State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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[ Introduced ][ Engrossed ][ House Amendment 001 ]

91_HB2985ham002

 










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 1                    AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2985

 2        AMENDMENT NO.     .  Amend House Bill 2985  by  replacing
 3    the title with the following:
 4        "AN ACT to amend the School Code by changing Section 1D-1
 5    and adding Section 2-3.51a."; and

 6    by  replacing  everything  after the enacting clause with the
 7    following:

 8        "Section 5.  The  School  Code  is  amended  by  changing
 9    Section 1D-1 and adding Section 2-3.51a as follows:

10        (105 ILCS 5/1D-1)
11        Sec. 1D-1.  Block grant funding.
12        (a)  For   fiscal   year   1996   and  each  fiscal  year
13    thereafter, the State Board of Education  shall  award  to  a
14    school   district   having  a  population  exceeding  500,000
15    inhabitants  a  general  education   block   grant   and   an
16    educational  services  block grant, determined as provided in
17    this  Section,  in  lieu  of  distributing  to  the  district
18    separate  State  funding  for  the  programs   described   in
19    subsections  (b)  and  (c).   The provisions of this Section,
20    however, do not apply to any federal funds that the  district
21    is  entitled  to receive.  In accordance with Section 2-3.32,
 
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 1    all block grants are subject to an  audit.  Therefore,  block
 2    grant receipts and block grant expenditures shall be recorded
 3    to the appropriate fund code for the designated block grant.
 4        (b)  The  general education block grant shall include the
 5    following programs: REI Initiative, Preschool  At  Risk,  K-6
 6    Comprehensive   Arts,   School   Improvement  Support,  Urban
 7    Education, Scientific Literacy, Substance  Abuse  Prevention,
 8    Second  Language  Planning,  Staff  Development, Outcomes and
 9    Assessment, K-6 Reading Improvement, 7-12  Continued  Reading
10    Improvement,  Truants' Optional Education, Hispanic Programs,
11    Agriculture Education, Gifted Education, Parental  Education,
12    Prevention  Initiative, Report Cards, and Criminal Background
13    Investigations.  Notwithstanding any other provision of  law,
14    all amounts paid under the general education block grant from
15    State  appropriations to a school district in a city having a
16    population   exceeding   500,000   inhabitants    shall    be
17    appropriated  and  expended by the board of that district for
18    any of the programs included in the block grant or any of the
19    board's lawful purposes.
20        (c)  The educational services block grant  shall  include
21    the  following  programs:  Bilingual,  Regular and Vocational
22    Transportation,  State  Lunch  and  Free  Breakfast  Program,
23    Special Education (Personnel, Extraordinary,  Transportation,
24    Orphanage,   Private  Tuition),  Summer  School,  Educational
25    Service   Centers,   and   Administrator's   Academy.    This
26    subsection  (c)  does  not  relieve  the  district   of   its
27    obligation  to  provide the services required under a program
28    that is included within the educational services block grant.
29    It is the intention of the General Assembly in  enacting  the
30    provisions  of this subsection (c) to relieve the district of
31    the  administrative  burdens  that  impede   efficiency   and
32    accompany   single-program  funding.   The  General  Assembly
33    encourages the board to pursue mandate  waivers  pursuant  to
34    Section 2-3.25g.
 
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 1        (d)  For   fiscal   year   1996   and  each  fiscal  year
 2    thereafter, the amount of the district's block  grants  shall
 3    be  determined  as  follows: (i) with respect to each program
 4    that is included within each block grant, the district  shall
 5    receive an amount equal to the same percentage of the current
 6    fiscal  year  appropriation  made  for  that  program  as the
 7    percentage of the appropriation received by the district from
 8    the 1995 fiscal year appropriation made for that program, and
 9    (ii) the total amount that is  due  the  district  under  the
10    block  grant  shall  be the aggregate of the amounts that the
11    district is entitled to receive  for  the  fiscal  year  with
12    respect  to  each  program  that is included within the block
13    grant that the State  Board  of  Education  shall  award  the
14    district under this Section for that fiscal year.
15        (e)  The district is not required to file any application
16    or  other claim in order to receive the block grants to which
17    it is entitled under  this  Section.    The  State  Board  of
18    Education  shall make payments to the district of amounts due
19    under the district's block grants on a schedule determined by
20    the State Board of Education.
21        (f)  A school district  to  which  this  Section  applies
22    shall  report  to  the State Board of Education on its use of
23    the block grants in such form and detail as the  State  Board
24    of Education may specify.
25        (g)  This  paragraph  provides for the treatment of block
26    grants under Article  1C  for  purposes  of  calculating  the
27    amount  of  block  grants  for a district under this Section.
28    Those block grants under Article IC are,  for  this  purpose,
29    treated  as  included  in the amount of appropriation for the
30    various programs set  forth  in  paragraph  (b)  above.   The
31    appropriation  in  each  current  fiscal  year for each block
32    grant under Article 1C shall be treated for these purposes as
33    appropriations for the individual program  included  in  that
34    block grant.  The proportion of each block grant so allocated
 
