SB0381sam001 93rd General Assembly

093_SB0381sam001

 










                                     LRB093 05990 NHT 12470 a

 1                    AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 381

 2        AMENDMENT NO.     .  Amend Senate Bill 381  by  replacing
 3    everything after the enacting clause with the following:

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

 6        (105 ILCS 5/1D-1)
 7        Sec. 1D-1.  Block grant funding.
 8        (a)  For  fiscal  year  1996   and   each   fiscal   year
 9    thereafter,  the  State  Board  of Education shall award to a
10    school  district  having  a  population   exceeding   500,000
11    inhabitants   a   general   education   block  grant  and  an
12    educational services block grant, determined as  provided  in
13    this  Section,  in  lieu  of  distributing  to  the  district
14    separate   State   funding  for  the  programs  described  in
15    subsections (b) and (c).  The  provisions  of  this  Section,
16    however,  do not apply to any federal funds that the district
17    is entitled to receive.  In accordance with  Section  2-3.32,
18    all  block  grants are subject to an audit.  Therefore, block
19    grant receipts and block grant expenditures shall be recorded
20    to the appropriate fund code for the designated block grant.
21        (b)  The general education block grant shall include  the
22    following programs: REI Initiative, Summer Bridges, Preschool
 
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 1    At  Risk, K-6 Comprehensive Arts, School Improvement Support,
 2    Urban  Education,  Scientific   Literacy,   Substance   Abuse
 3    Prevention,  Second  Language  Planning,  Staff  Development,
 4    Outcomes   and  Assessment,  K-6  Reading  Improvement,  7-12
 5    Continued Reading Improvement, Truants'  Optional  Education,
 6    Hispanic  Programs,  Agriculture Education, Gifted Education,
 7    Parental Education, Prevention Initiative, Report Cards,  and
 8    Criminal   Background  Investigations.   Notwithstanding  any
 9    other provision of law, all amounts paid  under  the  general
10    education  block  grant from State appropriations to a school
11    district in a city  having  a  population  exceeding  500,000
12    inhabitants  shall  be appropriated and expended by the board
13    of that district for any of  the  programs  included  in  the
14    block grant or any of the board's lawful purposes.
15        (c)  The  educational  services block grant shall include
16    the following programs:  Bilingual,  Regular  and  Vocational
17    Transportation,  State  Lunch  and  Free  Breakfast  Program,
18    Special  Education (Personnel, Extraordinary, Transportation,
19    Orphanage,  Private  Tuition),  Summer  School,   Educational
20    Service   Centers,   and   Administrator's   Academy.    This
21    subsection   (c)   does  not  relieve  the  district  of  its
22    obligation to provide the services required under  a  program
23    that is included within the educational services block grant.
24    It  is  the intention of the General Assembly in enacting the
25    provisions of this subsection (c) to relieve the district  of
26    the   administrative   burdens  that  impede  efficiency  and
27    accompany  single-program  funding.   The  General   Assembly
28    encourages  the  board  to pursue mandate waivers pursuant to
29    Section 2-3.25g.
30        (d)  For  fiscal  year  1996   and   each   fiscal   year
31    thereafter,  the  amount of the district's block grants shall
32    be determined as follows: (i) with respect  to  each  program
33    that  is included within each block grant, the district shall
34    receive an amount equal to the same percentage of the current
 
