093_SB0381enr

 
SB381 Enrolled                       LRB093 05990 NHT 06091 b

 1        AN ACT concerning education.

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

 4        Section 5.   The  School  Code  is  amended  by  changing
 5    Section 1D-1 and adding Section 2-3.51a as follows:

 6        (105 ILCS 5/1D-1)
 7        Sec. 1D-1.  Block grant funding.
 8        (a)  For   fiscal   year   1996   and  each  fiscal  year
 9    thereafter, the State Board of Education  shall  award  to  a
10    school   district   having  a  population  exceeding  500,000
11    inhabitants  a  general  education   block   grant   and   an
12    educational  services  block grant, determined as provided in
13    this  Section,  in  lieu  of  distributing  to  the  district
14    separate  State  funding  for  the  programs   described   in
15    subsections  (b)  and  (c).   The provisions of this Section,
16    however, do not apply to any federal funds that the  district
17    is  entitled  to receive.  In accordance with Section 2-3.32,
18    all block grants are subject to an audit.   Therefore,  block
19    grant receipts and block grant expenditures shall be recorded
20    to the appropriate fund code for the designated block grant.
21        (b)  The  general education block grant shall include the
22    following programs: REI Initiative, Summer Bridges, Preschool
23    At Risk, K-6 Comprehensive Arts, School Improvement  Support,
24    Urban   Education,   Scientific   Literacy,  Substance  Abuse
25    Prevention,  Second  Language  Planning,  Staff  Development,
26    Outcomes  and  Assessment,  K-6  Reading  Improvement,   7-12
27    Continued  Reading  Improvement, Truants' Optional Education,
28    Hispanic Programs, Agriculture Education,  Gifted  Education,
29    Parental  Education, Prevention Initiative, Report Cards, and
30    Criminal  Background  Investigations.   Notwithstanding   any
31    other  provision  of  law, all amounts paid under the general
 
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 1    education block grant from State appropriations to  a  school
 2    district  in  a  city  having  a population exceeding 500,000
 3    inhabitants shall be appropriated and expended by  the  board
 4    of  that  district  for  any  of the programs included in the
 5    block grant or any of the board's lawful purposes.
 6        (c)  The educational services block grant  shall  include
 7    the  following  programs:  Bilingual,  Regular and Vocational
 8    Transportation,  State  Lunch  and  Free  Breakfast  Program,
 9    Special Education (Personnel, Extraordinary,  Transportation,
10    Orphanage,   Private  Tuition),  Summer  School,  Educational
11    Service   Centers,   and   Administrator's   Academy.    This
12    subsection  (c)  does  not  relieve  the  district   of   its
13    obligation  to  provide the services required under a program
14    that is included within the educational services block grant.
15    It is the intention of the General Assembly in  enacting  the
16    provisions  of this subsection (c) to relieve the district of
17    the  administrative  burdens  that  impede   efficiency   and
18    accompany   single-program  funding.   The  General  Assembly
19    encourages the board to pursue mandate  waivers  pursuant  to
20    Section 2-3.25g.
21        (d)  For   fiscal   year   1996   and  each  fiscal  year
22    thereafter, the amount of the district's block  grants  shall
23    be  determined  as  follows: (i) with respect to each program
24    that is included within each block grant, the district  shall
25    receive an amount equal to the same percentage of the current
26    fiscal  year  appropriation  made  for  that  program  as the
27    percentage of the appropriation received by the district from
28    the 1995 fiscal year appropriation made for that program, and
29    (ii) the total amount that is  due  the  district  under  the
30    block  grant  shall  be the aggregate of the amounts that the
31    district is entitled to receive  for  the  fiscal  year  with
32    respect  to  each  program  that is included within the block
33    grant that the State  Board  of  Education  shall  award  the
34    district  under  this  Section  for that fiscal year.  In the
 
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 1    case of  the  Summer  Bridges  program,  the  amount  of  the
 2    district's block grant shall be equal to 44% of the amount of
 3    the current fiscal year appropriation made for that program.
 4        (e)  The district is not required to file any application
 5    or  other claim in order to receive the block grants to which
 6    it is  entitled  under  this  Section.  The  State  Board  of
 7    Education  shall make payments to the district of amounts due
 8    under the district's block grants on a schedule determined by
 9    the State Board of Education.
10        (f)  A school district  to  which  this  Section  applies
11    shall  report  to  the State Board of Education on its use of
12    the block grants in such form and detail as the  State  Board
13    of Education may specify.
14        (g)  This  paragraph  provides for the treatment of block
15    grants under Article  1C  for  purposes  of  calculating  the
16    amount  of  block  grants  for a district under this Section.
17    Those block grants under Article 1C are,  for  this  purpose,
18    treated  as  included  in the amount of appropriation for the
19    various programs set  forth  in  paragraph  (b)  above.   The
20    appropriation  in  each  current  fiscal  year for each block
21    grant under Article 1C shall be treated for these purposes as
22    appropriations for the individual program  included  in  that
23    block grant.  The proportion of each block grant so allocated
24    to  each  such program included in it shall be the proportion
25    which  the  appropriation  for  that  program  was   of   all
26    appropriations  for such purposes now in that block grant, in
27    fiscal 1995.
28        Payments to the school district under this  Section  with
29    respect   to  each  program  for  which  payments  to  school
30    districts generally, as of the date of this amendatory Act of
31    the 92nd General Assembly, are on a reimbursement basis shall
32    continue to be made to the district on a reimbursement basis,
33    pursuant to the  provisions  of  this  Code  governing  those
34    programs.
 
