The Illinois State Board of Education has notified us that a fiscal year 2010 appropriation was not awarded for the Parent Guardian Transportation Reimbursement Program authorized under Section 29-5.2 of the Illinois School Code.
The lack of FY2010 funding will prevent the State Board from paying any Parent Guardian Transportation claims filed for the 2008-09 school year. These payments are normally made in December of each year. In the event that funds are restored in this fiscal year, we will promptly pay the 2008-09 claims that were submitted.
According to the Catholic Conference of Illinois Newsletter, the textbook loan program was also cut completely. The School Safety Block Grant was cut by 75% and the Preschool for All program was cut by 10%.
The Good News is that the $500 Tuition Tax Credit will not be affected by the budget shortfall at this point and remains available to all of our families.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Illinois Textbook Loan Program
The purpose of the program is to provide textbooks, textbook substitutes, and since 1996, instructional computer software to public and nonpublic students grades K-12. The program rotates every year to fund textbook purchases for different groups of students: K-6 and 7-12. The 2008-2009 textbook loan program, this year for students in 7-12 has an appropriation of a little over $42.8 million dollars – this will provide approximately $40 per pupil. (In past years, text books were provided only for K-4, 5-8 and 9-12, with a much smaller appropriation; now text book loans will be provided for a particular grade every two years, instead of every three years.)
The Illinois Textbook Loan Program was authorized in 1975 and is now Article 18-17 of the Illinois School Code.
Parental Transportation Reimbursement Program
The purpose of the program is to provide financial assistance to Illinois’ parents/guardians of children, grades K-12, to whom free busing is not provided. For the 2007-2008 school year, the transportation reimbursement program was appropriated $11.95 million, for a reimbursement of up to $101 per qualifying pupil.
In order to qualify, the parents/guardians’ child must not have access to publicly provided transportation to and from school and must either live over 1 ½ miles from the school their child attends or, if they live less than 1.5 miles from the school, must obtain a serious safety hazard approval from their Regional Office of Education.
In order to qualify, the parents/guardians’ child must not have access to publicly provided transportation to and from school and must either live over 1 ½ miles from the school their child attends or, if they live less than 1.5 miles from the school, must obtain a serious safety hazard approval from their Regional Office of Education.
The Illinois Parent/Guardian State Pupil Transportation Reimbursement Program was authorized in 1986.
Education Expense Tax Credit
The program provides a state tax credit for Illinois’ residents, who are the parents and/or guardians of one or more qualifying students. The credit is for qualified education expenses paid at an Illinois elementary or secondary school – public or nonpublic. Unlike the Textbook Loan and Transportation Reimbursement programs, this tax credit is not subject to the annual appropriation process.
The tax credit, against Illinois’ income tax, is 25% of qualified education expenses – tuition, book fees and lab fees – over $250. However, the tax credit cannot exceed $500 per family. In order to qualify for the maximum tax credit, an eligible parent/guardian would have to spend at least $2,250 in the covered categories. It is important to note that since this is a tax credit, qualifying expenses must be incurred in the calendar year being filed for, not in a given school year. For tax year 2007, 240,290 taxpayers claimed the education expense tax credit, totaling a little more than $71.2 million.
The tax credit, against Illinois’ income tax, is 25% of qualified education expenses – tuition, book fees and lab fees – over $250. However, the tax credit cannot exceed $500 per family. In order to qualify for the maximum tax credit, an eligible parent/guardian would have to spend at least $2,250 in the covered categories. It is important to note that since this is a tax credit, qualifying expenses must be incurred in the calendar year being filed for, not in a given school year. For tax year 2007, 240,290 taxpayers claimed the education expense tax credit, totaling a little more than $71.2 million.
The Illinois Education Expense Tax Credit was authorized in 1999.
State Recognition of Nonpublic Schools
In 2003, legislation was passed requiring the Illinois State Board of Education to implement and maintain a process through which nonpublic schools could obtain state recognition and ensure many of the educational benefits of working in or attending public schools also applied to nonpublic school staff and families.
Educational Improvement and School Safety Block Grant*
In 2007, the legislature expanded the Educational Improvement and School Safety Block Grant to include nonpublic schools. The program provides payment to public and nonpublic schools to pay for the litany of health and safety mandates the state applies to these schools. There was an appropriation last year of $74,841,000, which amounts to $36.01 per pupil for 2008-2009.
* Information received from the Illinois State Board of Education (www.isbe.state.il.us).
Legislation authorizing this was signed into law in January 2008.
* Information received from the Illinois State Board of Education (www.isbe.state.il.us).
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