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1     AN ACT concerning education.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Article 27B
5 as follows:
 
6     (105 ILCS 5/Art. 27B heading new)
7
ARTICLE 27B. COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

 
8     (105 ILCS 5/27B-5 new)
9     Sec. 27B-5. Applicability. This Article applies beginning
10 with the 2009-2010 school year.
 
11     (105 ILCS 5/27B-10 new)
12     Sec. 27B-10. Legislative findings. The General Assembly
13 finds all of the following:
14         (1) All children are capable of success.
15         (2) Schools are the centers of vibrant communities.
16         (3) Strong families build strong educational
17     communities.
18         (4) Children succeed when adults work together to
19     foster positive educational outcomes.
20         (5) Schools work best when families take active roles
21     in the education of children.

 

 

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1         (6) Schools today are limited in their ability to
2     dedicate time and resources to provide a wide range of
3     educational opportunities to students because of the focus
4     on standardized test outcomes.
5         (7) By providing learning opportunities outside of
6     normal school hours, including programs on life skills and
7     health, students are more successful academically, more
8     engaged in their communities, safer, and better prepared to
9     make a successful transition from school to adulthood.
10         (8) A community school is a traditional school that
11     actively partners with its community to leverage existing
12     resources and identify new resources to support the
13     transformation of the school to provide enrichment and
14     additional life skill opportunities for students, parents,
15     and community members at-large. Each community school is
16     unique because its programming is designed by and for the
17     school staff, in partnership with parents, community
18     stakeholders, and students.
19         (9) Community schools currently exist in this State in
20     urban, rural, and suburban communities.
21         (10) Research shows that community schools have a
22     powerful positive impact on students, as demonstrated by
23     increased academic success, a positive change in attitudes
24     toward school and learning, and decreased behavioral
25     problems.
26         (11) After-school and evening programs offered by

 

 

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1     community schools provide academic enrichment consistent
2     with the Illinois Learning Standards and general school
3     curriculum; an opportunity for physical fitness activities
4     for students, fine arts programs, structured learning
5     "play" time, and other recreational opportunities; a safe
6     haven for students; and work supports for working families.
7         (12) Community schools are cost-effective because they
8     leverage existing resources provided by local, State,
9     federal, and private sources and bring programs to the
10     schools, where the students are already congregated.
11     Community schools have been shown to leverage between $5 to
12     $8 in existing programming for every $1 spent on a
13     community school.
 
14     (105 ILCS 5/27B-15 new)
15     Sec. 27B-15. Grants for Community Schools. Subject to an
16 appropriation or the availability of funding for such purposes,
17 the State Board of Education shall make grants available to
18 fund community schools and to enhance programs at community
19 schools. A request-for-proposal process must be used in
20 awarding grants under this Section. Proposals may be submitted
21 on behalf of a school, a school district, or a consortium of 2
22 or more schools or school districts. Proposals must be
23 evaluated and scored on the basis of criteria consistent with
24 this Article and other factors developed and adopted by the
25 Advisory Council on Community Schools established under this

 

 

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1 Article. Technical assistance in grant writing must be made
2 available to schools, school districts, or consortia of school
3 districts through the State Board of Education directly or
4 through a resource and referral directory established and
5 maintained by the State Board of Education.
 
6     (105 ILCS 5/27B-20 new)
7     Sec. 27B-20. Criteria for grants to community schools. In
8 order to qualify for a community school grant under this
9 Article, a school must, at a minimum, have the following
10 components:
11         (1) Before and after-school programming each school
12     day to meet the identified needs of students.
13         (2) Weekend programming.
14         (3) At least 4 weeks of summer programming.
15         (4) A local advisory group comprised of school
16     leadership, parents, and community stakeholders that
17     establishes school-specific programming goals, assesses
18     program needs, and oversees the process of implementing
19     expanded programming.
20         (5) A program director or resource coordinator who is
21     responsible for establishing a local advisory group,
22     assessing the needs of students and community members,
23     identifying programs to meet those needs, developing the
24     before and after-school, weekend, and summer programming
25     and overseeing the implementation of programming to ensure

 

 

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1     high quality, efficiency, and robust participation.
2         (6) Programming that includes academic excellence
3     aligned with the Illinois Learning Standards, life skills,
4     healthy minds and bodies, parental support, and community
5     engagement and that promotes staying in school and
6     non-violent behavior and non-violent conflict resolution.
7         (7) Maintenance of attendance records in all
8     programming components.
9         (8) Maintenance of measurable data showing annual
10     participation and the impact of programming on the
11     participating children and adults.
12         (9) Documentation of true collaboration between the
13     school and community stakeholders, including local
14     governmental units, civic organizations, families,
15     businesses, and social service providers.
16         (10) A non-discrimination policy ensuring that the
17     community school does not condition participation upon
18     race, ethnic origin, religion, sex, or disability.
 
19     (105 ILCS 5/27B-25 new)
20     Sec. 27B-25. Advisory council. Within 90 days after the
21 effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General
22 Assembly, the State Superintendent of Education shall appoint a
23 9-member Advisory Council on Community Schools. The Advisory
24 Council shall advise the State Superintendent and the State
25 Board of Education regarding policies and best practices for

 

 

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1 community schools, criteria for funding community schools, and
2 strategies to bring federal funding to this State for community
3 schools. The membership of the Advisory Council shall include
4 persons involved in community school leadership, at least one
5 representative of a statewide association that advocates for
6 community schools, parents involved in community schools, and
7 other community stakeholders.
 
8     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
9 becoming law.