Illinois State Board of Education Budget and Legislative Update to the 2016 Special Education Director s Conference James T. Meeks Chairman Tony Smith, Ph.D. Superintendent August 4, 2016
Illinois State Board of Education Budget and Legislative Update 1
FY2017 Budget On June 30, 2016, the General Assembly passed SB 2047 that was promptly signed by the Governor on July 1 st. P.A. 99-524 (SB 2047) included a full-year budget for schools and a 6 month stop-gap budget for agencies including community colleges and universities. Key elements of SB 2047: PreK-12 Fully funds PreK-12 schools at FY16 levels through FY17 Higher education Provides $1 billion for universities and community colleges State operations $720 million for state operational expenses to provide for costs incurred at state facilities and agencies. Human services $670 million for numerous grants and programs, including breast and cervical cancer screenings, youth programs, autism services, homeless services, and others 2
Governor s School Funding Reform Commission In mid-july, the Governor announced his intentions to create a bipartisan, bicameral Commission on School Funding. This 25-member group, comprised of legislators, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of the Department of Human Services and will be facilitated by the Chairman of the State Board of Education. Meetings are slated to start in early August and be monthly with a goal of issuing a report by February 1 st. Appointments: Governor Beth Purvis (Chair), Sec. of Education House Democrats House Republicans Senate Democrats Rep. Fred Crespo Rep. Avery Bourne Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant Senate Republicans Sen. Jason Barickman Evelyn Sanguinetti, Lieutenant Governor Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie Rep. Sheri Jesiel Sen. Daniel Biss Sen. Dave Luechtefeld James Dimas, Secretary of Human Services Rep. Will Davis Rep. Dwight Kay Sen. Kimberly Lightford Sen. Dan McConchie Jennifer Hammer, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Jodi Scott, Regional Superintendent of Schools for Henderson, Knox, Mercer, and Warren Counties Rep. Rita Mayfield Rep. Robert Pritchard Sen. Andy Manar Sen. Karen McConnaughay Rep. Emily McAsey Rep. Christine Winger Sen. Iris Martinez Sen. Sue Rezin 3
Funding Reform Legislation HB 2990 (Madigan/Cullerton) maintains the existing GSA formula and includes a hold harmless provision so no district will receive less funds than they did in FY 16. The bill also creates a new equity grant that distributes $700 million based on a district s percentage of low-income students while considering local wealth. The current low-income formula does not consider local wealth only the percentage of low-income students. HB 2990 passed the Senate and was voted down in the House. SB 2048 (Currie/Cullerton, J.) appropriates funds to ISBE for grants to school districts. The bill would ensure districts receive at least the amount of GSA funding they received in FY 16 and appropriates an additional $700 million which would be allocated to districts in a proportionate share of the supplemental General State Aid grant they received in FY 17. SB 2048 passed the House and was voted down in the Senate. 4
Funding Reform Legislation HB 813 (Cullerton, J./Currie) maintains the existing GSA formula and includes a hold harmless provision so no district will receive less funds than they did in FY 16. The bill changes the parameters of the current low income grant that distributes $500M based on a district s percentage of low-income students while considering local wealth. The current low-income formula does not consider local wealth only the percentage of low-income students. These new grants would be provided for FYs 17 19. HB 813 was approved by the Senate and awaits House action. SB 231 (Manar/Mitchell, C.) creates a new model for school funding. SB 231 creates a weighted student formula with approximately 78% of funds going through one funding stream that is mostly equalized to account for district wealth. The legislation also includes a hold harmless to ensure any losses are phased in over a 4- year period. SB 231 was approved by the Senate and awaits House action. HB 3190 (Lightford)/Davis, W.) creates a new model for school funding. The legislation includes language from SB 231 for FY 17, and requires the State to adopt an evidence-based model of funding in FY 18 and subsequent fiscal years. HB 3190 was approved by the Senate and awaits House action. 5
Funding Reform Legislation SB 3434 (Barickman) / $ HB 6583 (Durkin) appropriates funds to ISBE for operations and grants to school districts. The legislation fully funds General State Aid and creates a hold harmless provision so that no district loses more than it received last year (+$105 million). Neither measure has been acted on by the House or Senate. HB 828 (Davis, W) creates a new evidence-based funding model for school districts. HB 828 has not been acted on by the House. HB 829 (Currie) is identical to SB 231 (Manar/Mitchell, C.). HB 829 has not been acted on by the House. HJRCA 57 (Madigan) proposes to amend the Constitution to provide that a fundamental right (instead of goal) of the People of the State is the educational development of all persons. This amendment has not yet passed the House. HJRCA 57 has not been acted on by the House. 6
Legislation that Passed Both Houses Curriculum HB 5729 (Burke/Biss) creates the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act. One component of the Act enables Education Agencies to establish the competencies required to enter credit bearing math course work in college. Using these competencies the Education Agencies will establish criteria (such as grades, test scores, and course completions) that identify students during their junior year of high school as on track for college credit coursework. The bill also establishes a voluntary system for school districts to award college and career pathways endorsements on high school diplomas. The endorsement will demonstrate students readiness for college and careers and completion of instruction and work experience in a selected career interest area. The endorsement system will incentivize career exploration and development, particularly in high-demand career fields. 7
