Distributed via Email: April 24, 2009

Legislators returned to Springfield this week to continue their work in the 96^th General Assembly. Much of it was routine committee work as committees met, but mostly only considered non-controversial bills. In other areas of the Capitol, however, meatier issues were being discussed. Not necessarily always in public venues, legislators and leaders were debating budget schemes, new revenue sources, ethics reform measures, and pension reform proposals.

FEDERAL "STIMULUS" FUNDS

Every day new information is coming out on the specifics of how and when school districts can spend money they receive due to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). To keep informed on the latest information, your best resource is the Illinois State Board of Education's ARRA website http://isbe.net/arra/default.htm. A link to that site is also available on the IASB website. Additionally, the State Superintendent's Weekly Message has included updates on ARRA information each week since January.

BILL ACTION FROM THIS WEEK

SB 35 (Garrett, D-Lake Forest) provides that for paid sick leave for adoption or placement for adoption, the school board may require that the teacher or other employee provide evidence that the formal adoption process is underway, and such leave is limited to 30 days unless a longer leave has been negotiated with the exclusive bargaining representative. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

SB 43 (Clayborne, D-E. St. Louis) expands the scope of the Prevailing Wage Act to cover all public works projects located in an enterprise zone. The bill, opposed by the Alliance, was approved by the House Labor Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

SB 75 (Bond, D-Grayslake) gives school districts additional flexibility when using monies collected from the surcharge imposed for certain violations in school zone speed limit areas. The bill, supported by the Alliance, was approved by the House Vehicles & Safety Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

SB 79 (Link, D-Vernon Hills) requires grantees under the Preschool for All Children program to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the appropriate local Head Start agency no later than 3 months after the award of a grantee's grant under the program. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

SB 187 (Maloney, D-Chicago) is an Alliance initiative that allows for a chief school business official endorsement if, among other conditions, the certificate holder has 2 years of university-approved practical experience. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

SB 269 (Demuzio, D-Carlinville) allows for an increase in fees for school bus driver training. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

SB 611 (Harmon, D-Oak Park), as amended, would allow funds from the School Technology Revolving Loan Program to go to non-public schools. The bill, opposed by the Alliance, was approved by the Senate Education Committee with the stipulation that the sponsor would review how to make sure public schools get money first, and was sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

SB 1276 (Demuzio) is an Alliance initiative that establishes a superintendent mentoring program. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

SB 1412 (Harmon), 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 was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

SB 1675 (Murphy, R-Palatine) requires all 7^th graders and all high school students enrolled in U.S. History to view the Congressional Medal of Honor film. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

SB 1718 (Clayborne) further defines "weapon" for student discipline and suspension/expulsion purposes and provides school districts more flexibility in the area of discipline for students violating weapons policies. An amendment was added to more clearly define the intent of the bill, but the bill was held in the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee for further amendments.

SB 1828 (Steans, D-Chicago), a State Board of Education initiative, creates the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for consideration.

SJR 52 (Meeks, D-Chicago) addresses school district requests for mandate waivers. The resolution was amended to deny the waiver request for Mannheim S.D. #83 regarding administrative cost caps. It would grant the "behind-the-wheel driver's education waiver for one year (instead of the 5 years requested) for the following school districts: Rock Island S.D. #41, Reavis T.H.S.D. #220, Lyons T.H.S.D. #204, and Moline U.S.D. #40. Finally, it would grant the driver's education fee limit for Waukegan C.U.S.D. #60, but for $350 instead of the $500 requested. The resolution was approved by the Senate Education Committee and sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

HB 725 (Watson, R-Jacksonville) encourages school boards to implement American Sign Language (ASL) courses into school foreign language curriculum. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

HB 737 (Smith, D-Canton) contains anAlliance initiativethat updates the school principal mentoring program. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

HB 900 (Jakobsson, D-Champaign) requires research and the discussion of best practices to address the needs of children who are gifted and have a disability, "twice-exceptional" children. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

HB 944 (Eddy, R-Hutsonville) disallows certification of a school district as in financial difficulty solely as a result of the failure of the county to make a distribution of property tax money on time or the failure of the Comptroller to disburse General State Aid. The bill, supported by the Alliance, was approved by the Senate Education Committee and sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

HB 972 (Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora) requires a public school to hold a moment of silence if school is in session on November 11, Veterans' Day. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

HB 973 (Chapa LaVia) allows schools to include instruction on teen dating violence in health class. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and sent to the Senate floor.

