Holy Family Legislative Action

Senate Bill 2879 (Multi-Function School Activity Bus)

2010-05-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

The CCI has been informed that a handful of Catholic high schools in Illinois would consider using Multi-Function School Activity Buses to transport students to school, picking up and dropping off these students on private property. CCI worked with Senator Dan Cronin (R-Elmhurst), ranking minority member of the Senate Education Committee, to introduce Senate Bill 2879 which would authorize this practice. The bill passed the Senate unanimously on March 18; however, the Secretary of State’s office has since expressed opposition. The bill remains in the House Rules Committee, while we try to work out a compromise.

Senate Bill 3547 (Electronic Textbooks)

2010-05-03T19:18:00.002-07:00

State Senator James Clayborne (D-Belleville) introduced this legislation to allow Textbook Loan funds to be used to purchase electronic textbooks and equipment necessary to access and use electronic textbooks. CCI supports this legislation as it will be an important step forward once funding for the program is restored. This legislation passed the Senate on March 18 and has been assigned to the House Education Committee.

House Bill 5838 (Outdoor AED Mandate)

2010-05-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

This bill rescinds the requirement that schools ensure AEDs are present at outdoor athletic activities. CCI supports the bill. This legislation passed the House unanimously on March 23rd and the Senate’s Public Health Committee last week. We fully expect it to become law.

House Bill 4711 (Unfunded Mandates)

2010-05-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

This bill, introduced in January by Representative Roger Eddy (R-Huntonsville), stipulates that school districts do not have to comply with any future unfunded state mandates. The bill exempts certain requirements – such as safety codes and graduation requirements – but is otherwise designed to give school districts more financial flexibility. Upon request of CCI, Representative Eddy amended his bill to include nonpublic schools. CCI supports the legislation, and the bill passed the House on March 18 and has been assigned to the Senate Education Committee for a hearing next week.

Textbook Loan & Other Grant Funding

2010-05-03T19:16:00.001-07:00

The CCI continues to work with Agudath Israel, the Illinois Coalition of Nonpublic Schools (ICNS) and the American Association of Textbook Publishers, to restore funding to the Textbook Loan, School Safety Block Grant and Transportation Reimbursement Programs.

Senate Bill 2494 (Voucher Bill)

2010-05-03T19:15:00.001-07:00

The CCI continues to work diligently to advance this legislation. As soon as the bill passed the Senate two weeks ago, we began engaging House leadership and key House members. This work led to a favorable committee assignment -- House Executive Committee -- and we hope for a hearing next week. This week, Bob and I spoke with a number of House members, including several African-American legislators representing areas affected by the legislation. It is clear the House will be a tougher nut to crack than the Senate. Members are worried the problems support of this bill might bring them, and the teachers unions are hard at work. Additionally a vote earlier in the session to curtail teacher pensions is having a negative affect -- several members have mentioned it and worry how many times or how far they can cross the unions. We keep working with our coalition partners and advocating for the children and our schools.

ACTION ALERT: WRITE THE GOVERNOR TO FUND TEXTBOOKS!

2010-02-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

The Governor is currently working on his budget recommendation for next fiscal year. Our challenge is to convince him to include funding for the Textbook Loan Program in his budget proposal.

School staff, parents and parishioners please use this letter template (with mailing address) or write your own and send it to the Governor.

Feel free to personalize your letter. Talking specifically about what Textbook Loan has provided your school will be especially helpful. The Governor will be preparing his budget for the remainder of the month and perhaps into March, so there is plenty of time to get the word out, gather support and flood his office with letters.

Please do whatever you can to encourage broad participation. A high level of sustained grassroots engagement is essential to achieving our goals. The sample letter and this information can also be found on the CCI web site.

Please contact Zach Wichmann if you have any further questions.

Zach Wichmann
Catholic Conference of Illinois
Associate Director for Education
217-528-9200

Illinois Coalition of Non-public Schools

2010-01-28T10:19:00.001-08:00

Otherwise known as Illinois Advocates for Educational Choice (IAEC) met on January 23, 2010. Representatives from Concord Lutheran, Holy Family, Holy Ghost, St. Isidore, St. Matthew and St. Walter Schools, and Immaculate Conception High School and principals from Immanuel Lutheran, Holy Family and St. Matthew Schools greeted State Senator Carole Pankau and Representatives Dennis Reboletti and Franco Coladipietro at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Elmhurst. View notes from this important meeting.

News from the Catholic Conference of Illinois (CCI)

2010-01-28T10:18:00.000-08:00

January 2010 Newsletter from CCI.

A Call to Action

2010-01-12T13:46:00.000-08:00

January 23, 9 -11 am, Immanuel Lutheran School, Elmhurst - Please put this date on your calendar and plan to attend. We would like to have parents from each of these legislators' districts represented so that we can talk with them about issues that face our school. Let's show them that we are a united group who believes in the importance of Catholic education and everything that it offers our children. The participants include parents from all non public schools in our senate district. Holy Family Catholic School is part of Senate District 23. The meeting is sponsored by the Illinois Advocates of Educational Choice (IAEC.) Visit the IAEC web site for more information.

State legislators in the 23rd Senate District will include:
•    State Senator Carole Pankau
•    State Representative Dennis Reboletti
•    State Representative Franco Coladipietro

Directions to the meeting: Immanuel Lutheran School is located at 148 East Third Street, Elmhurst. From North Avenue and York Street in Elmhurst, drive south to the stop light at Third Street, and turn east (left) on Third Street. Immanuel Lutheran School and Church are one block east of York Street. Look for the “Educational Choice” signs at the school entrance.

Current Updates

2009-09-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

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.

Illinois Textbook Loan Program

2009-09-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

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.

The Illinois Parent/Guardian State Pupil Transportation Reimbursement Program was authorized in 1986.

Education Expense Tax Credit

2009-09-28T10:33:00.000-07:00

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 Illinois Education Expense Tax Credit was authorized in 1999.

State Recognition of Nonpublic Schools

2009-09-28T10:32:00.001-07:00

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*

2009-09-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

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.

Legislation authorizing this was signed into law in January 2008.

* Information received from the Illinois State Board of Education (www.isbe.state.il.us).