SB0791 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB100 08812 MLM 18953 b

100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2017 and 2018
SB0791

Introduced 2/1/2017, by Sen. Martin A. Sandoval

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

20 ILCS 3975/4.5
105 ILCS 5/27-22.05

Amends the School Code. Provides that a school board may allow students to substitute the entirety of grades 11 and 12 with vocational or technical education courses. Requires substituted courses to be approved jointly by the State Board of Education and the Illinois Workforce Investment Board (instead of requiring the course to contain at least 50% of the content of the course to be substituted). Amends the Illinois Workforce Investment Board Act to make conforming changes.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Workforce Investment Board Act is amended by changing Section 4.5 as follows:

(20 ILCS 3975/4.5)

Sec. 4.5. Duties.

(a) The Board must perform all the functions of a state workforce investment board under the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998, any amendments to that Act, and any other applicable federal statutes. The Board must also perform all other functions that are not inconsistent with the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 or this Act and that are assumed by the Board under its bylaws or assigned to it by the Governor.

(b) The Board must cooperate with the General Assembly and make recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly concerning legislation necessary to improve upon statewide and local workforce investment systems in order to increase occupational skill attainment, employment, retention, or earnings of participants and thereby improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the State. The Board must annually submit a report to the General Assembly on the progress of the State in achieving state performance measures under the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998, including information on the levels of performance achieved by the State with respect to the core indicators of performance and the customer satisfaction indicator under that Act. The report must include any other items that the Governor may be required to report to the Secretary of the United States Department of Labor under Section 136(d) of the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998.

(b-5) The Board shall implement a method for measuring the progress of the State's workforce development system by using specified benchmarks. Those benchmarks are: (i) the educational level of working adults; (ii) the percentage of the adult workforce in education and training; (iii) adult literacy; (iv) the percentage of high school graduates transitioning to education or training; (v) the high school dropout rate; (vi) the number of youth transitioning from 8th grade to 9th grade; (vii) the percentage of individuals and families at economic self-sufficiency; (viii) the average growth in pay; (ix) net job growth; and (x) productivity per employee.

The Board shall identify the most significant early indicators for each benchmark, establish a mechanism to collect data and track the benchmarks on an annual basis, and then use the results to set goals for each benchmark, to inform planning, and to ensure the effective use of State resources.

(b-10) The Board shall jointly approve of vocational or technical education programs with the State Board of Education as required by Section 27-22.05 of the School Code.

(c) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require or allow the Board to assume or supersede the statutory authority granted to, or impose any duties or requirements on, the State Board of Education, the Board of Higher Education, the Illinois Community College Board, any State agencies created under the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, or any local education agencies.

(d) No actions taken by the Illinois Human Resource Investment Council before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly and no rights, powers, duties, or obligations from those actions are impaired solely by this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly. All actions taken by the Illinois Human Resource Investment Council before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly are ratified and validated.

(Source: P.A. 92-588, eff. 7-1-02; 93-331, eff. 1-1-04.)

Section 10. The School Code is amended by changing Section 27-22.05 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/27-22.05)

Sec. 27-22.05. Required course substitute. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article or this Code, a school board that maintains any of grades 9 through 12 is authorized to adopt a policy under which a student who is enrolled in any of those grades may satisfy one or more high school course or graduation requirements, including but not limited to any requirements under Sections 27-6 and 27-22, by substituting for and successfully completing in place of the high school course or graduation requirement a related vocational or technical education course. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Code, a school board may allow students to substitute the entirety of grades 11 and 12 with vocational or technical education courses. Vocational and technical education courses must be approved jointly by the State Board of Education and the Illinois Workforce Investment Board in order to be substituted. A vocational or technical education course shall not qualify as a related vocational or technical education course within the meaning of this Section unless it contains at least 50% of the content of the required course or graduation requirement for which it is substituted, as determined by the State Board of Education in accordance with standards that it shall adopt and uniformly apply for purposes of this Section. No vocational or technical education course may be substituted for a required course or graduation requirement under any policy adopted by a school board as authorized in this Section unless the pupil's parent or guardian first requests the substitution and approves it in writing on forms that the school district makes available for purposes of this Section.

(Source: P.A. 88-269.)