Public Act 094-0855
 
HB4986 Enrolled LRB094 16930 NHT 54605 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 changing Section
2-3.80 as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.80)  (from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.80)
    Sec. 2-3.80. (a) The General Assembly recognizes that
agriculture is the most basic and singularly important industry
in the State, that agriculture is of central importance to the
welfare and economic stability of the State, and that the
maintenance of this vital industry requires a continued source
of trained and qualified individuals for employment in
agriculture and agribusiness. The General Assembly hereby
declares that it is in the best interests of the people of the
State of Illinois that a comprehensive education program in
agriculture be created and maintained by the State's public
school system in order to ensure an adequate supply of trained
and skilled individuals and to ensure appropriate
representation of racial and ethnic groups in all phases of the
industry. It is the intent of the General Assembly that a State
program for agricultural education shall be a part of the
curriculum of the public school system K through adult, and
made readily available to all school districts which may, at
their option, include programs in education in agriculture as a
part of the curriculum of that district.
    (b) The State Board of Education shall adopt such rules and
regulations as are necessary to implement the provisions of
this Section. The rules and regulations shall not create any
new State mandates on school districts as a condition of
receiving federal, State, and local funds by those entities. It
is in the intent of the General Assembly that, although this
Section does not create any new mandates, school districts are
strongly advised to follow the guidelines set forth in this
Section.
    (c) The State Superintendent of Education shall assume
responsibility for the administration of the State program
adopted under this Section throughout the public school system
as well as the articulation of the State program to the
requirements and mandates of federally assisted education.
There is currently within the State Board of Education an
agricultural education unit to assist school districts in the
establishment and maintenance of educational programs pursuant
to the provisions of this Section. The staffing of the unit
shall at all times be comprised of an appropriate number of
full-time employees who shall serve as program consultants in
agricultural education and shall be available to provide
assistance to school districts. At least one consultant shall
be responsible for the coordination of the State program, as
Head Consultant. At least one consultant shall be responsible
for the coordination of the activities of student and
agricultural organizations and associations.
    (d) A committee of 13 agriculturalists representative of
the various and diverse areas of the agricultural industry in
Illinois shall be established to at least develop a curriculum
and overview the implementation of the Build Illinois through
Quality Agricultural Education plans of the Illinois
Leadership Council for Agricultural Education and to advise the
State Board of Education on vocational agricultural education.
The Committee shall be composed of the following: (6)
agriculturalists representing the Illinois Leadership Council
for Agricultural Education; (2) Secondary Agriculture
Teachers; (1) "Ag In The Classroom" Teacher; (1) Community
College Agriculture Teacher; (1) Adult Agriculture Education
Teacher; (1) University Agriculture Teacher Educator; and (1)
FFA Representative. All members of the Committee shall be
appointed by the Governor by and with the advice and consent of
the Senate. The terms of all members so appointed shall be for
3 years, except that of the members initially appointed, 5
shall be appointed to serve for terms of 1 year, 4 shall be
appointed to serve for terms of 2 years and 4 shall be
appointed to serve for terms of 3 years. All members of the
Committee shall serve until their successors are appointed and
qualified. Vacancies in terms shall be filled by appointment of
the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate for the
extent of the unexpired term. The State Board of Education
shall implement a Build Illinois through Quality Agricultural
Education plan following receipt of these recommendations
which shall be made available on or before March 31, 1987.
Recommendations shall include, but not be limited to, the
development of a curriculum and a strategy for the purpose of
establishing a source of trained and qualified individuals in
agriculture, a strategy for articulating the State program in
agricultural education throughout the public school system,
and a consumer education outreach strategy regarding the
importance of agriculture in Illinois. The committee of
agriculturalists shall serve without compensation.
    (e) A school district that offers a secondary agricultural
education program that is approved for State and federal
funding must ensure that, at a minimum, all of the following
are available to its secondary agricultural education
students:
        (1) An instructional sequence of courses approved by
    the State Board of Education.
        (2) A State and nationally affiliated FFA (Future
    Farmers of America) chapter that is integral to instruction
    and is not treated solely as an extracurricular activity.
        (3) A mechanism for ensuring the involvement of all
    secondary agricultural education students in formal,
    supervised, agricultural-experience activities and
    programs.
    (f) Nothing in this Section may prevent those secondary
agricultural education programs that are in operation before
the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General
Assembly and that do not have an active State and nationally
affiliated FFA chapter from continuing to operate or from
continuing to receive funding from the State Board of
Education.
(Source: P.A. 84-1452.)