Public Act 103-0207
 
HB3801 EnrolledLRB103 30162 RJT 56589 b

    AN ACT concerning education.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
21B-70 as follows:
 
    (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).
    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.)