SB0274 EngrossedLRB102 10378 CMG 15705 b

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 changing Section
52-3.80 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.80)  (from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.80)
7    Sec. 2-3.80. (a) The General Assembly recognizes that
8agriculture is the most basic and singularly important
9industry in the State, that agriculture is of central
10importance to the welfare and economic stability of the State,
11and that the maintenance of this vital industry requires a
12continued source of trained and qualified individuals for
13employment in agriculture and agribusiness. The General
14Assembly hereby declares that it is in the best interests of
15the people of the State of Illinois that a comprehensive
16education program in agriculture be created and maintained by
17the State's public school system in order to ensure an
18adequate supply of trained and skilled individuals and to
19ensure appropriate representation of racial and ethnic groups
20in all phases of the industry. It is the intent of the General
21Assembly that a State program for agricultural education shall
22be a part of the curriculum of the public school system K
23through adult, and made readily available to all school

 

 

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1districts which may, at their option, include programs in
2education in agriculture as a part of the curriculum of that
3district.
4    (b) The State Board of Education shall adopt such rules
5and regulations as are necessary to implement the provisions
6of this Section. The rules and regulations shall not create
7any new State mandates on school districts as a condition of
8receiving federal, State, and local funds by those entities.
9It is in the intent of the General Assembly that, although this
10Section does not create any new mandates, school districts are
11strongly advised to follow the guidelines set forth in this
12Section.
13    (c) The State Superintendent of Education shall assume
14responsibility for the administration of the State program
15adopted under this Section throughout the public school system
16as well as the articulation of the State program to the
17requirements and mandates of federally assisted education.
18There is currently within the State Board of Education an
19agricultural education unit to assist school districts in the
20establishment and maintenance of educational programs pursuant
21to the provisions of this Section. The staffing of the unit
22shall at all times be comprised of an appropriate number of
23full-time employees who shall serve as program consultants in
24agricultural education and shall be available to provide
25assistance to school districts. At least one consultant shall
26be responsible for the coordination of the State program, as

 

 

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1Head Consultant. At least one consultant shall be responsible
2for the coordination of the activities of student and
3agricultural organizations and associations.
4    (d) A committee of 13 agriculturalists representative of
5the various and diverse areas of the agricultural industry in
6Illinois shall be established to at least develop a curriculum
7and overview the implementation of the Build Illinois through
8Quality Agricultural Education plans of the Illinois
9Leadership Council for Agricultural Education and to advise
10the State Board of Education on vocational agricultural
11education, including the administration of the agricultural
12education line item appropriation and agency rulemaking that
13affects agricultural education educators. The committee
14Committee shall be composed of the following:
15        (1) 3 (6) agriculturalists representing the Illinois
16    Leadership Council for Agricultural Education;
17        (2) 3 agriculturalists;
18        (3) 2 secondary agriculture teachers (2) Secondary
19    Agriculture Teachers;
20        (4) one representative of (1) "Ag In The Classroom"
21    Teacher;
22        (5) one community college agriculture teacher (1)
23    Community College Agriculture Teacher;
24        (6) one adult agriculture educator (1) Adult
25    Agriculture Education Teacher;
26        (7) one university agriculture teacher educator (1)

 

 

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1    University Agriculture Teacher Educator; and
2        (8) one FFA representative (1) FFA Representative.
3    All members of the committee Committee shall be appointed
4by the Governor by and with the advice and consent of the
5Senate. The terms of all members so appointed shall be for 3
6years, except that of the members initially appointed, 5 shall
7be appointed to serve for terms of one 1 year, 4 shall be
8appointed to serve for terms of 2 years, and 4 shall be
9appointed to serve for terms of 3 years. All members of the
10committee Committee shall serve until their successors are
11appointed and qualified. Subject to a requirement that
12committee members in office before the effective date of this
13amendatory Act of 102nd General Assembly may serve the full
14term to which they were appointed, the appointment of
15committee members to terms that commence on or after the
16effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General
17Assembly shall be made in a manner that gives effect at the
18earliest possible time to the changes that are required by
19this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly in the
20representative composition of the committee's membership.
21    Vacancies in terms shall be filled by appointment of the
22Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate for the
23extent of the unexpired term.
24    The State Board of Education shall implement a Build
25Illinois through Quality Agricultural Education plan following
26receipt of these recommendations, which shall be made

 

 

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1available on or before March 31, 1987. Recommendations shall
2include, but not be limited to, the development of a
3curriculum and a strategy for the purpose of establishing a
4source of trained and qualified individuals in agriculture, a
5strategy for articulating the State program in agricultural
6education throughout the public school system, and a consumer
7education outreach strategy regarding the importance of
8agriculture in Illinois.
9    The committee of agriculturalists shall serve without
10compensation.
11    (e) A school district that offers a secondary agricultural
12education program that is approved for State and federal
13funding must ensure that, at a minimum, all of the following
14are available to its secondary agricultural education
15students:
16        (1) An instructional sequence of courses approved by
17    the State Board of Education.
18        (2) A State and nationally affiliated FFA (Future
19    Farmers of America) chapter that is integral to
20    instruction and is not treated solely as an
21    extracurricular activity.
22        (3) A mechanism for ensuring the involvement of all
23    secondary agricultural education students in formal,
24    supervised, agricultural-experience activities and
25    programs.
26    (f) Nothing in this Section may prevent those secondary

 

 

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1agricultural education programs that are in operation before
2January 1, 2007 (the effective date of Public Act 94-855) this
3amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly and that do not
4have an active State and nationally affiliated FFA chapter
5from continuing to operate or from continuing to receive
6funding from the State Board of Education.
7(Source: P.A. 94-855, eff. 1-1-07; revised 8-24-20.)