Amends the School Code. Authorizes the State Board of Education to administer a Continued Reading Improvement Grant Program. Provides that, subject to appropriation, funds for the Continued Reading Improvement Grant Program shall be made available, on a competitive basis, to school districts with students in any of grades 7 through 12 who are reading significantly below grade level. Provides that the State Board may reserve and distribute an amount not to exceed 2% of the moneys appropriated for the Program for the purpose of developing teacher reading academies and administrator academies that espouse research-based teaching methods and instructional strategies proven to increase adolescent literacy achievement. Provides that these funds may also be used to develop and maintain an Internet website for collecting program data and providing assessment and instructional resources germane to the Program. Provides that funds received under a grant may be used for efforts to implement a school or district literacy plan for increased student achievement and reading comprehension. Effective immediately.
Sponsored bills
Amends the Department of Agriculture Law. Requires the Department to conduct a feasibility study to determine the cost effectiveness of adding calcium nitrate to anhydrous ammonia tanks to make the ammonia worthless for methamphetamine production. The Department shall complete its study and report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly by March 1, 2008.
Amends the Child Care Act of 1969. Provides that no day care center, day care home, or group day care home license or permit may be issued or renewed, unless the Department has been presented with satisfactory proof that all persons operating and employed by the day care facility have submitted to and successfully passed a drug screening conducted by an entity approved by the Department, and that the day care facility has instituted a policy of periodic drug screening of all persons operating and employed by the day care center facility.
Appropriates $1 from the General Revenue Fund to the State Board of Education for the Illinois Teaching Excellence Program. Effective July 1, 2008.
Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall require a publisher of a textbook to furnish an accessible electronic file set of contracted print material to the National Instructional Materials Access Center, which shall then be available to the State Board of Education or its authorized user for the purpose of conversion to an accessible format for use by a child with a disability and for distribution to local education agencies (instead of requiring a publisher to furnish to the State Board computer diskettes from which Braille versions of the textbook can be produced and a copy of the textbook to duplicate into Braille, large print, or tape). Provides that the publisher shall provide each local education agency with a confirmation that the accessible electronic file set has been furnished to the National Instructional Materials Access Center. Effective July 1, 2007.
Amends the Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Property Tax Relief and Pharmaceutical Assistance Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
Amends the State Police Act. Provides that a requirement that a State Police applicant have certain collegiate educational requirements is deemed to be satisfied if the applicant has been honorably discharged and has an Afghan or Iraqi campaign medal awarded after September 11, 2001 by one of the United States armed forces. Effective immediately.
Makes appropriations from the General Revenue Fund to the Board of Trustees of the State Universities Retirement System and the Community College Health Insurance Security Fund for the States contribution. Effective July, 1, 2007.
Amends the Fire Protection District Act. Provides that, until January 1, 2009, the fee charged to persons and entities that are not residents of the fire protection district for the cost of providing services shall not exceed $250 per vehicle (now, $125) and shall not exceed $70 per hour per firefighter (now, $35 per hour per firefighter). Provides that those amounts shall be adjusted annually to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index during the previous 12-month period.
Amends the School Code. Provides that neither a regional superintendent of schools nor the State Board of Education may use a regional superintendent's authority to conduct a compliance audit of a school district or its schools as a basis for requiring a school district or school to implement an unfunded mandate that is not required by the School Code or any other law. Effective immediately.