HB 1190 (Smith) clarifies which employees are eligible for the special education personnel reimbursement. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

HB 1306 (Dugan, D-Bradley) removes the power of a school district or an area vocational center to enter into "other agreements" (agreements other than an installment contract and a lease purchase agreement) with a qualified provider for the purchase or lease of energy conservation measures. The bill was approved by the House Local Government Committee and was sent to the House floor.

HB 2362 (Smith), to the provisions providing for exceptions from the bidding requirement that certain contracts be awarded to lowest responsible bidder, adds contracts for transportation of special education students. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee.

HB 2535 (Poe, R-Springfield) requires the use of a 5% bio-diesel blend in school buses (instead of the current 2% blend). The bill was approved by the Senate Transportation Committee and sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

HB 2674 (Eddy) allows a school district under the authority of a Financial Oversight Panel to appoint a district superintendent with a Type 75 certificate or a chief executive officer who has the skills of school operations and school finance. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

HB 3731 (Mathias, R-Buffalo Grove) allows school boards to award high school diplomas to honorably discharged veterans who served in the armed forces of the U.S. during the Vietnam Conflict. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and sent to the Senate floor.

HB 4038 (Schmitz, R-Batavia) authorizes 7-8 grade students to enroll in a high school course. It allows participation where the student attends school so long as the course is taught by a certified high school teacher who teaches in a high school where the student will attend and no high school students are enrolled in the course. The bill, supported by the Alliance, was approved by the Senate Education Committee and sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

HB 4117 (Mulligan, R-Des Plaines), with respect to the purpose of the Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative, provides that preparing highly skilled, committed teachers to teach in hard-to-staff schools includes preparing teachers to teach within the Department of Juvenile Justice School District. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and sent to the Senate floor.

HB 4223 (May, D-Highland Park) recommends that schools be tested for radon every 5 years. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and sent to the Senate floor for consideration.

BILLS SCHEDULED FOR COMMITTEE NEXT WEEK

SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Tuesday, April 28, 4:00 p.m., Room 409, State Capitol

HB 16 (Flowers, D-Chicago), for Chicago Public Schools, allows children who have attended preschool and will attain the age of 5 years on or before December 1 of the year of the 2009-2010 school term and each school term thereafter to attend school upon commencement of such term (now, a child must attain age 5 on or before September 1).

HB 272 (Franks, D-Woodstock) requires the IHSA to prohibit athletes from using performance-enhancing drugs and implement random testing of athletes. Further the bill requires the IHSA to ensure that each athletic coach complete an educational program on the prevention of abuse of performance-enhancing substances.

HB 281 (Bellock, R-Westmont) requires that the State Board of Education, in conjunction with the Department of Public Health, develop and make available to each school board guidelines for the management of students with life-threatening food allergies and requires school boards to implement a policy based on these guidelines no later than January 1, 2011.

HB 288 (Fritchey, D-Chicago) changes the title of the Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act and allows a teacher to conduct (instead of requiring a teacher to observe) a brief period of silence at the opening of every school day with the participation of all pupils assembled.

HB 325 (Fortner, R-West Chicago) allows the school treasurer in Cook County to also be a member of the school board (now prohibited).

HB 363 (Soto, D-Chicago), for Chicago public schools, creates a Special Joint Chicago Facilities sub-committee to discuss school closings, openings, repairs, additions, school phase-outs, consolidations and boundary changes.

