HB2010eng 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB2010 Engrossed LRB094 02843 NHT 32844 b

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section 13A-8 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/13A-8)

Sec. 13A-8. Funding.

(a) The State of Illinois shall provide funding for the alternative school programs within each educational service region and within the Chicago public school system by line item appropriation made to the State Board of Education for that purpose. This money, when appropriated, shall be provided to the regional superintendent and to the Chicago Board of Education, who shall establish a budget, including salaries, for their alternative school programs. Each program shall receive funding in the amount of $30,000 plus an amount based on the ratio of the region's or Chicago's best 3 months' average daily attendance in grades pre-kindergarten through 12 to the statewide totals of these amounts. However, if $19,035,500 or more is appropriated in a fiscal year for alternative school programs, then each program shall instead receive funding in the amount of $50,000 plus an amount based on the ratio of the region's or Chicago's best 3 months' average daily attendance in grades pre-kindergarten through 12 to the statewide totals of these amounts. For purposes of the funding this calculation, the best 3 months' average daily attendance for each region or Chicago shall be calculated by adding to the best 3 months' average daily attendance the number of low-income students identified by the Department of Human Services and averaged over the 3 immediately preceding fiscal years, in the most recently available federal census multiplied by one-half times the percentage of the region's or Chicago's low-income students to the State's total low-income students. The State Board of Education shall retain up to 1.1% of the appropriation to be used to provide technical assistance, professional development, and evaluations for the programs.

(a-5) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Section, each for the 1998-1999 fiscal year, the total amount distributed under subsection (a) for an alternative school program shall be not less than the total amount that was distributed under that subsection for that alternative school program for the 2005-2006 1997-1998 fiscal year. If an alternative school program is to receive a total distribution under subsection (a) for a given the 1998-1999 fiscal year that is less than the total distribution that the program received under that subsection for the 2005-2006 1997-1998 fiscal year, that alternative school program shall also receive, from a separate appropriation made for purposes of this subsection (a-5), a supplementary payment equal to the amount by which its total distribution under subsection (a) for the 2005-2006 1997-1998 fiscal year exceeds the amount of the total distribution that the alternative school program receives under that subsection for the given 1998-1999 fiscal year. If the amount appropriated for supplementary payments to alternative school programs under this subsection (a-5) is insufficient for that purpose, those supplementary payments shall be prorated among the alternative school programs entitled to receive those supplementary payments according to the aggregate amount of the appropriation made for purposes of this subsection (a-5).

(b) An alternative school program shall be entitled to receive general State aid as calculated in subsection (K) of Section 18-8.05 upon filing a claim as provided therein. Any time that a student who is enrolled in an alternative school program spends in work-based learning, community service, or a similar alternative educational setting shall be included in determining the student's minimum number of clock hours of daily school work that constitute a day of attendance for purposes of calculating general State aid.

(c) An alternative school program may receive additional funding from its school districts in such amount as may be agreed upon by the parties and necessary to support the program. In addition, an alternative school program is authorized to accept and expend gifts, legacies, and grants, including but not limited to federal grants, from any source for purposes directly related to the conduct and operation of the program.

(Source: P.A. 89-383, eff. 8-18-95; 89-629, eff. 8-9-96; 89-636, eff. 8-9-96; 90-14, eff. 7-1-97; 90-283, eff. 7-31-97; 90-802, eff. 12-15-98.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2005.