HB5561eng 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB5561 Engrossed LRB099 20491 MLM 45012 b

AN ACT concerning education.

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

Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Sections 10-20.58 and 34-18.50 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/10-20.58 new)

Sec. 10-20.58. Accelerate College pilot program. School districts may enter into Accelerate College educational partnership agreements as authorized under Section 3-42.4 of the Public Community College Act.

(105 ILCS 5/34-18.50 new)

Sec. 34-18.50. Accelerate College pilot program. The district may enter into an Accelerate College educational partnership agreement as authorized under Section 3-42.4 of the Public Community College Act.

Section 10. The Public Community College Act is amended by adding Section 3-42.4 as follows:

(110 ILCS 805/3-42.4 new)

Sec. 3-42.4. Accelerate College pilot program.

(a) As used in this Section, "district board" means a community college district board of trustees.

(b) A district board may elect to enter into an Accelerate College educational partnership agreement with any school district wholly contained within the community college district's jurisdiction. If the district board and a school district enter into an Accelerate College educational partnership agreement, the district board must offer a group of high school students the right to take community college courses without paying tuition for those courses.

(c) In the first full academic year after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly, no school district may enroll more than 45 students in college courses under an Accelerate College educational partnership agreement, and the students enrolled shall be limited to one year of community college credits.

In the second full academic year after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly, no school district may enroll more than 90 students in college courses under an Accelerate College educational partnership agreement. No more than 45 of those students may be in the final year before school graduation and no more than 45 of those students may be in the second to last year before high school graduation in this academic year.

In the third full academic year and more after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly, no school district may enroll more than 90 students in college courses under an Accelerate College educational partnership agreement.

(d) Subject to the terms of its Accelerate College educational partnership agreement, the community college may limit the courses offered to high school students and may charge non-tuition fees to the students. Allowable non-tuition fees include actual operating costs of the courses taken by high school students and any student activities in which the high school student may participate at the community college.

(e) Any coursework completed by high school students in a community college under this Section shall be transferrable to all public universities in this State on the same basis as coursework completed by community college students who have previously earned high school diplomas.

(f) The State Board must study agreements established under this Section and, by January 1 each year after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly, deliver a report based on the State Board's findings to both the General Assembly and the Governor.

The annual report must include, but is not limited to, the ongoing success or lack thereof in growing the program from the point of view of Illinois educational institutions, ongoing success or lack thereof of the students who participate in the program, and the advantage or lack thereof of authorizing the expansion of the program from one year to 2 years of college-level coursework for select groups of students.

(g) This Section is repealed 36 months after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.