HB5000eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB5000 Engrossed LRB095 18464 RAS 44550 b

AN ACT concerning education.

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

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Children's Low-cost Laptop Act.

Section 5. Policy and purpose. The General Assembly finds that the decreasing cost of computer technology makes it possible today to equip more children than ever before with 21st century learning tools. The dramatic expansion of low-cost computing options and the worldwide reliance on computer technology for commerce, education, information, and social interaction makes it ever more important to introduce computing skills to students at an early age. Accordingly, the State Board of Education shall establish a pilot project to provide a low-cost laptop computer to each student, teacher, and relevant administrator in a participating elementary school and implement the use of educational software and computer skills training in order to improve academic achievement and the progress measures listed in subsection (a) of Section 20 in this Act.

Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:

"Elementary school" means any school that maintains grades one through 6.

"Low-cost laptop" means a portable personal computer suitable for use among elementary school-aged children, under $400 in initial cost.

"State Board" means the State Board of Education.

Section 15. Pilot project; Elementary Students' Low-cost Laptop Fund.

(a) The State Board shall provide for the administration of a low-cost laptop pilot project. The pilot project shall be for a period of at least 2 years. In administering the pilot project, the State Board shall:

(1) select participating elementary schools;

(2) define the conditions for the distribution and use of laptop computers and other technologies;

(3) coordinate a statewide grant program to purchase and distribute laptop computers and other technologies;

(4) monitor local pilot project implementation; and

(5) conduct a final evaluation of the pilot project.

(b) The Elementary Students' Low-Cost Laptop Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury. All money in this 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. Funds for the pilot project may not be used for the construction of a building or other facility. The State Board shall use pilot project funds for the following:

(1) low-cost laptop computers;

(2) replacements for any of the following low-cost laptop components: batteries, power cords, or other software and hardware; and

(3) the hiring of staff to administer professional development and technical support for participating teachers; for the purposes of this item (3), "professional development" means the training of certified teaching professionals in the integration of low-cost laptop computers into the classroom curriculum.

The State Board may not allocate more than $100 million for the pilot project. The pilot project may be implemented only if sufficient funds are available under this Section for that purpose.

Section 20. Program participation requirements. A school or district may apply to the State Board for the establishment of a low-cost laptop pilot project grant for an entire school or for a particular grade or group of classrooms in a school.

The State Board shall select up to 300 schools to participate in the pilot project. At least one-third of the selected schools shall be located in the City of Chicago; at least one-third shall be located in the area that makes up the counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, and that portion of Cook County that is located outside of the City of Chicago; and at least one-third shall be located in the remainder of the State.

The State Board shall select the participating districts or 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 each school's:

(1) free and reduced lunch eligible student population;

(2) access to educational technology resources;

(3) rate of satisfactory performance on standardized tests;

(4) readiness to incorporate technology into its classrooms;

(5) availability of technology support staff and professional development funds; and

(6) planned methods of measuring the progress of the pilot project.

Section 25. Reporting.

(a) The school board of each school 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 school is participating in the pilot project. The report must include the project's effect on:

(1) academic progress of students who are participating in the pilot project, as measured by performance on assessment instruments;

(2) student progress in schools or classrooms participating in the pilot project as compared with student progress in schools or classrooms not participating;

(3) student performance on assessment instruments required by the State Board;

(4) school cost savings on textbook or other purchases replaced by laptop abilities;

(5) attendance rates;

(6) teacher performance and retention;

(7) communications among students, teachers, parents, and administrators;

(8) parental involvement in education;

(9) community involvement and support for the school; and

(10) student proficiency in technologies or "computer literacy".

(b) Each school or district participating in the grant pilot project shall determine how the low-cost laptops are assigned and retained.

(c) After the expiration of the pilot project, the State Board shall review the project based on the annual reports the State Board receives from the school board of participating school districts.

Section 27. No authority to make or promulgate rules. Notwithstanding any other rulemaking authority that may exist, neither the Governor nor any agency or agency head under the jurisdiction of the Governor has any authority to make or promulgate rules to implement or enforce the provisions of this Act. If, however, the Governor believes that rules are necessary to implement or enforce the provisions of this Act, the Governor may suggest rules to the General Assembly by filing them with the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate and by requesting that the General Assembly authorize such rulemaking by law, enact those suggested rules into law, or take any other appropriate action in the General Assembly's discretion. Nothing contained in this Act shall be interpreted to grant rulemaking authority under any other Illinois statute where such authority is not otherwise explicitly given. For the purposes of this Act, "rules" is given the meaning contained in Section 1-70 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, and "agency" and "agency head" are given the meanings contained in Sections 1-20 and 1-25 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to the extent that such definitions apply to agencies or agency heads under the jurisdiction of the Governor.

Section 30. Repeal. This Act is repealed on August 31, 2011.

Section 90. The State Finance Act is amended by adding Section 5.708 as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/5.708 new)

Sec. 5.708. The Elementary Students' Low-cost Laptop Fund. This Section is repealed on August 31, 2011.

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