Public Act 094-0894
 
SB2882 Enrolled LRB094 19085 NHT 54594 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
2-3.136 as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.136)
    Sec. 2-3.136. Class K-3 class size reduction grant programs
program.
    (a) A K-3 class size reduction grant program is created.
The program shall be implemented and administered by the State
Board of Education. From appropriations made for purposes of
this Section, the State Board shall award grants to schools
that meet the criteria established by this subsection (a)
Section for the award of those grants.
    Grants shall be awarded pursuant to application. The form
and manner of applications and the criteria for the award of
grants shall be prescribed by the State Board of Education. The
grant criteria as so prescribed, however, shall provide that
only those schools that are on the State Board of Education
Early Academic Warning List or the academic watch list under
Section 2-3.25d that maintain grades kindergarten through 3 are
grant eligible.
    Grants awarded to eligible schools under this subsection
(a) Section shall be used and applied by the schools to defray
the costs and expenses of operating and maintaining classes in
grades kindergarten through 3 with an average class size within
a specific grade of no more than 20 pupils. If a school's
facilities are inadequate to allow for this specified class
size, then a school may use the grant funds for teacher aides
instead.
    (b) A K-3 pilot class size reduction grant program is
created. The program shall be implemented and administered by
the State Board of Education. From appropriations made for
purposes of this subsection (b), the State Board shall award
grants to schools that meet the criteria established by this
Section for the award of those grants.
    Grants shall be awarded pursuant to application. The form
and manner of application and the criteria for the award of
grants shall be prescribed by the State Board of Education.
    Grants awarded to eligible schools under this subsection
(b) shall be used and applied by the schools to defray the
costs and expenses of operating and maintaining classes in
grades kindergarten through 3 of no more than 15 pupils per
teacher per class. A teacher aide may not be used to meet this
requirement.
    (c) If a school board determines that a school is using
funds awarded under this Section for purposes not authorized by
this Section, then the school board, rather than the school,
shall determine how the funds are used.
    (d) The State Board of Education shall adopt any rules,
consistent with the requirements of this Section, that are
necessary to implement and administer the K-3 class size
reduction grant programs program.
(Source: P.A. 93-814, eff. 7-27-04; 94-566, eff. 1-1-06.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
2006.