State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HB2063eng

 
HB2063 Engrossed                              LRB9201911NTsbC

 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,  Truants'
27    Optional Education, Hispanic Programs, Agriculture Education,
28    Gifted  Education, Parental Education, Prevention Initiative,
29    Report  Cards,  and   Criminal   Background   Investigations.
30    Notwithstanding  any other provision of law, all amounts paid
31    under  the  general  education   block   grant   from   State
 
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 1    appropriations  to  a  school  district  in  a  city having a
 2    population   exceeding   500,000   inhabitants    shall    be
 3    appropriated  and  expended by the board of that district for
 4    any of the programs included in the block grant or any of the
 5    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
 
HB2063 Engrossed            -3-               LRB9201911NTsbC
 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 IC 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    (Source: P.A. 90-566,  eff.  1-2-98;  90-653,  eff.  7-29-98;
29    91-711, eff. 7-1-00.)

30        (105 ILCS 5/2-3.51a new)
31        Sec. 2-3.51a.  Reading improvement grants.
32        (a)  Beginning  with the 2001-2002 school year, the State
33    Board of Education, from a separate  appropriation  made  for
 
HB2063 Engrossed            -4-               LRB9201911NTsbC
 1    the  purposes of this Section, shall make reading improvement
 2    grants to school districts in order to  improve  the  reading
 3    and  study skills of students in kindergarten through twelfth
 4    grade.  The State Board may use up to 2% of the appropriation
 5    for the purpose of providing teacher training and  retraining
 6    in  the  teaching  of  reading.  The remaining funds shall be
 7    distributed to school districts as follows:
 8             (1)  Up to the first $5,000,000 in new funds in  the
 9        2001-2002  school  year shall be distributed to districts
10        serving grades 7 through 12.    Of  the  funds  allocated
11        under this paragraph (1), 70% shall be distributed on the
12        basis of each district's share of the prior year's best 3
13        months  average  daily attendance in those grades and 30%
14        shall be distributed on  the  basis  of  each  district's
15        share   of   the  prior  year's  number  of  economically
16        disadvantaged (ESEA Title I) pupils in those grades.
17             (2)  The remainder of  the  appropriation  shall  be
18        distributed  to  districts  serving  kindergarten through
19        grade 6.  Of the funds  allocated  under  this  paragraph
20        (2),  70%  shall  be  distributed  on  the  basis of each
21        district's share  of  the  prior  year's  best  3  months
22        average daily attendance in those grades and 30% shall be
23        distributed  on the basis of each district's share of the
24        prior year's number of economically  disadvantaged  (ESEA
25        Title I) pupils in those grades.
26        Grants  shall  be prorated as necessary for the 2001-2002
27    school year to ensure that the grant for each school district
28    shall be no less than the grant that  the  district  received
29    during   the   2000-2001   school   year  under  the  Reading
30    Improvement Block Grant Program.
31        Program funds shall be distributed to school districts in
32    2 semi-annual installments, one payment on or before  October
33    30 and one payment on or before April 30, each year.
34        (b)  A  grant  shall  be  awarded to each school district
 
HB2063 Engrossed            -5-               LRB9201911NTsbC
 1    submitting an approved application on a form provided by  the
 2    State  Board  of  Education.  The application shall include a
 3    proposed assessment method for measuring the  reading  growth
 4    of students who receive direct instruction as a result of the
 5    funding  and  the  impact  of staff development activities on
 6    student growth in reading.   Such  methods  may  include  the
 7    reading portion of the Illinois Standards Achievement Testing
 8    Program.   At the end of each school year, the district shall
 9    report performance of progress results to  the  State  Board.
10    Districts  not  demonstrating  performance  progress using an
11    approved assessment method shall not be eligible for  funding
12    in  the  third  or  subsequent  years  until such progress is
13    established.
14        (c)  Grants shall be used to  hire  reading  specialists,
15    reading teachers, and reading aides in order to provide early
16    reading  intervention  in  kindergarten  through  grade 2 and
17    programs of continued reading support for students in  grades
18    3  through  12  who  need continued assistance in learning to
19    read  or  in  maintaining  reading   achievement.    Programs
20    provided with grant funds shall not replace quality classroom
21    reading   instruction,  but  shall  instead  supplement  such
22    instruction.  Therefore, funds may be used  for  professional
23    development for classroom teachers, administrators, and other
24    appropriate  staff members on the teaching of reading.  Funds
25    used for instruction and staff development must be  based  on
26    scientifically-based reading research and best practices that
27    demonstrate  student  growth in reading achievement.  In this
28    Section, the  term  "scientifically-based  reading  research"
29    means  the application of rigorous, systematic, and objective
30    procedures to obtain  valid  knowledge  relevant  to  reading
31    development,  reading  instruction, and reading difficulties.
32    The term includes research that employs systematic, empirical
33    methods that draw  on  observation  or  experiment,  involves
34    rigorous  data  analysis  that is adequate to test the stated
 
