HB4495ham003 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. André Thapedi

Filed: 4/26/2018

10000HB4495ham003 LRB100 18415 AXK 39346 a

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4495

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4495, AS AMENDED, by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Vocational Academy Opportunity Act.

Section 5. Definition. In this Act, "Board" means the Board of Trustees created by this Act.

Section 10. Establishment, funding, and, location.

(a) There are initially created 2 vocational academies, one located in Cook County and the other in St. Clair County, which shall be residential institutions. Each academy shall be located within 5 linear miles of a major interstate in a community where the average income of a household of 3 people is no greater than 100% of the federal poverty level. The land value of the community in which the academy is located may not exceed $7.50 per square foot.

(b) Each academy shall exist as an intergovernmental agreement among the public school districts of this State, with one half of the school districts assigned to one academy and one half of the school districts assigned to the other academy. Each academy may admit those students who reside in a school district assigned to the academy and who have completed the academic equivalent of the 9th grade and shall offer a program of secondary coursework that is appropriate for students in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades and that offers courses that meet the prerequisites to receiving a high school diploma under Section 27-22 of the School Code. Each academy shall be governed by the School Code and shall function as a public school. Admission shall be determined by competitive examination.

(c) In order to be eligible for State appropriations, on or before October 6, 2019 and annually thereafter, each academy shall present to the State Board of Education a budget for the following school year. The State Board shall review and approve the budget or send the budget back to the academy for any revisions.

(d) When a student is accepted for enrollment in an academy, the academy shall notify the State Board of Education. The State Board shall award a grant in the amount of the tuition necessary for that student to the public school district in which the student lives. If the student was not enrolled in a public school in the prior school year, the student may attend the academy, but shall pay the full tuition amount. In no case shall public moneys be used to offset the tuition of that student.

Section 15. Board of Trustees. The academies shall be governed by a single Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees shall be elected by the district superintendents whose school districts are members of the intergovernmental agreement and shall have the same authority as the board of any special education or vocational education cooperative created through an intergovernmental agreement.

Section 20. Academy property. Each academy shall be empowered to lease or purchase real or personal property on commercially reasonable terms for the use by the academy. Any leases or purchases of real or personal property and any disposition of the property by an academy shall be in compliance with the provisions of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois and the State Property Control Act. Personal property acquired for use by an academy shall be inventoried and disposed of in accordance with the State Property Control Act.

Section 25. Indemnification. Each academy, the Board, and its employees shall be represented and indemnified in certain civil law suits in accordance with the State Employee Indemnification Act. An academy or its officers or employees and the Board may not participate in the creation of any corporation, joint venture, partnership, association, or other organizational entity that exercises, expands, or enhances the powers, duties, or responsibilities of the academy, unless specifically authorized by the General Assembly. This Section does not restrict an academy from creating any organizational entity that is within or a part of the academy.

Section 705. The State Finance Act is amended by adding Sections 5.886 and 6z-105 as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/5.886 new)

Sec. 5.886. The Vocational Academy Fund.

(30 ILCS 105/6z-105 new)

Sec. 6z-105. Vocational Academy Fund. The Vocational Academy Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury. All moneys deposited into the Fund, which may include private contributions or endowments, shall be appropriated to the State Board of Education to provide financial assistance to the vocational academies created under the Vocational Academy Opportunity Act. Moneys appropriated from the Fund shall supplement and not supplant the current level of education funding.".