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White visited Grace McWayne School,
where he presented Danae Fuqua with a framed replica of the plate.
Her design, which features an apple, "ABC" and "123," was chosen out
of more than 9,000 drawings submitted by students from across the
state.
"This contest was very exciting because
it focused on our young people," said White. "The creativity of the
children of Illinois is one of our most treasured resources. And
today we’re proud to be recognizing Danae’s talent."
[Click for larger view]
The competition, which was open to
students from kindergarten to eighth grade, began this spring.
Money raised from the plate will be
deposited into a special fund called the Illinois Future Teacher
Corps Scholarship Fund. This fund will be used to provide
scholarship money to full-time undergraduate and graduate students
pursuing their teacher certification in Illinois. A portion of the
fund will be appropriated to the State Board of Education for grants
to the Golden Apple Foundation.
"The grants will help fund our
continuing mission to focus on the recruitment, preparation and
renewal of excellent teachers," said Elaine Schuster, president and
CEO of the Golden Apple Foundation. "We are very pleased to work
together with Secretary White and the General Assembly to improve
education for all children."
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The new education license plate will
cost $118 for the initial purchase ($40 plus the standard $78
registration fee), $25 of which will be deposited to the education
fund. Customers will pay $118 for their annual renewal ($40 plus the
standard $78), $38 of which goes to the fund. Customers who need to
switch plates will also pay a $14 fee.
Once the secretary of state’s office
has 850 motorists signed up for the new plate, the production
process will begin, White said. To
sign up for the plate, motorists can be put on a list by
going online at
www.cyberdriveillinois.com or calling (217) 558-6148.
The committee that chose the new plate
included Secretary White, the director of the state police and
members of the General Assembly.
State Sen.
Chris Lauzen, R-Aurora, and state Rep. Larry McKeon, D-Chicago,
sponsored Senate Bill 1521 that authorizes both the new specialty
license plate for education and the contest to design the plate.
[News
release] |
