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1 AN ACT concerning education.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
5 2-3.206 as follows:
6 (105 ILCS 5/2-3.206 new)
7 Sec. 2-3.206. School district reorganization feasibility
8 studies; grant program.
9 (a) The State Board of Education may award grants to
10 school districts for the purpose of incentivizing those
11 districts to conduct reorganization feasibility studies.
12 (b) To be eligible for a grant under this Section, the
13 board of the school district that is applying for the grant
14 shall:
15 (1) negotiate a proposed agreement to secure the
16 services of a third party consultant who will conduct the
17 reorganization feasibility study;
18 (2) adopt a resolution that is signed by the board
19 president of the district and calls for the initiation of
20 a school district reorganization feasibility study in
21 accordance with the terms of the proposed agreement and
22 any rules adopted by the State Board of Education; and
23 (3) submit the completed agreement form, the signed
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1 board resolution, and such other information as the State
2 Board of Education may, by administrative rule, require,
3 to the regional office of education or the executive
4 director of the intermediate service center for the
5 district for approval.
6 (c) Upon receipt of a complete application from a
7 district, the regional office of education or the executive
8 director of the intermediate service center shall either (i)
9 approve the agreement and send the agreement to the State
10 Board of Education or (ii) disapprove the agreement and return
11 the agreement to the district with a letter of explanation.
12 (d) From funds appropriated to it for that purpose, the
13 State Board of Education may award grants under this Section
14 to districts for which it receives an approved agreement under
15 subsection (c) for costs incurred by those districts to
16 conduct a reorganization feasibility study.
17 (e) To ensure that eligible districts are aware of the
18 grant-funding opportunities provided under this Section, the
19 State Board of Education shall annually notify the board and
20 superintendent of each school district in the State of the
21 availability of grant funds for the purpose of conducting
22 school district reorganization feasibility studies and shall
23 provide with that notice all of the following information:
24 (1) information concerning the procedures for applying
25 for grant funding under this Section during the next award
26 cycle;
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1 (2) a description of the total dollar value of grant
2 funds that are available to be awarded during the next
3 award cycle; and
4 (3) a list of third-party consultants who have
5 experience conducting feasibility studies in Illinois.
6 (f) Every 2 years, each board that receives a notice under
7 subsection (e) may include the question of whether to pursue
8 grant funding under this Section as an action item on the
9 agenda at one of its meetings.
10 (g) When issuing grants under this Section, the State
11 Board of Education may provide a school district up to the
12 maximum reimbursement amount set by the State Board of
13 Education, for the purpose of covering all or part of the costs
14 borne by the school district to conduct a reorganization
15 feasibility study. In awarding grants under this Section, the
16 State Board of Education shall prioritize the awarding of
17 grants to districts that are contiguous with one another,
18 districts that have similar property tax rates, districts with
19 similar per-pupil adequacy funding, and, beginning in State
20 fiscal year 2030, other districts that have been identified as
21 priority districts by the State Board of Education pursuant to
22 rules adopted under subsection (i).
23 (h) No school district may be awarded a grant under this
24 Section in any 2 consecutive award cycles.
25 (i) The State Board of Education may adopt any rules it
26 deems necessary to implement and administer the program of
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1 grant funding established under this Section, including, but
2 not limited to, rules establishing the criteria that must be
3 met by the third-party consultants who will perform the
4 feasibility studies described in this Section, rules
5 describing minimum criteria to be included in agreements
6 executed with the third-party consultants who will perform the
7 feasibility studies described in this Section, and, beginning
8 in State fiscal year 2030, rules identifying additional types
9 of school districts to be prioritized for grant funding under
10 this Section. In State fiscal year 2035, and every 5 years
11 thereafter, the State Board of Education shall reevaluate and,
12 if necessary, amend the rules identifying additional types of
13 school districts to be prioritized for grant funding under
14 this Section.
15 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
16 becoming law.Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.