCS 5/Art. 27B heading new) | ||||||
7 | ARTICLE 27B. COMMUNITY SCHOOLS | ||||||
8 | (105 ILCS 5/27B-5 new) | ||||||
9 | Sec. 27B-5. Applicability. This Article applies beginning | ||||||
10 | with the 2009-2010 school year. | ||||||
11 | (105 ILCS 5/27B-10 new) | ||||||
12 | Sec. 27B-10. Legislative findings. The General Assembly | ||||||
13 | finds all of the following: | ||||||
14 | (1) All children are capable of success. | ||||||
15 | (2) Schools are the centers of vibrant communities. | ||||||
16 | (3) Strong families build strong educational | ||||||
17 | communities. | ||||||
18 | (4) Children succeed when adults work together to | ||||||
19 | foster positive educational outcomes. | ||||||
20 | (5) Schools work best when families take active roles | ||||||
21 | in the education of children. |
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1 | (6) Schools today are limited in their ability to | ||||||
2 | dedicate time and resources to provide a wide range of | ||||||
3 | educational opportunities to students because of the focus | ||||||
4 | on standardized test outcomes. | ||||||
5 | (7) By providing learning opportunities outside of | ||||||
6 | normal school hours, including programs on life skills and | ||||||
7 | health, students are more successful academically, more | ||||||
8 | engaged in their communities, safer, and better prepared to | ||||||
9 | make a successful transition from school to adulthood. | ||||||
10 | (8) A community school is a traditional school that | ||||||
11 | actively partners with its community to leverage existing | ||||||
12 | resources and identify new resources to support the | ||||||
13 | transformation of the school to provide enrichment and | ||||||
14 | additional life skill opportunities for students, parents, | ||||||
15 | and community members at-large. Each community school is | ||||||
16 | unique because its programming is designed by and for the | ||||||
17 | school staff, in partnership with parents, community | ||||||
18 | stakeholders, and students. | ||||||
19 | (9) Community schools currently exist in this State in | ||||||
20 | urban, rural, and suburban communities. | ||||||
21 | (10) Research shows that community schools have a | ||||||
22 | powerful positive impact on students, as demonstrated by | ||||||
23 | increased academic success, a positive change in attitudes | ||||||
24 | toward school and learning, and decreased behavioral | ||||||
25 | problems. | ||||||
26 | (11) After-school and evening programs offered by |
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1 | community schools provide academic enrichment consistent | ||||||
2 | with the Illinois Learning Standards and general school | ||||||
3 | curriculum; an opportunity for physical fitness activities | ||||||
4 | for students, fine arts programs, structured learning | ||||||
5 | "play" time, and other recreational opportunities; a safe | ||||||
6 | haven for students; and work supports for working families. | ||||||
7 | (12) Community schools are cost-effective because they | ||||||
8 | leverage existing resources provided by local, State, | ||||||
9 | federal, and private sources and bring programs to the | ||||||
10 | schools, where the students are already congregated. | ||||||
11 | Community schools have been shown to leverage between $5 to | ||||||
12 | $8 in existing programming for every $1 spent on a | ||||||
13 | community school. | ||||||
14 | (105 ILCS 5/27B-15 new) | ||||||
15 | Sec. 27B-15. Grants for Community Schools. Subject to an | ||||||
16 | appropriation or the availability of funding for such purposes, | ||||||
17 | the State Board of Education shall make grants available to | ||||||
18 | fund community schools and to enhance programs at community | ||||||
19 | schools. A request-for-proposal process must be used in | ||||||
20 | awarding grants under this Section. Proposals may be submitted | ||||||
21 | on behalf of a school, a school district, or a consortium of 2 | ||||||
22 | or more schools or school districts. Proposals must be | ||||||
23 | evaluated and scored on the basis of criteria consistent with | ||||||
24 | this Article and other factors developed and adopted by the | ||||||
25 | Advisory Council on Community Schools established under this |
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1 | Article. Technical assistance in grant writing must be made | ||||||
2 | available to schools, school districts, or consortia of school | ||||||
3 | districts through the State Board of Education directly or | ||||||
4 | through a resource and referral directory established and | ||||||
5 | maintained by the State Board of Education. | ||||||
6 | (105 ILCS 5/27B-20 new) | ||||||
7 | Sec. 27B-20. Criteria for grants to community schools. In | ||||||
8 | order to qualify for a community school grant under this | ||||||
9 | Article, a school must, at a minimum, have the following | ||||||
10 | components: | ||||||
11 | (1) Before and after-school programming each school | ||||||
12 | day to meet the identified needs of students. | ||||||
13 | (2) Weekend programming. | ||||||
14 | (3) At least 4 weeks of summer programming. | ||||||
15 | (4) A local advisory group comprised of school | ||||||
16 | leadership, parents, and community stakeholders that | ||||||
17 | establishes school-specific programming goals, assesses | ||||||
18 | program needs, and oversees the process of implementing | ||||||
19 | expanded programming. | ||||||
20 | (5) A program director or resource coordinator who is | ||||||
21 | responsible for establishing a local advisory group, | ||||||
22 | assessing the needs of students and community members, | ||||||
23 | identifying programs to meet those needs, developing the | ||||||
24 | before and after-school, weekend, and summer programming | ||||||
25 | and overseeing the implementation of programming to ensure |
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1 | high quality, efficiency, and robust participation. | ||||||
2 | (6) Programming that includes academic excellence | ||||||
3 | aligned with the Illinois Learning Standards, life skills, | ||||||
4 | healthy minds and bodies, parental support, and community | ||||||
5 | engagement and that promotes staying in school and | ||||||
6 | non-violent behavior and non-violent conflict resolution. | ||||||
7 | (7) Maintenance of attendance records in all | ||||||
8 | programming components. | ||||||
9 | (8) Maintenance of measurable data showing annual | ||||||
10 | participation and the impact of programming on the | ||||||
11 | participating children and adults. | ||||||
12 | (9) Documentation of true collaboration between the | ||||||
13 | school and community stakeholders, including local | ||||||
14 | governmental units, civic organizations, families, | ||||||
15 | businesses, and social service providers. | ||||||
16 | (10) A non-discrimination policy ensuring that the | ||||||
17 | community school does not condition participation upon | ||||||
18 | race, ethnic origin, religion, sex, or disability. | ||||||
19 | (105 ILCS 5/27B-25 new) | ||||||
20 | Sec. 27B-25. Advisory council. Within 90 days after the | ||||||
21 | effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General | ||||||
22 | Assembly, the State Superintendent of Education shall appoint a | ||||||
23 | 9-member Advisory Council on Community Schools. The Advisory | ||||||
24 | Council shall advise the State Superintendent and the State | ||||||
25 | Board of Education regarding policies and best practices for |
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1 | community schools, criteria for funding community schools, and | ||||||
2 | strategies to bring federal funding to this State for community | ||||||
3 | schools. The membership of the Advisory Council shall include | ||||||
4 | persons involved in community school leadership, at least one | ||||||
5 | representative of a statewide association that advocates for | ||||||
6 | community schools, parents involved in community schools, and | ||||||
7 | other community stakeholders.
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8 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
9 | becoming law.
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