Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for HB2549

Amends the State Finance Act and the School Code. Creates the Roundtable on Educational Opportunity and Development. Contains provisions concerning the members of the Roundtable, meetings of the Roundtable, administrative support to the Roundtable, and annual reports to the General Assembly. Provides that the Roundtable shall study ways to expand educational opportunities and develop sources of private funding for students in primary and secondary education in the areas of (i) developing a business ethics curriculum, (ii) promoting and funding the arts, (iii) establishing and funding global travel programs, and (iv) funding trips to museums. Requires the Roundtable to study ways to secure private donations and public funding in order to help expand opportunities for students and implement Roundtable recommendations. Provides that funding for programs recommended by the Roundtable must prioritize low-income students. Requires the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Roundtable, to provide administrative support to all school districts and their students wishing to utilize these opportunities. Creates the Educational Opportunity and Development Fund as a special fund in the State treasury to accept private donations and public funding. Provides that all money in the Fund shall be used, subject to appropriation, by the State Board of Education for the purposes of implementing the priorities and recommendations of the Roundtable. Effective immediately.

Requires the Roundtable on Educational Opportunity and Development to, in addition to other areas, study the ways to expand educational opportunities and sources of private funding for students by (i) developing a before-school, in-school, or after-school drama therapy program that is designed for vulnerable youth with histories of exposure to familial and community violence, school bullying, intolerance or hate crimes, maltreatment or neglect, disrupted caregiving, or any other life adversities and that focuses on the core components of complex trauma intervention, including, but not limited to, a student's safety, self-regulation, healthy attachments, discovery and development of his or her identity, self-worth, esteem, and competency and (ii) developing a school model for students in kindergarten through grade 6 that integrates an identity-affirming pedagogy with a rigorous, intentional curriculum that utilizes a no-nonsense nurturing framework and prioritizes an arts education.

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