(105 ILCS 5/Art. 1C heading)
ARTICLE 1C. BLOCK GRANTS

    (105 ILCS 5/1C‑1)
    Sec. 1C‑1. Purpose. The purpose of this Article is to permit greater flexibility and efficiency in the distribution and use of certain State funds available to local education agencies for the improvement of the quality of educational services pursuant to locally established priorities.
    This Article does not apply to school districts having a population in excess of 500,000 inhabitants.
(Source: P.A. 88‑555, eff. 7‑27‑94; 89‑15, eff. 5‑30‑95; 89‑397, eff. 8‑20‑95; 89‑626, eff. 8‑9‑96.)

    (105 ILCS 5/1C‑2)
    Sec. 1C‑2. Block grants.
    (a) For fiscal year 1999, and each fiscal year thereafter, the State Board of Education shall award to school districts block grants as described in subsection (c). The State Board of Education may adopt rules and regulations necessary to implement this Section. In accordance with Section 2‑3.32, all state block grants are subject to an audit. Therefore, block grant receipts and block grant expenditures shall be recorded to the appropriate fund code.
    (b) (Blank).
    (c) An Early Childhood Education Block Grant shall be created by combining the following programs: Preschool Education, Parental Training and Prevention Initiative. These funds shall be distributed to school districts and other entities on a competitive basis. Not less than 11% of this grant shall be used to fund programs for children ages 0‑3, which percentage shall increase to at least 20% by Fiscal Year 2015. However, if, in a given fiscal year, the amount appropriated for the Early Childhood Education Block Grant is insufficient to increase the percentage of the grant to fund programs for children ages 0‑3 without reducing the amount of the grant for existing providers of preschool education programs, then the percentage of the grant to fund programs for children ages 0‑3 may be held steady instead of increased.
(Source: P.A. 95‑793, eff. 1‑1‑09; 96‑423, eff. 8‑13‑09.)

    (105 ILCS 5/1C‑3)
    Sec. 1C‑3. Application. Block grants shall be available, pursuant to appropriation, upon applications made pursuant to school improvement plans. Block grants shall be made utilizing a per pupil basis to determine entitlement.
(Source: P.A. 88‑555, eff. 7‑27‑94; 89‑397, eff. 8‑20‑95.)

    (105 ILCS 5/1C‑4)
    Sec. 1C‑4. Reports. The State Superintendent of Education, in cooperation with the school districts participating under this Article, shall annually report to the leadership of the General Assembly on the progress made in implementing this Article. By February 1, 1997, the State Board of Education shall submit to the Governor and General Assembly a comprehensive plan for Illinois school districts, including the school district that has been organized under Article 34 and is under the jurisdiction of the Chicago Board of Education, to establish and implement a block grant funding system for educational programs that are currently funded through single‑program grants. Before submitting its plan to establish and implement a block grant funding system to the Governor and General Assembly as required by this Section, the State Board of Education shall give appropriate notice of and hold statewide public hearings on the subject of funding educational programs through block grants. The plan shall be designed to relieve school districts of the administrative burdens that impede efficiency and accompany single‑program funding.
(Source: P.A. 88‑555, eff. 7‑27‑94; 89‑397, eff. 8‑20‑95; 89‑610, eff. 8‑6‑96.)

    (105 ILCS 5/1C‑5)
    Sec. 1C‑5. Rules. The State Board of Education shall adopt such rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this Article.
(Source: P.A. 88‑555, eff. 7‑27‑94.)