                            -3-      LRB093 05990 NHT 12470 a
 1    fiscal year  appropriation  made  for  that  program  as  the
 2    percentage of the appropriation received by the district from
 3    the 1995 fiscal year appropriation made for that program, and
 4    (ii)  the  total  amount  that  is due the district under the
 5    block grant shall be the aggregate of the  amounts  that  the
 6    district  is  entitled  to  receive  for the fiscal year with
 7    respect to each program that is  included  within  the  block
 8    grant  that  the  State  Board  of  Education shall award the
 9    district under this Section for that  fiscal  year.   In  the
10    case  of  the  Summer  Bridges  program,  the  amount  of the
11    district's block grant shall be equal to 44% of the amount of
12    the current fiscal year appropriation made for that program.
13        (e)  The district is not required to file any application
14    or other claim in order to receive the block grants to  which
15    it  is  entitled  under  this  Section.  The  State  Board of
16    Education shall make payments to the district of amounts  due
17    under the district's block grants on a schedule determined by
18    the State Board of Education.
19        (f)  A  school  district  to  which  this Section applies
20    shall report to the State Board of Education on  its  use  of
21    the  block  grants in such form and detail as the State Board
22    of Education may specify.
23        (g)  This paragraph provides for the treatment  of  block
24    grants  under  Article  1C  for  purposes  of calculating the
25    amount of block grants for a  district  under  this  Section.
26    Those  block  grants  under Article 1C are, for this purpose,
27    treated as included in the amount of  appropriation  for  the
28    various  programs  set  forth  in  paragraph  (b) above.  The
29    appropriation in each current  fiscal  year  for  each  block
30    grant under Article 1C shall be treated for these purposes as
31    appropriations  for  the  individual program included in that
32    block grant.  The proportion of each block grant so allocated
33    to each such program included in it shall be  the  proportion
34    which   the   appropriation  for  that  program  was  of  all
 
                            -4-      LRB093 05990 NHT 12470 a
 1    appropriations for such purposes now in that block grant,  in
 2    fiscal 1995.
 3        Payments  to  the school district under this Section with
 4    respect  to  each  program  for  which  payments  to   school
 5    districts generally, as of the date of this amendatory Act of
 6    the 92nd General Assembly, are on a reimbursement basis shall
 7    continue to be made to the district on a reimbursement basis,
 8    pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  this  Code governing those
 9    programs.
10        (h)  Notwithstanding any  other  provision  of  law,  any
11    school  district  receiving  a block grant under this Section
12    may classify all or a portion of the funds that  it  receives
13    in  a  particular fiscal year from any block grant authorized
14    under this Code or from general State aid pursuant to Section
15    18-8.05 of this Code (other than supplemental  general  State
16    aid) as funds received in connection with any funding program
17    for  which  it is entitled to receive funds from the State in
18    that fiscal year (including, without limitation, any  funding
19    program  referred  to  in  subsection  (c)  of this Section),
20    regardless of the source  or  timing  of  the  receipt.   The
21    district  may  not  classify  more funds as funds received in
22    connection with the funding  program  than  the  district  is
23    entitled  to  receive  in  that fiscal year for that program.
24    Any classification by a district must be made by a resolution
25    of its board of education.  The resolution must identify  the
26    amount  of  any  block  grant  or  general  State  aid  to be
27    classified under this subsection (h)  and  must  specify  the
28    funding  program  to  which  the  funds  are to be treated as
29    received  in  connection  therewith.   This   resolution   is
30    controlling  as  to  the  classification  of funds referenced
31    therein.  A certified copy of the resolution must be sent  to
32    the  State  Superintendent of Education. The resolution shall
33    still take effect even though a copy of  the  resolution  has
34    not  been  sent to the State Superintendent of Education in a
 
                            -5-      LRB093 05990 NHT 12470 a
 1    timely manner.  No classification under this  subsection  (h)
 2    by  a  district  shall  affect  the total amount or timing of
 3    money the district is entitled to receive  under  this  Code.
 4    No  classification  under  this  subsection (h) by a district
 5    shall in any way relieve the  district  from  or  affect  any
 6    requirements  that  otherwise would apply with respect to the
 7    block grant  as  provided  in  this  Section,  including  any
 8    accounting  of  funds  by  source,  reporting expenditures by
 9    original  source  and  purpose,  reporting  requirements,  or
10    requirements of provision of services.
11    (Source: P.A. 91-711,  eff.  7-1-00;  92-568,  eff.  6-26-02;
12    92-651, eff. 7-11-02.)

