HB2093 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB2093

Introduced , by Rep. Fred Crespo

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

20 ILCS 3975/4.7 new
105 ILCS 433/15
105 ILCS 433/20 new
110 ILCS 805/2-16.02	from Ch. 122, par. 102-16.02

Amends the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board Act. Provides that on or before December 15, 2019, and on or before each December 15 thereafter, the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board must review labor market data and projections in this State and must submit to the State Board of Education and the Illinois Community College Board a list of each career area, along with a designation of one of 3 categories. Amends the Vocational Academies Act. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2020, the State Board must allocate grants to vocational academies with consideration to certain factors. Provides that on or before December 15, 2020, and on or before each December 15 thereafter, the State Board must report to the General Assembly enrollment and completion data for each vocational academy and the number and type of pathway endorsements issued to students under a Community Partnership for Pathway Endorsement grant program. Amends the Public Community College Act. Provides that, subject to appropriation and allocation of matching grants through the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, the Illinois Community College Board must administer a program to provide Community Partnership for Pathway Endorsement grants to community college districts; specifies grant requirements. Provides that no more than 20 grants may be awarded each year and the grant amount must be at least $40,000 for a partnership that serves 5 high schools and may be up to $75,000 for a partnership that serves more than 5 high schools. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Workforce Innovation Board Act is amended by adding Section 4.7 as follows:

(20 ILCS 3975/4.7 new)

Sec. 4.7. Valuing career areas for educational purposes. On or before December 15, 2019, and on or before each December 15 thereafter, the Board must review labor market data and projections in this State. The Board must submit to the State Board of Education and the Illinois Community College Board a list of each career area in this State, with each of these career areas being designated as one of the following:

(1) "High value", which means a career area that the Board recognizes as having a high employment demand and a high average wage level, a high employment demand and a moderate average wage level, or a moderate employment demand and a high average wage level.

(2) "Moderate value", which means a career area that the Board recognizes as having a moderate employment demand and a moderate average wage level, a high employment demand and a low average wage level, or a low employment demand and a high average wage level.

(3) "Low value", which means a career area that the Board recognizes as having a low employment demand and a low average wage level, a moderate employment demand and a low average wage level, or a low employment demand and a moderate average wage level. For a particular career area, the list may specify different designations for different regions of this State.

Section 10. The Vocational Academies Act is amended by changing Section 15 and by adding Section 20 as follows:

(105 ILCS 433/15)

Sec. 15. Grants.

(a) Subject to appropriation or other available federal or private funding, the State Board of Education may provide grants to vocational academies that meet the requirements of this Act.

(b) Beginning July 1, 2020, the State Board must consider all of the following factors when allocating grants to vocational academies under this Section:

(1) The number and proportion of students served who are eligible for a free or reduced-price lunch under the federal Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.

(2) The number of course enrollments in programs of study that are designated by the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board as "high value", "moderate value", or "low value" under Section 4.7 of the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board Act.

(3) The number of course enrollments by sequence of course, including introductory courses and secondary or higher education courses, within a program of study.

(c) After receiving a list under Section 4.7 of the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board Act, the State Board must adopt a methodology by which the next school year's grants will be allocated under this Section. The methodology must incentivize completion of pathway sequences, enrollment in programs of study in high value career areas, and equity in enrollment in high value career area courses for low-income students.

(Source: P.A. 94-220, eff. 7-14-05.)

(105 ILCS 433/20 new)

Sec. 20. Report. On or before December 15, 2020, and on or before each December 15 thereafter, the State Board of Education must report to the General Assembly enrollment and completion data for each vocational academy and the number and type of pathway endorsements issued to students under Section 2-16.02 of the Public Community College Act.

Section 15. The Public Community College Act is amended by changing Section 2-16.02 as follows:

(110 ILCS 805/2-16.02) (from Ch. 122, par. 102-16.02)

Sec. 2-16.02. Grants. Any community college district that maintains a community college recognized by the State Board shall receive, when eligible, grants enumerated in this Section. Funded semester credit hours or other measures or both as specified by the State Board shall be used to distribute grants to community colleges. Funded semester credit hours shall be defined, for purposes of this Section, as the greater of (1) the number of semester credit hours, or equivalent, in all funded instructional categories of students who have been certified as being in attendance at midterm during the respective terms of the base fiscal year or (2) the average of semester credit hours, or equivalent, in all funded instructional categories of students who have been certified as being in attendance at midterm during the respective terms of the base fiscal year and the 2 prior fiscal years. For purposes of this Section, "base fiscal year" means the fiscal year 2 years prior to the fiscal year for which the grants are appropriated. Such students shall have been residents of Illinois and shall have been enrolled in courses that are part of instructional program categories approved by the State Board and that are applicable toward an associate degree or certificate. Courses that are eligible for reimbursement are those courses for which the district pays 50% or more of the program costs from unrestricted revenue sources, with the exception of dual credit courses and courses offered by contract with the Department of Corrections in correctional institutions. For the purposes of this Section, "unrestricted revenue sources" means those revenues in which the provider of the revenue imposes no financial limitations upon the district as it relates to the expenditure of the funds. Except for Fiscal Year 2012, base operating grants shall be paid based on rates per funded semester credit hour or equivalent calculated by the State Board for funded instructional categories using cost of instruction, enrollment, inflation, and other relevant factors. For Fiscal Year 2012, the allocations for base operating grants to community college districts shall be the same as they were in Fiscal Year 2011, reduced or increased proportionately according to the appropriation for base operating grants for Fiscal Year 2012.

