100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2017 and 2018
HB2426

 

Introduced , by Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/1C-2
105 ILCS 5/2-3.71  from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.71
105 ILCS 5/2-3.89  from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.89

    Amends the School Code. In provisions concerning the Early Childhood Education Block Grant, provides that (i) the requirement to fund programs for children ages 0-3 applies to funds distributed by this State and funds distributed to the Chicago school district, and the State Board of Education shall report annually, on or before December 1, on how much funding was allocated to programs for children ages 0-3 both by the State Board of Education and by the Chicago school district; and (ii) the requirement that the percentage of Early Childhood Education Block Grant funding allocated to programs for children ages 0-3 each fiscal year remain at least 20% of the overall Early Childhood Education Block Grant allocation, once that percentage has been reached, applies to funds distributed by this State and funds distributed to the Chicago school district. In provisions concerning grants for preschool educational programs and programs concerning services to at-risk children and their families, provides that the Chicago school district is also subject to the requirement to supplement, not supplant, funds received from other sources.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB2426LRB100 10088 NHT 20261 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
51C-2, 2-3.71, and 2-3.89 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/1C-2)
7    Sec. 1C-2. Block grants.
8    (a) For fiscal year 1999, and each fiscal year thereafter,
9the State Board of Education shall award to school districts
10block grants as described in subsection (c). The State Board of
11Education may adopt rules and regulations necessary to
12implement this Section. In accordance with Section 2-3.32, all
13state block grants are subject to an audit. Therefore, block
14grant receipts and block grant expenditures shall be recorded
15to the appropriate fund code.
16    (b) (Blank).
17    (c) An Early Childhood Education Block Grant shall be
18created by combining the following programs: Preschool
19Education, Parental Training and Prevention Initiative. These
20funds shall be distributed to school districts and other
21entities on a competitive basis. Not less than 14% of the Early
22Childhood Education Block Grant allocation of funds shall be
23used to fund programs for children ages 0-3. Beginning in

 

 

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1Fiscal Year 2016, at least 25% of any additional Early
2Childhood Education Block Grant funding over and above the
3previous fiscal year's allocation shall be used to fund
4programs for children ages 0-3. This requirement to fund
5programs for children ages 0-3 applies to funds distributed by
6this State and funds distributed to a school district having a
7population exceeding 500,000 inhabitants pursuant to Article
81D, and the State Board of Education shall report annually, on
9or before December 1, on how much funding was allocated to
10programs for children ages 0-3 both by the State Board of
11Education and by a school district having a population
12exceeding 500,000 inhabitants. Once the percentage of Early
13Childhood Education Block Grant funding allocated to programs
14for children ages 0-3 reaches 20% of the overall Early
15Childhood Education Block Grant allocation for a full fiscal
16year, thereafter in subsequent fiscal years the percentage of
17Early Childhood Education Block Grant funding allocated to
18programs for children ages 0-3 each fiscal year shall remain at
19least 20% of the overall Early Childhood Education Block Grant
20allocation; this requirement applies to funds distributed by
21this State and funds distributed to a school district having a
22population exceeding 500,000 inhabitants pursuant to Article
231D. However, if, in a given fiscal year, the amount
24appropriated for the Early Childhood Education Block Grant is
25insufficient to increase the percentage of the grant to fund
26programs for children ages 0-3 without reducing the amount of

 

 

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1the grant for existing providers of preschool education
2programs, then the percentage of the grant to fund programs for
3children ages 0-3 may be held steady instead of increased.
4(Source: P.A. 98-645, eff. 7-1-14; 99-589, eff. 7-21-16.)
 
5    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.71)  (from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.71)
6    Sec. 2-3.71. Grants for preschool educational programs.
7    (a) Preschool program.
8        (1) The State Board of Education shall implement and
9    administer a grant program under the provisions of this
10    subsection which shall consist of grants to public school
11    districts and other eligible entities, as defined by the
12    State Board of Education, to conduct voluntary preschool
13    educational programs for children ages 3 to 5 which include
14    a parent education component. A public school district
15    which receives grants under this subsection may
16    subcontract with other entities that are eligible to
17    conduct a preschool educational program. These grants must
18    be used to supplement, not supplant, funds received from
19    any other source. A school district receiving grants
20    pursuant to Article 1D is also subject to the requirement
21    to supplement, not supplant, funds received from other
22    sources.
23        (2) (Blank).
24        (3) Any teacher of preschool children in the program
25    authorized by this subsection shall hold an early childhood

 

 

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1    teaching certificate.
2        (4) (Blank).
3        (4.5) The State Board of Education shall provide the
4    primary source of funding through appropriations for the
5    program. Such funds shall be distributed to achieve a goal
6    of "Preschool for All Children" for the benefit of all
7    children whose families choose to participate in the
8    program. Based on available appropriations, newly funded
9    programs shall be selected through a process giving first
10    priority to qualified programs serving primarily at-risk
11    children and second priority to qualified programs serving
12    primarily children with a family income of less than 4
13    times the poverty guidelines updated periodically in the
14    Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
15    Services under the authority of 42 U.S.C. 9902(2). For
16    purposes of this paragraph (4.5), at-risk children are
17    those who because of their home and community environment
18    are subject to such language, cultural, economic and like
19    disadvantages to cause them to have been determined as a
20    result of screening procedures to be at risk of academic
21    failure. Such screening procedures shall be based on
22    criteria established by the State Board of Education.
23        Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph (4.5),
24    grantees under the program must enter into a memorandum of
25    understanding with the appropriate local Head Start
26    agency. This memorandum must be entered into no later than

