Public Act 094-0507
 
SB0010 Enrolled LRB094 04952 RAS 34981 b

    AN ACT concerning education.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
Section 5.640 as follows:
 
    (30 ILCS 105/5.640 new)
    Sec. 5.640. The Parental Participation Pilot Project Fund.
This Section is repealed on December 31, 2010.
 
    Section 10. The School Code is amended by adding Section
2-3.137 as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.137 new)
    Sec. 2-3.137. Parental participation pilot project.
    (a) By the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year, the
State Board of Education shall by rule establish a parental
participation pilot project to provide grants to the lowest
performing school districts to help such districts improve
parental participation through activities, including, but not
limited to, parent-teacher conferences, open houses, family
nights, volunteer opportunities, and family outreach
materials.
    (b) The pilot project shall be for a period of at least 4
school years. The State Board shall establish a procedure and
develop criteria for the administration of the pilot project.
In administering the pilot project, the State Board shall do
the following:
        (1) select participating school districts or schools;
        (2) define the conditions for the distribution and use
    of grant funds;
        (3) enter into contracts as necessary to implement the
    pilot project; and
        (4) monitor local pilot project implementation.
    (c) The Parental Participation Pilot Project Fund is
created as a special fund in the State treasury. All money in
the Parental Participation Pilot Project Fund shall be used,
subject to appropriation, by the State Board for the pilot
project. To implement the pilot project, the State Board may
use any funds appropriated by the General Assembly for the
purposes of the pilot project as well as any gift, grant, or
donation given for the pilot project. The State Board may
solicit and accept a gift, grant, or donation of any kind from
any source, including from a foundation, private entity,
governmental entity, or institution of higher education, for
the implementation of the pilot project.
    The State Board shall use pilot project funds for grants to
low-performing school districts to encourage parental
participation.
    The State Board may not allocate more than $250,000
annually for the pilot project. The pilot project may be
implemented only if sufficient funds are available under this
Section for that purpose.
    (d) A school district may apply to the State Board for the
establishment of a parental participation pilot project for the
entire district or for a particular school or group of schools
in the district.
    The State Board shall select 4 school districts to
participate in the pilot project. One school district shall be
located in the City of Chicago, one school district shall be
located in that portion of Cook County that is located outside
of the City of Chicago, one school district shall be located in
the area that makes up the counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake,
McHenry, and Will, and one school district shall be located in
the remainder of the State.
    The State Board shall select the participating districts
and schools for the pilot project based on each district's or
school's need for the pilot project. In selecting participants,
the State Board shall consider the following criteria:
        (1) whether the district or school has any of the
    following problems and whether those problems can be
    mitigated or addressed through enhanced parental
    participation:
            (A) low rates of satisfactory performance on
        assessment instruments under Section 2-3.64 of this
        Code;
            (B) high rates of low-income students, limited
        English proficient students, dropouts, chronically
        truant students, and student mobility; or
            (C) low student attendance rates; and
        (2) the methods the district or school will use to
    measure the progress of the pilot project in the district
    or school in accordance with subsection (f) of this
    Section.
    (e) Each participating school district or school shall
establish a parental participation committee to assist in
developing and implementing the parental participation pilot
project.
    The school board of a participating district or of a
district in which a participating school is located shall
appoint individuals to the committee. The committee may be
composed of any of the following:
        (1) educators;
        (2) district-level administrators;
        (3) community leaders;
        (4) parents of students who attend a participating
    school; or
        (5) any other individual the school board finds
    appropriate.
    The committee shall develop an academic improvement plan
that details how the pilot project should be implemented in the
participating district or school. In developing the academic
improvement plan, the committee shall consider the educational
problems in the district or school that could be mitigated
through the implementation of the pilot project.
    The committee shall recommend to the school board how the
pilot project funds should be used to implement the academic
improvement plan. The committee may recommend annually any
necessary changes in the academic improvement plan to the
school board. The State Board must approve the academic
improvement plan or any changes in the academic improvement
plan before disbursing pilot project funds to the school board.
    (f) The school board of each school district participating
in the pilot project shall send an annual progress report to
the State Board no later than August 1 of each year that the
district is participating in the pilot project. The report must
state in detail the type of plan being used in the district or
school and the effect of the pilot project on the district or
school, including the following:
        (1) the academic progress of students who are
    participating in the pilot project, as measured by
    performance on assessment instruments;
        (2) if applicable, a comparison of student progress in
    a school or classroom that is participating in the pilot
    project as compared with student progress in the schools or
    classrooms in the district that are not participating in
    the pilot project;
        (3) any elements of the pilot project that contribute
    to improved student performance on assessment instruments
    administered under Section 2-3.64 of this Code or any other
    assessment instrument required by the State Board;
        (4) any cost savings and improved efficiency relating
    to school personnel;
        (5) any effect on student dropout and attendance rates;
        (6) any effect on student enrollment in higher
    education;
        (7) any effect on teacher performance and retention;
        (8) any improvement in communications among students,
    teachers, parents, and administrators;
        (9) any improvement in parental involvement in the
    education of the parent's child; and
        (10) any effect on community involvement and support
    for the district or school.
    (g) After the expiration of the 4-year pilot project, the
State Board shall review the pilot project, based on the annual
reports the State Board receives from the school boards of
participating school districts, conduct a final evaluation,
and report its findings to the General Assembly no later than
December 31, 2010.
    (h) This Section is repealed on December 31, 2010.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.