Equalization grants shall be calculated by the State Board by determining a local revenue factor for each district by: (A) adding (1) each district's Corporate Personal Property Replacement Fund allocations from the base fiscal year or the average of the base fiscal year and prior year, whichever is less, divided by the applicable statewide average tax rate to (2) the district's most recently audited year's equalized assessed valuation or the average of the most recently audited year and prior year, whichever is less, (B) then dividing by the district's audited full-time equivalent resident students for the base fiscal year or the average for the base fiscal year and the 2 prior fiscal years, whichever is greater, and (C) then multiplying by the applicable statewide average tax rate. The State Board shall calculate a statewide weighted average threshold by applying the same methodology to the totals of all districts' Corporate Personal Property Tax Replacement Fund allocations, equalized assessed valuations, and audited full-time equivalent district resident students and multiplying by the applicable statewide average tax rate. The difference between the statewide weighted average threshold and the local revenue factor, multiplied by the number of full-time equivalent resident students, shall determine the amount of equalization funding that each district is eligible to receive. A percentage factor, as determined by the State Board, may be applied to the statewide threshold as a method for allocating equalization funding. A minimum equalization grant of an amount per district as determined by the State Board shall be established for any community college district which qualifies for an equalization grant based upon the preceding criteria, but becomes ineligible for equalization funding, or would have received a grant of less than the minimum equalization grant, due to threshold prorations applied to reduce equalization funding. As of July 1, 2013, a community college district eligible to receive an equalization grant based upon the preceding criteria must maintain a minimum required combined in-district tuition and universal fee rate per semester credit hour equal to 70% of the State-average combined rate, as determined by the State Board, or the total revenue received by the community college district from combined in-district tuition and universal fees must be at least 30% of the total revenue received by the community college district, as determined by the State Board, for equalization funding. As of July 1, 2004, a community college district must maintain a minimum required operating tax rate equal to at least 95% of its maximum authorized tax rate to qualify for equalization funding. This 95% minimum tax rate requirement shall be based upon the maximum operating tax rate as limited by the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law.

Subject to appropriation and allocation of matching grants through the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, the State Board must administer a program, in coordination with Northern Illinois University, to provide Community Partnership for Pathway Endorsement grants to community college districts. To qualify for a grant, a community college district must submit an application to the State Board that includes all of the following:

(1) An agreement between the community college district and other entities, including school districts in the region, employers or employer associations, a local workforce innovation board, at least one State university, and community-based organizations, setting forth the approach of the partnership and which entity will manage the grant funds.

(2) Identification of at least 2 regional economic development priority areas in which the partners will develop endorsements.

(3) A commitment from employer and postsecondary partners to establish recognition of and incentives for endorsements. No more than 20 grants may be awarded each year. The grant amount must be at least $40,000 for a partnership that serves 5 high schools and may be up to $75,000 for a partnership that serves more than 5 high schools. The State Board may retain up to 5% of the appropriation for grants to support implementation and to conduct semiannual conventions bringing together partners from different regions of this State.

The State Board shall distribute such other grants as may be authorized or appropriated by the General Assembly.

Each community college district entitled to State grants under this Section must submit a report of its enrollment to the State Board not later than 30 days following the end of each semester or term in a format prescribed by the State Board. These semester credit hours, or equivalent, shall be certified by each district on forms provided by the State Board. Each district's certified semester credit hours, or equivalent, are subject to audit pursuant to Section 3-22.1.

The State Board shall certify, prepare, and submit monthly vouchers to the State Comptroller setting forth an amount equal to one-twelfth of the grants approved by the State Board for base operating grants and equalization grants. The State Board shall prepare and submit to the State Comptroller vouchers for payments of other grants as appropriated by the General Assembly. If the amount appropriated for grants is different from the amount provided for such grants under this Act, the grants shall be proportionately reduced or increased accordingly.

For the purposes of this Section, "resident student" means a student in a community college district who maintains residency in that district or meets other residency definitions established by the State Board, and who was enrolled either in one of the approved instructional program categories in that district, or in another community college district to which the resident's district is paying tuition under Section 6-2 or with which the resident's district has entered into a cooperative agreement in lieu of such tuition. Students shall be classified as residents of the community college district without meeting the 30-day residency requirement of the district if they are currently residing in the district and are youth (i) who are currently under the legal guardianship of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services or have recently been emancipated from the Department and (ii) who had previously met the 30-day residency requirement of the district but who had a placement change into a new community college district. The student, a caseworker or other personnel of the Department, or the student's attorney or guardian ad litem appointed under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 shall provide the district with proof of current in-district residency.

For the purposes of this Section, a "full-time equivalent" student is equal to 30 semester credit hours.

The Illinois Community College Board Contracts and Grants Fund is hereby created in the State Treasury. Items of income to this fund shall include any grants, awards, endowments, or like proceeds, and where appropriate, other funds made available through contracts with governmental, public, and private agencies or persons. The General Assembly shall from time to time make appropriations payable from such fund for the support, improvement, and expenses of the State Board and Illinois community college districts.

(Source: P.A. 99-845, eff. 1-1-17; 100-884, eff. 1-1-19.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.