 

 

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1    3 months after the award of a grantee's grant under the
2    program, except that, in the case of the 2009-2010 program
3    year, the memorandum must be entered into no later than the
4    deadline set by the State Board of Education for
5    applications to participate in the program in fiscal year
6    2011, and must address collaboration between the grantee's
7    program and the local Head Start agency on certain issues,
8    which shall include without limitation the following:
9            (A) educational activities, curricular objectives,
10        and instruction;
11            (B) public information dissemination and access to
12        programs for families contacting programs;
13            (C) service areas;
14            (D) selection priorities for eligible children to
15        be served by programs;
16            (E) maximizing the impact of federal and State
17        funding to benefit young children;
18            (F) staff training, including opportunities for
19        joint staff training;
20            (G) technical assistance;
21            (H) communication and parent outreach for smooth
22        transitions to kindergarten;
23            (I) provision and use of facilities,
24        transportation, and other program elements;
25            (J) facilitating each program's fulfillment of its
26        statutory and regulatory requirements;

 

 

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1            (K) improving local planning and collaboration;
2        and
3            (L) providing comprehensive services for the
4        neediest Illinois children and families.
5    If the appropriate local Head Start agency is unable or
6    unwilling to enter into a memorandum of understanding as
7    required under this paragraph (4.5), the memorandum of
8    understanding requirement shall not apply and the grantee
9    under the program must notify the State Board of Education
10    in writing of the Head Start agency's inability or
11    unwillingness. The State Board of Education shall compile
12    all such written notices and make them available to the
13    public.
14        (5) The State Board of Education shall develop and
15    provide evaluation tools, including tests, that school
16    districts and other eligible entities may use to evaluate
17    children for school readiness prior to age 5. The State
18    Board of Education shall require school districts and other
19    eligible entities to obtain consent from the parents or
20    guardians of children before any evaluations are
21    conducted. The State Board of Education shall encourage
22    local school districts and other eligible entities to
23    evaluate the population of preschool children in their
24    communities and provide preschool programs, pursuant to
25    this subsection, where appropriate.
26        (6) The State Board of Education shall report to the

 

 

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1    General Assembly by November 1, 2010 and every 3 years
2    thereafter on the results and progress of students who were
3    enrolled in preschool educational programs, including an
4    assessment of which programs have been most successful in
5    promoting academic excellence and alleviating academic
6    failure. The State Board of Education shall assess the
7    academic progress of all students who have been enrolled in
8    preschool educational programs.
9        On or before November 1 of each fiscal year in which
10    the General Assembly provides funding for new programs
11    under paragraph (4.5) of this Section, the State Board of
12    Education shall report to the General Assembly on what
13    percentage of new funding was provided to programs serving
14    primarily at-risk children, what percentage of new funding
15    was provided to programs serving primarily children with a
16    family income of less than 4 times the federal poverty
17    level, and what percentage of new funding was provided to
18    other programs.
19    (b) (Blank).
20(Source: P.A. 95-724, eff. 6-30-08; 96-119, eff. 8-4-09;
2196-944, eff. 6-25-10; 96-948, eff. 6-25-10.)
 
22    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.89)  (from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.89)
23    Sec. 2-3.89. Programs concerning services to at-risk
24children and their families.
25    (a) The State Board of Education may provide grants to

 

 

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1eligible entities, as defined by the State Board of Education,
2to establish programs which offer coordinated services to
3at-risk infants and toddlers and their families. Each program
4shall include a parent education program relating to the
5development and nurturing of infants and toddlers and case
6management services to coordinate existing services available
7in the region served by the program. These services shall be
8provided through the implementation of an individual family
9service plan. Each program will have a community involvement
10component to provide coordination in the service system.
11    (b) The State Board of Education shall administer the
12programs through the grants to public school districts and
13other eligible entities. These grants must be used to
14supplement, not supplant, funds received from any other source.
15A school district receiving grants pursuant to Article 1D is
16also subject to the requirement to supplement, not supplant,
17funds received from other sources. School districts and other
18eligible entities receiving grants pursuant to this Section
19shall conduct voluntary, intensive, research-based, and
20comprehensive prevention services, as defined by the State
21Board of Education, for expecting parents and families with
22children from birth to age 3 who are at-risk of academic
23failure. A public school district that receives a grant under
24this Section may subcontract with other eligible entities.
25    (c) The State Board of Education shall report to the
26General Assembly by July 1, 2006 and every 2 years thereafter,

 

 

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1using the most current data available, on the status of
2programs funded under this Section, including without
3limitation characteristics of participants, services
4delivered, program models used, unmet needs, and results of the
5programs funded.
6(Source: P.A. 96-734, eff. 8-25-09.)