Rep. André Thapedi

Filed: 4/26/2018

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4495

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4495, AS AMENDED, by
3replacing everything after the enacting clause with the
4following:
 
5    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
6Vocational Academy Opportunity Act.
 
7    Section 5. Definition. In this Act, "Board" means the Board
8of Trustees created by this Act.
 
9    Section 10. Establishment, funding, and, location.
10    (a) There are initially created 2 vocational academies, one
11located in Cook County and the other in St. Clair County, which
12shall be residential institutions. Each academy shall be
13located within 5 linear miles of a major interstate in a
14community where the average income of a household of 3 people
15is no greater than 100% of the federal poverty level. The land

 

 

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1value of the community in which the academy is located may not
2exceed $7.50 per square foot.
3    (b) Each academy shall exist as an intergovernmental
4agreement among the public school districts of this State, with
5one half of the school districts assigned to one academy and
6one half of the school districts assigned to the other academy.
7Each academy may admit those students who reside in a school
8district assigned to the academy and who have completed the
9academic equivalent of the 9th grade and shall offer a program
10of secondary coursework that is appropriate for students in the
1110th, 11th, and 12th grades and that offers courses that meet
12the prerequisites to receiving a high school diploma under
13Section 27-22 of the School Code. Each academy shall be
14governed by the School Code and shall function as a public
15school. Admission shall be determined by competitive
16examination.
17    (c) In order to be eligible for State appropriations, on or
18before October 6, 2019 and annually thereafter, each academy
19shall present to the State Board of Education a budget for the
20following school year. The State Board shall review and approve
21the budget or send the budget back to the academy for any
22revisions.
23    (d) When a student is accepted for enrollment in an
24academy, the academy shall notify the State Board of Education.
25The State Board shall award a grant in the amount of the
26tuition necessary for that student to the public school

 

 

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1district in which the student lives. If the student was not
2enrolled in a public school in the prior school year, the
3student may attend the academy, but shall pay the full tuition
4amount. In no case shall public moneys be used to offset the
5tuition of that student.
 
6    Section 15. Board of Trustees. The academies shall be
7governed by a single Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees
8shall be elected by the district superintendents whose school
9districts are members of the intergovernmental agreement and
10shall have the same authority as the board of any special
11education or vocational education cooperative created through
12an intergovernmental agreement.
 
13    Section 20. Academy property. Each academy shall be
14empowered to lease or purchase real or personal property on
15commercially reasonable terms for the use by the academy. Any
16leases or purchases of real or personal property and any
17disposition of the property by an academy shall be in
18compliance with the provisions of the Civil Administrative Code
19of Illinois and the State Property Control Act. Personal
20property acquired for use by an academy shall be inventoried
21and disposed of in accordance with the State Property Control
22Act.
 
23    Section 25. Indemnification. Each academy, the Board, and

 

 

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1its employees shall be represented and indemnified in certain
2civil law suits in accordance with the State Employee
3Indemnification Act. An academy or its officers or employees
4and the Board may not participate in the creation of any
5corporation, joint venture, partnership, association, or other
6organizational entity that exercises, expands, or enhances the
7powers, duties, or responsibilities of the academy, unless
8specifically authorized by the General Assembly. This Section
9does not restrict an academy from creating any organizational
10entity that is within or a part of the academy.
 
11    Section 705. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
12Sections 5.886 and 6z-105 as follows:
 
13    (30 ILCS 105/5.886 new)
14    Sec. 5.886. The Vocational Academy Fund.
 
15    (30 ILCS 105/6z-105 new)
16    Sec. 6z-105. Vocational Academy Fund. The Vocational
17Academy Fund is created as a special fund in the State
18treasury. All moneys deposited into the Fund, which may include
19private contributions or endowments, shall be appropriated to
20the State Board of Education to provide financial assistance to
21the vocational academies created under the Vocational Academy
22Opportunity Act. Moneys appropriated from the Fund shall
23supplement and not supplant the current level of education

 

 

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1funding.".