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 1        (h)  Notwithstanding  any  other  provision  of  law, any
 2    school district receiving a block grant  under  this  Section
 3    may  classify  all or a portion of the funds that it receives
 4    in a particular fiscal year from any block  grant  authorized
 5    under this Code or from general State aid pursuant to Section
 6    18-8.05  of  this Code (other than supplemental general State
 7    aid) as funds received in connection with any funding program
 8    for which it is entitled to receive funds from the  State  in
 9    that  fiscal year (including, without limitation, any funding
10    program referred to  in  subsection  (c)  of  this  Section),
11    regardless  of  the  source  or  timing  of the receipt.  The
12    district may not classify more funds  as  funds  received  in
13    connection  with  the  funding  program  than the district is
14    entitled to receive in that fiscal  year  for  that  program.
15    Any classification by a district must be made by a resolution
16    of  its board of education.  The resolution must identify the
17    amount of  any  block  grant  or  general  State  aid  to  be
18    classified  under  this  subsection  (h) and must specify the
19    funding program to which the  funds  are  to  be  treated  as
20    received   in   connection  therewith.   This  resolution  is
21    controlling as to  the  classification  of  funds  referenced
22    therein.   A certified copy of the resolution must be sent to
23    the State Superintendent of Education. The  resolution  shall
24    still  take  effect  even though a copy of the resolution has
25    not been sent to the State Superintendent of Education  in  a
26    timely  manner.   No classification under this subsection (h)
27    by a district shall affect the  total  amount  or  timing  of
28    money  the  district  is entitled to receive under this Code.
29    No classification under this subsection  (h)  by  a  district
30    shall  in  any  way  relieve  the district from or affect any
31    requirements that otherwise would apply with respect  to  the
32    block  grant  as  provided  in  this  Section,  including any
33    accounting of funds  by  source,  reporting  expenditures  by
34    original  source  and  purpose,  reporting  requirements,  or
 
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 1    requirements of provision of services.
 2    (Source:  P.A.  91-711,  eff.  7-1-00;  92-568, eff. 6-26-02;
 3    92-651, eff. 7-11-02.)

 4        (105 ILCS 5/2-3.51a new)
 5        Sec. 2-3.51a.  Continued Reading Improvement Block  Grant
 6    Program.  To improve the reading and study skills of children
 7    from  seventh through twelfth grade in school districts.  The
 8    State Board  of  Education  is  authorized  to  administer  a
 9    Continued  Reading  Improvement Block Grant Program.  As used
10    in this Section, "school  district"  includes  those  schools
11    designated as laboratory schools.
12        (a)  Funds  for  the  Continued Reading Improvement Block
13    Grant Program shall be distributed to school districts on the
14    following basis: 70% of moneys shall be awarded on the  prior
15    year's  best  3 months average daily attendance and 30% shall
16    be distributed on the number  of  economically  disadvantaged
17    (E.C.I.A.  Chapter  I)  pupils in the district, provided that
18    the State Board may distribute an amount not to exceed 2%  of
19    the moneys appropriated for the Continued Reading Improvement
20    Block  Grant  Program  for  the  purpose of providing teacher
21    training and re-training in the teaching of reading.  Program
22    funds  shall  be  distributed  to  school  districts   in   2
23    semi-annual installments, one payment on or before October 30
24    and  one  payment  prior to April 30 of each year.  The State
25    Board shall adopt any rules necessary for the  implementation
26    of this program.
27        (b)  Continued  Reading  Improvement  Block Grant Program
28    funds shall be used by  school  districts  in  the  following
29    manner  to  support  students  in grades 7 through 12 who are
30    reading significantly below grade level:
31             (1)  to  continue  direct  reading  instruction  for
32        grades 7 through  12,  focusing  on  the  application  of
33        reading skills for understanding informational text;
 
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 1             (2)  to focus on and to commit time and resources to
 2        the reading of rich literature;
 3             (3)  to  conduct  intense  vocabulary, spelling, and
 4        related   writing   programs    that    promote    better
 5        understanding of language and words;
 6             (4)  to  provide  professional  development based on
 7        scientifically based  research  and  best  practices  and
 8        delivered  by  providers  approved  by the State Board of
 9        Education; and
10             (5)  to  increase  the   availability   of   reading
11        specialists  and  teacher aides trained in research-based
12        reading intervention or improvement practices or both.
13        (c)  Continued Reading Improvement  Block  Grant  Program
14    funds  shall  be  made  available  to  each  eligible  school
15    district  submitting an approved application developed by the
16    State  Board,  beginning  with  the  2003-2004  school  year.
17    Applications shall include a proposed  assessment  method  or
18    methods  for  measuring  student reading skills. Such methods
19    may include the reading portion of State tests.  At  the  end
20    of  each  school  year  the  district shall report assessment
21    results to the  State  Board.   Districts  not  demonstrating
22    performance  progress  using  an  approved  assessment method
23    shall not be eligible for funding in the third or  subsequent
24    years until such progress is established.
25        (d)  The    State   Superintendent   of   Education,   in
26    cooperation with the school districts  participating  in  the
27    program,  shall  annually  report  to  the  leadership of the
28    General Assembly on the  results  of  the  Continued  Reading
29    Improvement  Block  Grant Program and the progress being made
30    on improving the reading  skills  of  students  in  grades  7
31    through 12.
32        (e)  Grants under the Continued Reading Improvement Block
33    Grant   Program   shall  be  awarded  provided  there  is  an
34    appropriation for the program, and funding  levels  for  each
 
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 1    district  shall  be  prorated  according to the amount of the
 2    appropriation.  Funding for  the  program  established  under
 3    Section  2-3.51 of this Code shall not be reduced in order to
 4    fund the Continued Reading Improvement Block Grant Program.

 5        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act  takes  effect  on
 6    July 1, 2003.