13        (105 ILCS 5/2-3.51a new)
14        Sec.  2-3.51a.  Continued Reading Improvement Block Grant
15    Program.  To improve the reading and study skills of children
16    from seventh through twelfth grade in school districts.   The
17    State  Board  of  Education  is  authorized  to  administer a
18    Continued Reading Improvement Block Grant Program.   As  used
19    in  this  Section,  "school  district" includes those schools
20    designated as laboratory schools.
21        (a)  Funds for the Continued  Reading  Improvement  Block
22    Grant Program shall be distributed to school districts on the
23    following  basis: 70% of moneys shall be awarded on the prior
24    year's best 3 months average daily attendance and  30%  shall
25    be  distributed  on  the number of economically disadvantaged
26    (E.C.I.A. Chapter I) pupils in the  district,  provided  that
27    the  State Board may distribute an amount not to exceed 2% of
28    the moneys appropriated for the Continued Reading Improvement
29    Block Grant Program for  the  purpose  of  providing  teacher
30    training and re-training in the teaching of reading.  Program
31    funds   shall   be  distributed  to  school  districts  in  2
32    semi-annual installments, one payment on or before October 30
33    and one payment prior to April 30 of each  year.   The  State
 
                            -6-      LRB093 05990 NHT 12470 a
 1    Board  shall adopt any rules necessary for the implementation
 2    of this program.
 3        (b)  Continued Reading Improvement  Block  Grant  Program
 4    funds  shall  be  used  by  school districts in the following
 5    manner to support students in grades 7  through  12  who  are
 6    reading significantly below grade level:
 7             (1)  to  continue  direct  reading  instruction  for
 8        grades  7  through  12,  focusing  on  the application of
 9        reading skills for understanding informational text;
10             (2)  to focus on and to commit time and resources to
11        the reading of rich literature;
12             (3)  to conduct intense  vocabulary,  spelling,  and
13        related    writing    programs    that   promote   better
14        understanding of language and words;
15             (4)  to provide professional  development  based  on
16        scientifically  based  research  and  best  practices and
17        delivered by providers approved by  the  State  Board  of
18        Education; and
19             (5)  to   increase   the   availability  of  reading
20        specialists and teacher aides trained  in  research-based
21        reading intervention or improvement practices or both.
22        (c)  Continued  Reading  Improvement  Block Grant Program
23    funds  shall  be  made  available  to  each  eligible  school
24    district submitting an approved application developed by  the
25    State  Board,  beginning  with  the  2003-2004  school  year.
26    Applications  shall  include  a proposed assessment method or
27    methods for measuring student reading  skills.  Such  methods
28    may  include  the reading portion of State tests.  At the end
29    of each school year  the  district  shall  report  assessment
30    results  to  the  State  Board.   Districts not demonstrating
31    performance progress  using  an  approved  assessment  method
32    shall  not be eligible for funding in the third or subsequent
33    years until such progress is established.
34        (d)  The   State   Superintendent   of   Education,    in
 
                            -7-      LRB093 05990 NHT 12470 a
 1    cooperation  with  the  school districts participating in the
 2    program, shall annually  report  to  the  leadership  of  the
 3    General  Assembly  on  the  results  of the Continued Reading
 4    Improvement Block Grant Program and the progress  being  made
 5    on  improving  the  reading  skills  of  students in grades 7
 6    through 12.
 7        (e)  Grants under the Continued Reading Improvement Block
 8    Grant  Program  shall  be  awarded  provided  there   is   an
 9    appropriation  for  the  program, and funding levels for each
10    district shall be prorated according to  the  amount  of  the
11    appropriation.   Funding  for  the  program established under
12    Section 2-3.51 of this Code shall not be reduced in order  to
13    fund the Continued Reading Improvement Block Grant Program.

14        Section  99.   Effective  date.  This Act takes effect on
15    July 1, 2003.".