Distributed via Email: April 3, 2008

SPECIAL ED FUNDING BILL APPROVED

A bill that would provide additional funding for special education programs was approved by the House of Representatives Wednesday and will be sent to the Governor for his consideration. SB 1874 (Forby, D-Benton) makes a supplemental appropriation of $21 million from the General Revenue Fund to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to be used exclusively for school districts' costs for extraordinary special education services for the current fiscal year. The House approved the bill on 109-0 vote; the Senate approved the bill in February on a 51-0 vote. There is no indication yet as to whether the governor will sign the bill into law.

SUPERINTENDENT MENTORING BILL APPROVED

The bill to require all new school district superintendents to receive mentoring from an experienced superintendent was approved by the Senate this week. SB 2500 (Demuzio, D-Carlinville), initiated and drafted by the Illinois Association of School Administrators, passed the Senate unanimously. The bill requires a person who begins serving as a superintendent in Illinois on or after July 1, 2008, and who has not previously served as a school district superintendent in the State, to participate in a new superintendent mentoring program established by the ISBE for the duration of his or her first 2 school years as a superintendent.

Under the bill, anyone who demonstrated success as a school district superintendent for at least 3 years is eligible to apply to become a mentor. Mentors must complete training through a provider selected by the ISBE. Then a provider (again selected by the ISBE) will assign a mentor with a new superintendent based on specific criteria (i.e. type of district, geographical proximity, learning needs of the new superintendent, etc.).

Implementation of the bill is "subject to an annual appropriation by the General Assembly" so the detail and scope of the program is not fully defined in the bill. The ISBE is authorized under the bill to adopt any rules necessary to implement the program. The number of mentors, the amount of pay for mentors, and the type and amount of training required for mentors will largely depend on the amount of the appropriation approved by the legislature and the rules promulgated by the ISBE.

The bill moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.

GRADUATED INCOME TAX PROPOSED

State Representative Mike Smith (D-Canton) Thursday introduced a resolution that proposes to change the Illinois Constitution to increase the state income tax rate for taxpayers who earn $250,000 or more per year. Concurrently in Illinois all taxpayers pay a flat income tax rate of 3% of their annual income. Under House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 42, those taxpayers earning less than $250,000 per year would continue to pay at the 3% rate, but those earning $250,000 or more would pay income taxes at a rate of 6% of their annual earnings. It is estimated that the increased rate would generate $3 billion per year for State coffers.

Of the proceeds, $1 billion per year would be allocated for education – both elementary and secondary education and higher education. Approximately $850 million would be used to provide income tax relief to lower and middle-income households each year. And $1 billion would be earmarked to support a capital program to build roads, bridges, schools, and public buildings.

The resolution must be approved by a 3/5^th majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in order for the question to be placed on the ballot for the voters.

OTHER BILL ACTION THIS WEEK

The following bills were approved by the House of Representatives this week and will be sent to the Senate for further consideration:

HB 1054 (Verschoore, D-Rock Island) contains technical "clean-up" language to facilitate distribution of county sales tax revenues provided under PA 95-0675.

HB 2210 (Soto, D-Chicago) amends the Education for Homeless Children Act to require the ISBE to award competitive grants under an Education of Homeless Children and Youth State Grant Program to applicant school districts to support school districts throughout this State in facilitating the enrollment, attendance, and success of homeless children and youth.

HB 4159 (Bassi, R-Palatine) requires school districts to periodically review their procurement procedures and specifications related to the purchase of products or supplies and their comprehensive waste reduction plan.

HB 4225 (Eddy, R-Hutsonville) prohibits a school district from being certified to be in financial difficulty by reason of any of certain circumstances if arising solely as a result of the failure of the county to make a distribution of property tax money due the district at the time such distribution is due or if arising solely as a result of the failure of the Comptroller to disburse reimbursements on time.

HB 4229 (Sacia, R-Freeport) provides that whenever the term "registered mail" is used in the School Code, it shall be deemed to authorize the use of either registered mail or certified mail, return receipt requested.

HB 4232 (Lang, D-Skokie) reconstitutes the ISBE and requires the Governor to select his appointments for the board only from a list of names provided by a nominating panel. For more details about this bill, please visit ALR 95-59.

HB 4387 (D'Amico, D-Chicago) requires that all vehicles used for driver's education programs be American-made. School boards shall require that all vehicles used for driver education purchased or leased on or after the effective date of this Act, shall have a VIN that begins with 1, 4 or 5.

HB 4456 (Harris, D-Chicago) creates the Commission on Children and Youth Act. The governor will appoint, among the members of the commission, at least one representative "from the field of education". The State Superintendent of Schools would also be a part of the commission.

HB 4527 (Lang) increases the amount of certain grants from the State to public and school libraries.

HB 4537 (Flider, D-Mt. Zion) provides that the ISBE promote an annual campaign about disability history and awareness and requires school districts to provide instruction on the same that may be included in courses the school district chooses.

HB 4642 (Jakobsson, D-Champaign) requires the State Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities and the Advisory Council on the Education of Gifted and Talented Children to research and discuss best practices for addressing the needs of "twice-exceptional" children.

HB 4705 (Currie, D-Chicago) allows for the continuation of the distribution of funds by the ISBE to achieve a goal of "Preschool for All Children" by removing certain provisions that limit this distribution to a time period from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2008.

HB 4757 (Nekritz, D-Northbrook) creates the Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School Transparency Act to establish grant review committees to evaluate, score, and rank all applications for funding under the federal Transportation Enhancements Program and the Safe Routes to School Program.

HB 5038 (Colvin, D-Chicago) with respect to the Early Childhood Education Block Grant, provides that not less than 11% (instead of exactly 11%) of the grant shall be used to fund programs for children ages 0-3. The bill provides that this percentage shall increase to at least 20% by Fiscal Year 2014.

HB 5113 (Boland, D-Moline) creates the Green Buildings Act to require all new state-funded building construction and major renovations of existing state-owned facilities to seek LEED certification.

HB 5115 (Davis, W., D-Hazel Crest) provides that the Community Service Education Program must be jointly administered by the ISBE and the Office of the Lieutenant Governor (instead of being administered solely by the State Board).

HB 5717 (Coulson, R-Glenview) clarifies that any child who received a health examination before entering the fifth grade for the 2007-2008 school year is not required to receive an additional health examination before entering 6th grade in the 2008-2009 school year.

The following bills were approved by the Senate this week and will be sent to the House of Representatives for further consideration:

SB 1939 (Maloney, D-Chicago) allows for a chief school business official endorsement if, among other conditions, the certificate holder has 2 years of university-approved practical experience (as an alternative to requiring 2 years of administrative experience in school business management).

SB 1997 (DeLeo, D-Chicago) prevents the IHSA from allowing exclusive coverage of  any sporting events, overturning the current policy requiring the media to sign a waiver stating that it will not re-sell photographs for a profit.

SB 2352 (Wilhelmi, D-Crest Hill) provides that when calculating the State reimbursement for transportation costs, the ISBE may not deduct the number of pupils enrolled in early education programs from the number of pupils eligible for reimbursement if the pupils enrolled in the early education programs are transported at the same time as other eligible pupils.

SB 2387 (Collins, D-Chicago) adds the processes of homeownership as part of the financial literacy component of consumer education.

SB 2512 (Link, D-Vernon Hills) requires school districts to provide in the school curriculum a 2 hour unit of instruction in grades 3-12 on internet safety to be taught at least once each school year.

General Assembly Bill Text/Status

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