HB 380 (Nekritz, D-Northbrook) requires each school board employing an employee who is an elected trustee of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund to make available to the elected trustee at least 20 days of paid leave of absence per year for the purpose of attending IMRF meetings.

HB 392 (Golar, D-Chicago) makes various changes in the Grow Your Own Teacher Education Act.

HB 475 (Winters, R-Rockford), regarding textbook and other fee waivers, changes the reference for eligibility from children eligible under the Community School Lunch Program to children eligible under the federal National School Lunch Act.

HB 548 (Pihos, R-Glen Ellyn) provides that for paid sick leave for adoption or placement for adoption, the school board may require that the teacher or other employee provide evidence that the formal adoption process is underway, and such leave is limited to 30 days unless a longer leave has been negotiated with the exclusive bargaining representative.

HB 605 (Yarbrough, D-Broadview) extends the deadline set for the Ensuring Success in School Task Force to December 1, 2009.

HB 613 (Eddy) provides that the acceptance of bids sealed by a bidder and the opening of these bids at a public bid opening may be permitted by an electronic process.

HB 628 (Osterman, D-Chicago) requires school districts to provide access for special education student parents, independent educational evaluators, or an expert for the purpose of observation of students in the school setting.

HB 645 (Burke, D-Chicago), regarding schools require a doctor's note for sick leave for employees or absence for students, allows chiropractors to provide verification.

HB 684 (Burns, D-Chicago) requires the State Board of Education to make grants, subject to appropriation, for funding community schools.

HB 740 (Smith) requires the State Board of Education to establish a 2-year pilot program to assist in the creation and promotion of green career and technical education programs in high schools.

HB 806 (Fortner, R-West Chicago) based upon an assessment of a child's readiness allows children 6 years of age due to be 7 years by December 31, who have attended a state-certified, private preschool through kindergarten to be enrolled in the first grade.

HB 809 (Fortner) makes clarifying modifications to the process of withdrawal from special education co-operative agreements.

HB 979 (Coulson, R-Glenview) provides that for students with an Individualized Education Plan at the age of 14½, the IEP must include measurable postsecondary goals based upon age appropriate transition assessments and information that is related to training, education, employment and independent living skills.

HB 999 (Eddy) allows a school district to establish a bank line of credit.

HB 1107 (Eddy) for health/life safety repairs, a school district will have the ability to use health health/life safety funds for those repairs that occur because of an emergency.

HB 1108 (Eddy), beginning July 1, 2009, provides that an advisory board for professional development shall be established within each region or group of regions operating as a part of an intergovernmental agreement.

HB 1313 (Senger, R-Naperville) provides that the gross disobedience or misconduct for which a school board may expel pupils includes that perpetuated by electronic means. This includes the authority to suspend a student for a certain period of time or may expel a student for a definite period of time for certain internet-related offenses.

HB 1335 (Schmitz, R-Batavia) provides that a school board does not have to comply with the Illinois Accessibility Code with respect to accessibility to press boxes that are 1,000 square feet or less and that are on school property.

HB 2321 (Brauer, R-Springfield) allows Rochester CUSD 3a to issue bonds with an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $18.5 million instead of $15 million.

HB 2386 (Hernandez, D-Cicero) provides that students in J. Sterling Morton HSD 201 complete at least 40 hours of community service in order to receive a high school diploma.

HB 2530 (Holbrook, D-Belleville) adds relocation expenses as a result of mine subsidence to the section of the School Code that provides for loans or grants to school districts for temporary relocation.

HB 2619 (Eddy) allows Martinsville CUSD 3C to issue bonds to acquire and improve a school site and building, equipping a new school building on the site to replace all or a portion of a school building closed by the regional superintendent because of flood damage.

HB 2675 (Eddy) authorizes a school board to hold school or schedule teacher' institutes on school holidays under certain circumstances.

HB 2871 (Bassi, R-Palatine) provides that the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving Fund is not subject to administrative charge transfers from that fund into any other State fund.

