Section 75.560  Terms of the Grant

a)         The teacher shall be a full-time teacher (i.e., under at least a current nine month (180 days) contract based on an eight hour day).

b)         A school district may apply for a grant for personal services of each full-time agricultural education teacher.

c)         Activities funded under this grant as personal services shall occur outside of the regularly scheduled teaching duties for the benefit of agricultural education.

d)         Grants are available to eligible school districts to assist with the personal services costs of agricultural education teachers beyond or outside of the nine month contract but not to exceed the total of 12 months in any given year.

e)         Each teacher identified in the intent to apply application is responsible for completing and documenting the 400 hours of approved activities beyond the regularly scheduled teaching duties for the benefit of agricultural education. The school district shall submit that documentation to the State Board of Education, along with documentation substantiating the total payment (its share of the cost of payments to each teacher as well as the allocated funds).

1)          Grant Term Violations

A)        Failure to Submit Required Documentation

If a school district fails to submit the required documentation in order to meet the grant requirements, the district is considered the offending party. 

B)        Failure to Meet the 400 Hour Extra Work Commitment

If an individual teacher within the district (if there is more than one agricultural education teacher) fails to complete or document the 400 hours, that teacher is the offending party. If all teachers in a district fail to complete or document the 400 hours, the district is the offending party. 

2)         Penalty for Failing to Meet the Documentation or Work Hour Requirement

Failure to meet a program requirement will result in the ineligibility of the offending party for a grant in the subsequent year.

3)         The State Board of Education can waive this ineligibility in extenuating circumstances when completion of the requirements is not possible and/or is out of the district's control (e.g., severe illness, death, etc.).  The district shall document the circumstance as applicable.

f)         In the case of a teacher on leave or long-term illness (e.g., sabbatical, sick leave, maternity leave), it is possible for a school district to request that a long-term substitute or equivalent representative fulfill the hours to receive the funds so long as the teacher or the substitute completing the hours receives those funds.

g)         The district will hold the teacher harmless in the event:

1)         the grant is prorated subject to Section 75.530(b). The teacher shall be entitled to the extended contract benefits or additional hours outside of the teacher's regularly scheduled teaching duties for the benefit of agricultural education, as agreed to by the school district and teacher prior to the grant application; or

2)         a district applies for the grant and then the grant becomes no longer available. The teacher shall be entitled to the extended contract benefits or additional hours outside of the teacher's regularly scheduled teaching duties for the benefit of agricultural education, as agreed to be the school district and teacher prior to acceptance of the grant.

(Source:  Added at 41 Ill. Reg. 14099, effective November 3, 2017)