HB2063 Engrossed            -6-               LRB9201911NTsbC
 1    hypotheses and to  justify  the  general  conclusions  drawn,
 2    relies  on measurements or observational methods that provide
 3    valid  data  across  evaluators  and  observers  and   across
 4    multiple measurements and observations, and has been accepted
 5    by   peer-reviewed   journal   or  approved  by  a  panel  of
 6    independent experts through a comparably rigorous,  objective
 7    and scientific review.
 8        Grants shall be used as follows:
 9             (1)  In  kindergarten  through  second  grade, funds
10        shall be used  to  establish  short-term  tutorial  early
11        reading  intervention  programs  for  children who are at
12        risk of failing to learn to read.  The programs shall (i)
13        focus on scientifically-based research and best practices
14        with proven long-term results, (ii) identify students  in
15        need  of  help  no  later than the middle of first grade,
16        (iii)  provide  ongoing  training  for  teachers  in  the
17        program,  (iv)  focus  instruction  on  strengthening   a
18        student's   phonemic  awareness,  phonics,  fluency,  and
19        comprehension skills, (v) provide a means to document and
20        evaluate  student  growth,  and  (vi)  provide   properly
21        trained staff.
22             (2)  In  grades  3 through 6, funds shall be used to
23        establish  programs   of   support   for   students   who
24        demonstrate  a  need for continued assistance in learning
25        to read and in maintaining  reading  achievement.   These
26        programs shall (i) focus on scientifically-based research
27        and  best  practices  with proven long-term results, (ii)
28        provide ongoing training for  teachers  and  other  staff
29        members  in  the  program,  (iii)  focus  instruction  on
30        strengthening   a   student's   phonics,   fluency,   and
31        comprehension  skills in grades 3 through 6, (iv) provide
32        a means to evaluate and document student growth, and  (v)
33        provide properly trained staff.
34             (3)  In  grades  K through 6, funds shall be used to
 
HB2063 Engrossed            -7-               LRB9201911NTsbC
 1        provide classroom reading materials for  students.   Each
 2        district  shall  allocate up to 10% of the funds for this
 3        purpose if the appropriation exceeds $92,000,000.
 4             (4)  In grades 7 through 12, funds shall be used  to
 5        establish  programs  of  support  for  students  who need
 6        continued  assistance  in  learning  to   read   and   in
 7        maintaining  reading  achievement.   These programs shall
 8        (i)  focus  on  best  scientifically-based  research  and
 9        practice with  proven  long-term  results,  (ii)  provide
10        ongoing  training for teachers and other staff members in
11        the program, (iii) focus instruction on  strengthening  a
12        student's  comprehension  of  informational and technical
13        text and study skills, (iv) provide a means  to  evaluate
14        and  document  student progress, and (v) provide properly
15        trained staff.
16             (5)  Funds shall be  used  to  provide  a  long-term
17        professional  development program for classroom teachers,
18        administrators, and other appropriate staff.  The program
19        shall (i) focus on scientifically-based research and best
20        practices with proven long-term results, (ii)  provide  a
21        means to evaluate student progress in reading as a result
22        of  the training, (iii) and be provided by approved staff
23        development providers.
24        (d)  The   State   Superintendent   of   Education,    in
25    cooperation  with  the school districts participating in this
26    reading  grant  program,  shall  annually   report   to   the
27    leadership  of  the  General  Assembly  on the results of the
28    reading  grant  program  and  the  progress  being  made   on
29    improving  the  reading  skills  of  students in kindergarten
30    through twelfth grade.
31        (e)  The State Board  of  Education  may  promulgate  any
32    rules necessary for implementation of this Section.

33        (105 ILCS 5/2-3.51 rep.)
 
HB2063 Engrossed            -8-               LRB9201911NTsbC
 1        Section  10.   The  School  Code  is amended by repealing
 2    Section 2-3.51.

 3        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act  takes  effect  on
 4    July 1, 2001.

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