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 1    to  each  such program included in it shall be the proportion
 2    which  the  appropriation  for  that  program  was   of   all
 3    appropriations  for such purposes now in that block grant, in
 4    fiscal 1995.
 5    (Source: P.A. 89-15,  eff.  5-30-95;  89-698,  eff.  1-14-97;
 6    90-566, eff. 1-2-98; 90-653, eff. 7-29-98.)

 7        (105 ILCS 5/2-3.51a new)
 8        Sec.  2-3.51a.  Continued Reading Improvement Block Grant
 9    Program.  To improve the reading and study skills of children
10    from seventh through twelfth grade in school districts.   The
11    State  Board  of  Education  is  authorized  to  administer a
12    Continued Reading Improvement Block Grant Program.   As  used
13    in  this  Section,  "school  district" includes those schools
14    designated as laboratory schools.
15        (a)  Funds for the Continued  Reading  Improvement  Block
16    Grant Program shall be distributed to school districts on the
17    following  basis: 70% of moneys shall be awarded on the prior
18    year's best 3 months average daily attendance and  30%  shall
19    be  distributed  on  the number of economically disadvantaged
20    (E.C.I.A. Chapter I) pupils in the  district,  provided  that
21    the  State Board may distribute an amount not to exceed 2% of
22    the moneys appropriated for the Continued Reading Improvement
23    Block Grant Program for  the  purpose  of  providing  teacher
24    training and re-training in the teaching of reading.  Program
25    funds   shall   be  distributed  to  school  districts  in  2
26    semi-annual installments, one payment on or before October 30
27    and one payment prior to April 30, of each year.   The  State
28    Board shall promulgate rules necessary for the implementation
29    of this program.
30        (b)  Continued  Reading  Improvement  Block Grant Program
31    funds shall be used by  school  districts  in  the  following
32    manner  to  support  students  in grades 7 through 12 who are
33    reading significantly below grade level:
 
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 1             (1)  to  continue  direct  reading  instruction  for
 2        grades 7 through  12,  focusing  on  the  application  of
 3        reading skills for understanding informational text;
 4             (2)  to focus on and to commit time and resources to
 5        the reading of rich literature;
 6             (3)  to  conduct  intense  vocabulary, spelling, and
 7        related   writing   programs    that    promote    better
 8        understanding of language and words;
 9             (4)  to  provide  professional  development based on
10        research and proper practices and delivered by  providers
11        approved by the State Board of Education; and
12             (5)  to   increase   the   availability  of  reading
13        specialists and teacher aides trained  in  research-based
14        reading intervention or improvement practices or both.
15        (c)  Continued  Reading  Improvement  Block Grant Program
16    funds  shall  be  made  available  to  each  eligible  school
17    district submitting an approved application developed by  the
18    State  Board,  beginning  with  the  2001-2002  school  year.
19    Applications  shall  include  a proposed assessment method or
20    methods for measuring student reading  skills.  Such  methods
21    may  include  the reading portion of State tests.  At the end
22    of each school year  the  district  shall  report  assessment
23    results  to  the  State  Board.   Districts not demonstrating
24    performance progress  using  an  approved  assessment  method
25    shall  not be eligible for funding in the third or subsequent
26    years until such progress is established.
27        (d)  The   State   Superintendent   of   Education,    in
28    cooperation  with  the  school districts participating in the
29    program, shall annually  report  to  the  leadership  of  the
30    General  Assembly  on  the  results  of the Continued Reading
31    Improvement Block Grant Program and the progress  being  made
32    on  improving  the  reading  skills  of  students in grades 7
33    through 12.
34        (e)  Grants under the Continued Reading Improvement Block
 
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 1    Grant  Program  shall  be  awarded  provided  there   is   an
 2    appropriation  for  the  program, and funding levels for each
 3    district shall be prorated according to  the  amount  of  the
 4    appropriation.   Funding  for  the  program established under
 5    Section 2-3.51 of this Code shall not be reduced in order  to
 6    fund the Continued Reading Improvement Block Grant Program.

 7        Section  99.   Effective  date.  This Act takes effect on
 8    July 1, 2001.".

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