Bill Text: IL HB3801 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning incentives for teachers if adequate funds are available, provides for an annual retention bonus of $4,000 per year for 2 consecutive years for National Board certified teachers employed in hard-to-staff schools. Provides that funds must be disbursed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 20-3)
Status: (Passed) 2023-06-30 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 103-0207 [HB3801 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2023-HB3801-Chaptered.html
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| Public Act 103-0207 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning education.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section | ||||
21B-70 as follows:
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(105 ILCS 5/21B-70) | ||||
Sec. 21B-70. Illinois Teaching Excellence Program. | ||||
(a) As used in this Section: | ||||
"Diverse candidate" means a candidate who identifies with | ||||
any of the ethnicities reported on the Illinois Report Card | ||||
other than White. | ||||
"Hard-to-staff school" means a public school in which no | ||||
less than 30% of the student enrollment is considered | ||||
low-income as reported by the report card under Section 10-17a | ||||
of this Code. | ||||
"National Board certified teacher candidate cohort | ||||
facilitator" means a National Board certified teacher who | ||||
collaborates to advance the goal of supporting all other | ||||
candidate cohorts other than diverse candidate cohorts through | ||||
the Illinois National Board for Professional Teaching | ||||
Standards Comprehensive Support System. | ||||
"National Board certified teacher diverse candidate cohort | ||||
facilitator" means a National Board certified teacher who | ||||
collaborates to advance the goal of supporting racially and | ||
ethnically diverse candidates through the Illinois National | ||
Board for Professional Teaching Standards Comprehensive | ||
Support System. | ||
"National Board certified teacher diverse liaison" means | ||
an individual or entity that supports the National Board | ||
certified teacher leading a diverse candidate cohort. | ||
"National Board certified teacher liaison" means an | ||
individual or entity that supports the National Board | ||
certified teacher leading candidate cohorts other than diverse | ||
candidate cohorts. | ||
"National Board certified teacher rural or remote or | ||
distant candidate cohort facilitator" means a National Board | ||
certified teacher who collaborates to advance the goal of | ||
supporting rural or remote candidates through the Illinois | ||
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards | ||
Comprehensive Support System. | ||
"National Board certified teacher rural or remote or | ||
distant liaison" means an individual or entity that supports | ||
the National Board certified teacher leading a rural or remote | ||
candidate cohort. | ||
"Qualified educator" means a teacher or school counselor | ||
currently employed in a school district who is in the process | ||
of obtaining certification through the National Board for | ||
Professional Teaching Standards or who has completed | ||
certification and holds a current Professional Educator | ||
License with a National Board for Professional Teaching | ||
Standards designation or a retired teacher or school counselor | ||
who holds a Professional Educator License with a National | ||
Board for Professional Teaching Standards designation. | ||
"Rural or remote" or "rural or remote or distant" means | ||
local codes 32, 33, 41, 42, and 43 of the New Urban-Centric | ||
Locale Codes, as defined by the National Center for Education | ||
Statistics. | ||
"Tier 1" has the meaning given to that term under Section | ||
18-8.15. | ||
"Tier 2" has the meaning given to that term under Section | ||
18-8.15. | ||
(b) Any funds appropriated for the Illinois Teaching | ||
Excellence Program must be used to provide monetary assistance | ||
and incentives for qualified educators who are employed by or | ||
retired from school districts and who have or are in the | ||
process of obtaining licensure through the National Board for | ||
Professional Teaching Standards. The goal of the program is to | ||
improve instruction and student performance. | ||
The State Board of Education shall allocate an amount as | ||
annually appropriated by the General Assembly for the Illinois | ||
Teaching Excellence Program for (i) application or re-take | ||
fees for each qualified educator seeking to complete | ||
certification through the National Board for Professional | ||
Teaching Standards, to be paid directly to the National Board | ||
for Professional Teaching Standards, and (ii) incentives under | ||
paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of subsection (c) for each | ||
qualified educator, to be distributed to the respective school | ||
district, and incentives under paragraph (5) of subsection | ||
(c), to be distributed to the respective school district or | ||
directly to the qualified educator. The school district shall | ||
distribute this payment to each eligible teacher or school | ||
counselor as a single payment. | ||
The State Board of Education's annual budget must set out | ||
by separate line item the appropriation for the program. | ||
Unless otherwise provided by appropriation, qualified | ||
educators are eligible for monetary assistance and incentives | ||
outlined in subsections (c) and (d) of this Section. | ||
(c) When there are adequate funds available, monetary | ||
assistance and incentives shall include the following: | ||
(1) A maximum of $2,000 towards the application or | ||
re-take fee for teachers or school counselors in a Tier 1 | ||
school district who apply on a first-come, first-serve | ||
basis for National Board certification. | ||
(2) A maximum of $2,000 towards the application or | ||
re-take fee for teachers or school counselors in a school | ||
district other than a Tier 1 school district who apply on a | ||
first-come, first-serve basis for National Board | ||
certification. | ||
(3) A maximum of $1,000 towards the National Board for | ||
Professional Teaching Standards' renewal application fee. | ||
(4) (Blank). | ||
(5) An annual incentive of no more than $1,500 | ||
prorated at $50 per hour, which shall be paid to each | ||
qualified educator currently employed in a school district | ||
who holds both a National Board for Professional Teaching | ||
Standards designation and a current corresponding | ||
certificate issued by the National Board for Professional | ||
Teaching Standards and who agrees, in writing, to provide | ||
up to 30 hours of mentoring or National Board for | ||
Professional Teaching Standards professional development | ||
or both during the school year to classroom teachers or | ||
school counselors, as applicable. Funds must be disbursed | ||
on a first-come, first-serve basis, with priority given to | ||
Tier 1 school districts. Mentoring shall include, either | ||
singly or in combination, the following: | ||
(A) National Board for Professional Teaching | ||
Standards certification candidates. | ||
(B) National Board for Professional Teaching | ||
Standards re-take candidates. | ||
(C) National Board for Professional Teaching | ||
Standards renewal candidates. | ||
(D) (Blank).
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Funds may also be used for instructional leadership | ||
training for qualified educators interested in supporting | ||
implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards or teaching | ||
and learning priorities of the State Board of Education or | ||
both. | ||
(d) In addition to the monetary assistance and incentives | ||
provided under subsection (c), if adequate funds are | ||
available, incentives shall include the following incentives | ||
for the program in rural or remote schools or school districts | ||
or for programs working with diverse candidates or for | ||
retention bonuses for hard to staff schools, to be distributed | ||
to the respective school district or directly to the qualified | ||
educator or entity: | ||
(1) A one-time incentive of $3,000 payable to National | ||
Board certified teachers teaching in Tier 1 or Tier 2 | ||
rural or remote school districts or rural or remote | ||
schools in Tier 1 or Tier 2 school districts, with | ||
priority given to teachers teaching in Tier 1 rural or | ||
remote school districts or rural or remote schools in Tier | ||
1 school districts. | ||
(2) An annual incentive of $3,200 for National Board | ||
certified teacher rural or remote or distant candidate | ||
cohort facilitators, diverse candidate cohort | ||
facilitators, and candidate cohort facilitators. Priority | ||
shall be given to rural or remote candidate cohort | ||
facilitators and diverse candidate cohort facilitators. | ||
(3) An annual incentive of $2,500 for National Board | ||
certified teacher rural or remote or distant liaisons, | ||
diverse liaisons, and liaisons. Priority shall be given to | ||
rural or remote liaisons and diverse liaisons. | ||
(4) An annual retention bonus of $4,000 per year for 2 | ||
consecutive years shall be awarded to National Board | ||
certified teachers employed in hard-to-staff schools. | ||
Funds must be disbursed on a first-come, first-served | ||
basis. | ||
(Source: P.A. 100-201, eff. 8-18-17; 101-333, eff. 1-1-20; | ||
101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)
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