HB 3982 (D'Amico, D-Chicago) changes the definition of "multifunction school-activity bus" to mean a school bus manufactured for the purpose of transporting 11 to 15 persons, including the driver, whose purposes do not include transporting students to and from home or school bus stops.

HOUSE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Wednesday, April 29, 8:30 a.m., Room 114, State Capitol

SB 1293 (Clayborne) adjusts school district debt limitations for Belle Valley S.D. #119.

SB 1391 (Clayborne) requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules to provide standards for the certification of marital and family therapists employed by school boards.

SB 1557 (Delgado, D-Chicago) requires schools to include in its history curriculum a unit of instruction studying the events related to the forceful removal and illegal deportation of almost 2,000,000 Mexican-American U.S. citizens during the Great Depression.

SB 1665 (Jacobs, D-Moline) requires the Comprehensive Health Education Program to include

information about cancer and requires IHSA to include a question asking whether a student has a family history of cancer on any pre-participation examination form given to students participating or seeking to participate in interscholastic athletics.

SB 1956 (Demuzio) makes changes with respect to days that are used for an in-service training program for teachers and parent-teacher conferences regarding the compilation of average daily clock hours standard.

SB 1957 (Demuzio) makes changes to the requirements for the school breakfast program.

SB 1977 (Meeks) makes numerous changes throughout the School Code to make technical and clarification changes.

SB 2014 (Demuzio) provides that a school district shall afford students one opportunity (instead of 2 opportunities) to take the Prairie State Achievement Examination beginning as late as practical during the spring (instead of second) semester of grade 11.

SB 2051 (Crotty, D-Oak Forest) changes the General State Aid calculation for school districts that have successfully passed a limiting rate increase such that, for each year after 2010 school year, if voters in a PTELL county approve an increase in the limiting rate for a school district the increase in local resources will not result in a decrease in General State Aid for the approved duration of the limiting rate increase.

SB 2071 (Haine, D-Alton) contains ISBE's teacher misconduct proposal regarding the reporting and monitoring of teachers convicted of felony offenses.

SB 2119 (Steans) creates a task force to develop strategies to allow for the innovation, intervention, and restructuring of schools, including those that need comprehensive or focused intervention.

SB 2214 (Garrett) requires school districts to report annually to the State Board of Education the total expenditures related to providing driver education, including equipment and personnel costs.

SB 2270 (Cronin, R-Elmhurst) requires school districts to annually submit to the ISBE an itemized salary compensation report for every employee holding an administrative certificate.

HJR 42 (Smith) requires the ISBE and the Board of Higher Education to prepare legislative recommendations to restructure school leader preparation and certification programs.

SENATE REVENUE COMMITTEE
Wednesday, April 29, 2:00 p.m., Room 400, State Capitol

HB 242 (Nekritz, D-Northbrook), an initiative of the Alliance and other local government organizations, provides that the debt service extension base must be increased each year by the Consumer Price Index percentage increase during the 12-month calendar year preceding the levy year, not to exceed 5%.

HB 1197 (Black, R-Danville) validates the tax levies and extensions and the expenditures by St. Joseph Ogden Community High School District 305 for fire prevention and safety purposes.

SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Wednesday, April 29, 2:00 p.m., Room 212, State Capitol

HB 80 (Lang, D-Chicago) ends the terms of the current members of the State Board of Education and changes the way that they are appointed.

HB 1345 (Joyce, D-Chicago) provides that "public records" under the Freedom of Information Act includes all settlement agreements.

HOUSE STATE GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
Wednesday, April 29, 2:00 p.m., Room 114, State Capitol

SB 1559 (Koehler, D-Peoria) requires all cars owned or leased by school districts that are used for high school driver's education to be made in America.

SB 1265 (Harmon) provides that "public records" under the Freedom of Information Act includes all settlement agreements.

*The legislative report is written and edited by the lobbyists of the Illinois Association of School Boards to provide information to the members of the organizations that comprise the Statewide School Management Alliance.

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