HB5393 EnrolledLRB098 17477 NHT 55367 b

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 in
10academic early warning status or academic watch status or a
11school in which 50% or more of its students are eligible for
12free or reduced-price school lunches.
13    "Qualified educator" means a teacher or school counselor
14currently employed in a school district who is in the process
15of obtaining certification through the National Board for
16Professional Teaching Standards or who has completed
17certification and holds a current Professional Educator
18License with a National Board for Professional Teaching
19Standards designation or a retired teacher or school counselor
20who holds a Professional Educator License with a National Board
21for Professional Teaching Standards designation.
22    (b) Beginning on July 1, 2011, any funds appropriated for
23the Illinois Teaching Excellence Program must be used to

 

 

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1provide monetary assistance and incentives for qualified
2educators who are employed by school districts and who have or
3are in the process of obtaining licensure through the National
4Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The goal of the
5program is to improve instruction and student performance.
6    The State Board of Education shall allocate an amount as
7annually appropriated by the General Assembly for the Illinois
8Teaching Excellence Program for (i) application fees for each
9qualified educator seeking to complete certification through
10the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, to be
11paid directly to the National Board for Professional Teaching
12Standards, and (ii) incentives for each qualified educator to
13be distributed to the respective school district. The school
14district shall distribute this payment to each eligible teacher
15or school counselor as a single payment.
16    The State Board of Education's annual budget must set out
17by separate line item the appropriation for the program. Unless
18otherwise provided by appropriation, qualified educators are
19eligible for monetary assistance and incentives based on the
20priorities outlined in subsection (c) of this Section.
21    (c) When there are adequate funds available, priorities
22(1), (2), (3), (4), and (5), as outlined in this subsection
23(c), must be funded. If full funding to meet all priorities as
24outlined in this subsection (c) is not available, funding must
25be distributed in the order of the priorities listed in this
26subsection (c). If funding is insufficient to fund a priority

 

 

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1in full, then funding for that priority must be prorated and no
2further priorities shall be funded. Priorities for monetary
3assistance and incentives shall include the following be as
4follows:
5        (1) Priority 1: A maximum of $2,000 towards the
6    application fee for up to 750 teachers or school counselors
7    in a poverty or low-performing school who apply on a
8    first-come, first-serve basis for National Board
9    certification.
10        (2) Priority 2: A maximum of $2,000 towards the
11    application fee for up to 250 teachers or school counselors
12    in a school other than a poverty or low-performing school
13    who apply on a first-come, first-serve basis for National
14    Board certification. However, if there were fewer than 750
15    individuals supported in item priority (1) of this
16    subsection (c), then the number supported in this item
17    priority (2) may be increased as such that the combination
18    of item priority (1) of this subsection (c) and this item
19    priority (2) shall equal 1,000 applicants.
20        (3) A maximum of $1,000 towards the National Board for
21    Professional Teaching Standards' renewal application fee.
22    Priority 3: The fee for the National Board for Professional
23    Teaching Standards' Take One! (the test for National Board
24    certification) for up to 500 qualified educators who apply
25    on a first-come, first-serve basis.
26        (4) (Blank). Priority 4: An annual incentive equal to

 

 

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1    $1,500, which shall be paid to each qualified educator who
2    holds both a National Board for Professional Teaching
3    Standards designation and a current corresponding
4    certificate issued by the National Board for Professional
5    Teaching Standards, who is employed in a school district,
6    and who agrees, in writing, to provide 30 hours of
7    mentoring or National Board for Professional Teaching
8    Standards professional development or both during the
9    school year to teachers or school counselors in a poverty
10    or low-performing school, as applicable.
11        (5) Priority 5: An annual incentive equal to $1,500,
12    which shall be paid to each qualified educator currently
13    employed in a school district who holds both a National
14    Board for Professional Teaching Standards designation and
15    a current corresponding certificate issued by the National
16    Board for Professional Teaching Standards and who agrees,
17    in writing, to provide at least 30 hours of mentoring or
18    National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
19    professional development or both during the school year to
20    classroom teachers or school counselors, as applicable.
21    Funds must be dispersed on a first-come, first-serve basis,
22    with priority given to poverty or low-performing schools.
23    Mentoring for all priorities shall include, either singly
24    or in combination, mentoring of the following:
25            (A) National Board for Professional Teaching
26        Standards certification candidates.

 

 

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1            (B) National Board for Professional Teaching
2        Standards re-take candidates.
3            (C) National Board for Professional Teaching
4        Standards renewal candidates.
5            (D) (Blank). National Board for Professional
6        Teaching Standards Take One! participants.
7    Funds may also be used for instructional leadership
8training for qualified educators interested in supporting
9implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards or teaching
10and learning priorities of the State Board of Education or
11both.
12(Source: P.A. 97-607, eff. 8-26-11.)
 
13    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
142014.