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| 1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, In the 2005-2006 school year, over 322,000 | ||||||
| 3 | children with disabilities were served in special education | ||||||
| 4 | programs across Illinois; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, The number of children in special education | ||||||
| 6 | programs has risen 5.4% in the last 5 years, and special | ||||||
| 7 | education accounts for approximately 23% of all State education | ||||||
| 8 | spending; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, The federal government has established a goal of | ||||||
| 10 | reimbursing 40% of the costs of special education incurred by | ||||||
| 11 | school districts, but it currently provides only 18% of costs | ||||||
| 12 | nationally and only 14% in Illinois; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, Illinois has failed for decades to update | ||||||
| 14 | reimbursement rates for special education costs, with the last | ||||||
| 15 | reimbursement rate set in 1973 for special education orphanage | ||||||
| 16 | tuition, in 1985 for special education personnel, in 1978 for | ||||||
| 17 | special education private tuition, in 1976 for special | ||||||
| 18 | education summer school, and in 1965 for special education | ||||||
| 19 | transportation; and
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| 20 | WHEREAS, Illinois has continued to prorate special | ||||||
| 21 | education mandated categoricals at less than 100%, with the | ||||||
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| 1 | FY07 budget prorating these mandated categoricals at 97%; and | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, Even if Illinois fully funded mandated | ||||||
| 3 | categoricals at 100%, this would still only represent partial | ||||||
| 4 | funding, as the reimbursement rates are severely outdated; and | ||||||
| 5 | WHEREAS, Illinois school districts currently spend an | ||||||
| 6 | estimated $1 billion from their own general education funds to | ||||||
| 7 | meet the unreimbursed costs of special education services that | ||||||
| 8 | are mandated by federal and State laws and administrative | ||||||
| 9 | rules; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Special education continues to represent a | ||||||
| 11 | growing financial burden on school districts as the need for | ||||||
| 12 | services increases while State and federal funding fails to | ||||||
| 13 | increase along with that need; therefore, be it
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| 14 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 15 | NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
| 16 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that a task force shall be created to | ||||||
| 17 | study current special education funding needs and to make | ||||||
| 18 | recommendations as to how the State can increase special | ||||||
| 19 | education funding and ease the financial burden on school | ||||||
| 20 | districts; and be it further
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| 21 | RESOLVED, That the task force shall consist of the State | ||||||
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| 1 | Superintendent of Education (or his or her designee) plus 16 | ||||||
| 2 | members appointed as follows: the House Majority Leader and the | ||||||
| 3 | House Minority Leader shall each appoint one representative, | ||||||
| 4 | the Senate President and the Senate Minority Leader shall each | ||||||
| 5 | appoint one senator, and these 4 leaders shall each appoint 3 | ||||||
| 6 | public members representing the interests of special education | ||||||
| 7 | administrators and services, school districts, and disability | ||||||
| 8 | advocates; and be it further | ||||||
| 9 | RESOLVED, That the task force shall be facilitated by the | ||||||
| 10 | State Board of Education; and be it further
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| 11 | RESOLVED, That the task force shall report its findings and | ||||||
| 12 | recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by | ||||||
| 13 | January 1, 2008; and be it further | ||||||
| 14 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 15 | transmitted to the State Superintendent of Education.
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