Legislation that Passed Both Houses Student Health and Safety HB 4462 (Mussman/Nybo) makes multiple changes regarding epi-pen administration in school districts. Allows bus drivers who are not school employees to carry and administer epinephrine auto-injectors (current school bus drivers who are school employees are already among the school employees who may be so trained and able to administer the epinephrine); and requires, in addition to the current reporting of use of undesignated (stock) epinephrine auto-injectors on any person by RN or trained school staff, reporting whether the school or school district has adopted a policy allowing the use of undesignated (stock) epinephrine. HB 6333 (Gabel/Koehler) requires districts to request an asthma action plan from the parents or guardians of a pupil with asthma. ISBE is required to develop a model asthma episode emergency response protocol before September 1, 2016. School districts, charter schools, and nonpublic schools shall adopt asthma episode emergency response protocol before January 1, 2017. Every 2 years, school personnel who work with pupils shall complete a training program on the management of asthma. 8
Legislation that Passed Both Houses School Districts HB 4606 (Davis, W/Harris) seeks to increase procedural due process rights for students where a district believes them to a non-resident of the school district. The bill would also allow the person who enrolled the pupil to appeal a district's finding of nonresident to the applicable regional superintendent of schools (this specific provision does not apply to CPS). HB 4996 (Welch/Lightford) requires that each school board, including CPS, to appoint at least one employee to act as a liaison to facilitate the enrollment and transfer of records of students in the legal custody of DCFS when enrolling in or changing schools. HB 5901 (Guzzardi/Martinez) requires each school district to report to ISBE information concerning assessments administered within their district. 9
Legislation that Passed Both Houses Licensure HB 4360 (Cassidy/Van Pelt) amends the School Code with regard to the currently imposed lifetime ban on licensure for certain criminal convictions and with regard to the list of criminal convictions that automatically disqualify an individual from holding a teaching license or being employed in public schools or nonpublic ISBE-recognized schools. HB 6181 (Willis/Martinez) allows educators to earn professional development and enter it into ELIS during the last 3 months of the school year (April-June). SB 2440 (Bertino-Tarrant/Pritchard) amends the requirements for the principal endorsement on a Professional Educator License by expanding the applicable experience to include experience working in the capacity of school support personnel. 10
Legislation that Passed Both Houses Funding SB 238 (Lightford/Chapa LaVia) changes the birth-3 set aside. Prior legislation required that 20% of EC funds be dedicated to birth-3 programming by 2016. We are currently at 18% and are concerned about cutting 2% from existing 3-4 year old programs. The early childhood advocates are supporting us in this legislation that will require that 25% of any new money be dedicated to birth-3 programs until 20% is reached. 11
Legislation that Passed Both Houses Reports, Task Forces, Commissions, etc. HB 4343 (Chapa LaVia/Collins) extends the initial report submission deadline for the Attendance Commission to March 15, 2016 (instead of December 15, 2015). HB 4367 (Bellock/Bush) requires ISBE to reestablish the reading instruction advisory group to complete the group s work. The reestablished advisory group is required to complete its work before December 31, 2016. HB 6136 (Wallace/Lightford) creates the Advisory Council on At-Risk Students within ISBE which must submit a report to the General Assembly, Board, and Governor no later than December 15, 2016 various topics impacting at-risk students. HJR 150 (Turner) creates the Statewide Task Force on Disconnected Youth to examine and develop ways to address the growing number of disconnected youth who are out of school and jobless in Illinois. DHS is requested to provide administrative support. ISBE has a member on this Task Force. The resolution still requires Senate action. 12
Legislation that did NOT Pass Both Houses Student Health Life Safety SB 550 (Steans) among other changes, requires DPH to adopt rules that establish a program to identify, in each school in the State, any lead service line or lead-bearing plumbing that is a lead hazard and require the mitigation of those lead hazards within a reasonable time after their identification. This legislation requires House action. Licensure SB 2912 (Luechtefeld/Crespo) Educator Licensure: This proposal will make it easier for educators coming into Illinois from other states to obtain licensure and will make changes to address substitute teacher shortages in the State. SB 2912 passed the Senate and was not acted on by the House. 13
Legislation of Interest HB 6252 (Willis/Harmon) allows District 89 to withdraw from the PAEC special education co-op in the 2017-2018 school year if the district s state plan has been approved by ISBE. The bill passed both chambers and is awaiting signing by the Governor. SB 1582 (Nybo/Durkin) allows 6 specific private special education schools to utilize multi-function school activity busses for curriculum related trips for students in grades K-12. The bill passed both chambers and is awaiting signing by the Governor. SB 2137 (Morrison/Cabello) requires teacher s institutes to include instruction on the federal Americans with Disabilities Act as it pertains to the school environment at least once every two years. The bill passed both chambers and is awaiting signing by the Governor. 14