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1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
521B-70 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/21B-70)
7    Sec. 21B-70. Illinois Teaching Excellence Program.
8    (a) As used in this Section:
9    "Poverty or low-performing school" means a school
10identified as a priority school under Section 2-3.25d-5 of this
11Code or a school in which 50% or more of its students are
12eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches.
13    "National Board certified teacher rural or remote
14candidate cohort facilitator" means a National Board certified
15teacher who collaborates to advance the goal of supporting
16rural or remote candidates through the Illinois National Board
17for Professional Teaching Standards Comprehensive Support
18System.
19    "National Board certified teacher rural or remote liaison"
20means an individual who supports the National Board certified
21teacher leading a rural or remote candidate cohort.
22    "Qualified educator" means a teacher or school counselor
23currently employed in a school district who is in the process

 

 

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1of obtaining certification through the National Board for
2Professional Teaching Standards or who has completed
3certification and holds a current Professional Educator
4License with a National Board for Professional Teaching
5Standards designation or a retired teacher or school counselor
6who holds a Professional Educator License with a National Board
7for Professional Teaching Standards designation.
8    "Rural or remote" means local codes 33, 41, 42, and 43 of
9the New Urban-Centric Locale Codes, as defined by the National
10Center for Education Statistics.
11    "Tier 1" has the meaning given to that term under Section
1218-8.15.
13    (b) Any Beginning on July 1, 2011, any funds appropriated
14for the Illinois Teaching Excellence Program must be used to
15provide monetary assistance and incentives for qualified
16educators who are employed by or retired from school districts
17and who have or are in the process of obtaining licensure
18through the National Board for Professional Teaching
19Standards. The goal of the program is to improve instruction
20and student performance.
21    The State Board of Education shall allocate an amount as
22annually appropriated by the General Assembly for the Illinois
23Teaching Excellence Program for (i) application or re-take fees
24for each qualified educator seeking to complete certification
25through the National Board for Professional Teaching
26Standards, to be paid directly to the National Board for

 

 

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1Professional Teaching Standards, and (ii) incentives under
2paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of subsection (c) for each
3qualified educator, to be distributed to the respective school
4district, and incentives under paragraph (5) of subsection (c),
5to be distributed to the respective school district or directly
6to the qualified educator. The school district shall distribute
7this payment to each eligible teacher or school counselor as a
8single payment.
9    The State Board of Education's annual budget must set out
10by separate line item the appropriation for the program. Unless
11otherwise provided by appropriation, qualified educators are
12eligible for monetary assistance and incentives outlined in
13subsections subsection (c) and (d) of this Section.
14    (c) When there are adequate funds available, monetary
15assistance and incentives shall include the following:
16        (1) A maximum of $2,000 towards the application or
17    re-take fee for up to 750 teachers or school counselors in
18    a Tier 1 poverty or low-performing school district who
19    apply on a first-come, first-serve basis for National Board
20    certification.
21        (2) A maximum of $2,000 towards the application or
22    re-take fee for up to 250 teachers or school counselors in
23    a school district other than a Tier 1 poverty or
24    low-performing school district who apply on a first-come,
25    first-serve basis for National Board certification.
26    However, if there were fewer than 750 individuals supported

 

 

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1    in item (1) of this subsection (c), then the number
2    supported in this item (2) may be increased as such that
3    the combination of item (1) of this subsection (c) and this
4    item (2) shall equal 1,000 applicants.
5        (3) A maximum of $1,000 towards the National Board for
6    Professional Teaching Standards' renewal application fee.
7        (4) (Blank).
8        (5) An annual incentive equal to $1,500, which shall be
9    paid to each qualified educator currently employed in a
10    school district who holds both a National Board for
11    Professional Teaching Standards designation and a current
12    corresponding certificate issued by the National Board for
13    Professional Teaching Standards and who agrees, in
14    writing, to provide at least 30 hours of mentoring or
15    National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
16    professional development or both during the school year to
17    classroom teachers or school counselors, as applicable.
18    Funds must be disbursed on a first-come, first-serve basis,
19    with priority given to Tier 1 school districts poverty or
20    low-performing schools. Mentoring shall include, either
21    singly or in combination, the following:
22            (A) National Board for Professional Teaching
23        Standards certification candidates.
24            (B) National Board for Professional Teaching
25        Standards re-take candidates.
26            (C) National Board for Professional Teaching

 

 

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1        Standards renewal candidates.
2            (D) (Blank).
3    Funds may also be used for instructional leadership
4training for qualified educators interested in supporting
5implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards or teaching
6and learning priorities of the State Board of Education or
7both.
8    (d) In addition to the monetary assistance and incentives
9provided under subsection (c), if adequate funds are available,
10incentives shall include the following incentives for the
11program in rural or remote school districts, to be distributed
12to the respective school district or directly to the qualified
13educator:
14        (1) A one-time incentive of $3,000 payable to National
15    Board certified teachers teaching in Tier 1 rural or remote
16    school districts.
17        (2) An annual incentive of $3,200 for National Board
18    certified teacher rural or remote candidate cohort
19    facilitators.
20        (3) An annual incentive of $2,500 for National Board
21    certified teacher rural or remote liaisons.
22(Source: P.A. 99-193, eff. 7-30-15; 100-201, eff. 8-18-17.)