Full Text of SB2265 103rd General Assembly
SB2265 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024 SB2265 Introduced 2/10/2023, by Sen. Jil Tracy SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
| 35 ILCS 5/234 new | | 105 ILCS 5/2-3.196 new | |
|
Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall establish a teacher recruitment and retention program, which shall encourage both new and experienced teachers to seek employment with qualifying public schools by providing for a refundable income tax credit to each participating teacher in the amount of $3,000 per school year for no more than 5 consecutive school years. Contains requirements for participating school districts and participating teachers. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act establishing the $3,000 tax credit for individuals designated by the State Board of Education as a participating teacher in the teacher recruitment and retention program. Effective July 1, 2023.
|
| |
| | A BILL FOR |
|
| | | SB2265 | | LRB103 28491 RJT 54872 b |
|
| 1 | | AN ACT concerning education.
| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 | | Section 5. The Illinois Income Tax Act is amended by | 5 | | adding Section 234 as follows: | 6 | | (35 ILCS 5/234 new) | 7 | | Sec. 234. Tax credit for teacher recruitment and | 8 | | retention. For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, | 9 | | 2023, an individual designated as a participating teacher by | 10 | | the State Board of Education to the Department under | 11 | | subsection (l) of Section 2-3.196 of the School Code is | 12 | | entitled to a tax credit against the tax imposed by | 13 | | subsections (a) and (b) of Section 201 equal to $3,000. If the | 14 | | total amount of the tax credit provided exceeds the taxpayer's | 15 | | income tax liability for a taxable year, such excess amount | 16 | | shall be refunded to the taxpayer. | 17 | | This Section is exempt from the provisions of Section 250. | 18 | | Section 10. The School Code is amended by adding Section | 19 | | 2-3.196 as follows: | 20 | | (105 ILCS 5/2-3.196 new) | 21 | | Sec. 2-3.196. Teacher recruitment and retention program. |
| | | SB2265 | - 2 - | LRB103 28491 RJT 54872 b |
|
| 1 | | (a) As used in this Section: | 2 | | "Participating school" means a qualifying public school | 3 | | that has been selected by the Board to participate in the | 4 | | program. | 5 | | "Participating school district" means a public school | 6 | | district that has been selected by the Board to participate in | 7 | | the program. | 8 | | "Participating teacher" means an eligible teacher | 9 | | participating in the program who holds a Professional Educator | 10 | | License under Section 21B-20. | 11 | | "Institution of higher education" means a public | 12 | | institution of higher education or private institution of | 13 | | higher education, as those terms are defined in Section 1 of | 14 | | the Board of Higher Education Act. | 15 | | "Program" means the teacher recruitment and retention | 16 | | program established in this Section. | 17 | | "Qualifying public school" means a public school that is | 18 | | located in a rural area in the State or a school that has | 19 | | performed in the lowest 5% of schools in the State as | 20 | | identified in accordance with the statewide accountability | 21 | | system established in the State plan under the federal Every | 22 | | Student Succeeds Act. | 23 | | "Recently hired" means a licensed teacher, whether a new | 24 | | or experienced teacher, who has accepted his or her first | 25 | | school year contract to teach at a qualifying public school | 26 | | for the 2023-2024 school year, the current school year, or for |
| | | SB2265 | - 3 - | LRB103 28491 RJT 54872 b |
|
| 1 | | the immediately upcoming school year. | 2 | | "Rural area" means an area that is more than 5 miles from | 3 | | the nearest urbanized area and more than 2.5 miles from the | 4 | | nearest urban cluster. | 5 | | "School year contract" means a contract of full-time | 6 | | employment between a teacher and a local board of education | 7 | | covering a full school year. A contract of employment for a | 8 | | portion of a school year shall not be counted as a school year | 9 | | contract, nor shall contracts of employment for portions of a | 10 | | school year be cumulated and treated as a school year | 11 | | contract. A school year contract is deemed included within a | 12 | | contract of full-time employment between a teacher and a local | 13 | | board of education covering a full calendar or fiscal year. | 14 | | "Urban cluster" and "urbanized area" have the meanings | 15 | | given to those terms in the Standards for Defining | 16 | | Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas, 65 FR 82227. | 17 | | (b) The Board shall establish a teacher recruitment and | 18 | | retention program. The purpose of the program shall be to | 19 | | encourage both new and experienced teachers to seek employment | 20 | | with qualifying public schools by providing for a refundable | 21 | | income tax credit, as provided under Section 234 of the | 22 | | Illinois Income Tax Act, to each participating teacher in the | 23 | | amount of $3,000 per school year for no more than 5 consecutive | 24 | | school years, subject to conditions provided for under this | 25 | | Section. The Board may adopt rules as necessary to implement | 26 | | and administer the program. |
| | | SB2265 | - 4 - | LRB103 28491 RJT 54872 b |
|
| 1 | | (c) By October 1 of each year, the Board shall determine | 2 | | which public schools in the State are qualifying public | 3 | | schools and shall publish a list of all qualifying public | 4 | | schools on the Board's website. For the purposes of the | 5 | | program, a school that has been designated as a qualifying | 6 | | public school shall be eligible for selection as a | 7 | | participating school for the current school year and for at | 8 | | least the immediately upcoming school year. The Board shall | 9 | | develop criteria for the selection of no more than 100 | 10 | | participating school districts and shall publish the selection | 11 | | criteria simultaneously with the publication of the list of | 12 | | qualifying school districts on the Board's website. | 13 | | By December 1 of each year, the Board shall select no more | 14 | | than 100 participating school districts and shall publish a | 15 | | list of all participating school districts on the Board's | 16 | | website. A school district that has been designated as a | 17 | | participating school district shall be eligible to participate | 18 | | in the program for the current school year and for at least the | 19 | | immediately upcoming school year. The Board shall determine | 20 | | the total number of participating teachers authorized for each | 21 | | participating school district. | 22 | | (d) The Board shall solicit applications from teachers who | 23 | | meet the eligibility criteria provided for in subsections (g), | 24 | | (h), and (i) and may share with participating school districts | 25 | | such applications and related materials submitted by teachers. | 26 | | (e) The Board may provide guidance and technical |
| | | SB2265 | - 5 - | LRB103 28491 RJT 54872 b |
|
| 1 | | assistance to teachers, participating schools, and school | 2 | | districts with participating schools in the program. | 3 | | (f) The Board shall establish program objectives and shall | 4 | | annually measure and evaluate the program. Beginning with the | 5 | | 2024-2025 school year, and by December 1 of each year, the | 6 | | Board shall file with the Governor and the General Assembly a | 7 | | report covering the immediately preceding school year that | 8 | | includes, but is not limited to, the following information: | 9 | | (1) the positions filled by participating teachers | 10 | | with corresponding information regarding the subject | 11 | | matter and grade or grades taught; and | 12 | | (2) the length of time participating teachers have | 13 | | been participating in the program. | 14 | | (g) In order to participate in the program, a teacher | 15 | | shall: | 16 | | (1) have been recently hired to teach at a | 17 | | participating school; | 18 | | (2) have attained a bachelor's degree in education | 19 | | from an institution of higher education with a teacher | 20 | | certification program approved by the Board; and | 21 | | (3) hold a valid Professional Educator License issued | 22 | | by the Board. | 23 | | (h) Teachers who meet the eligibility criteria provided in | 24 | | subsection (g) and who wish to participate in the program | 25 | | shall submit to the Board a completed application to | 26 | | participate in the program, on a form and in a manner |
| | | SB2265 | - 6 - | LRB103 28491 RJT 54872 b |
|
| 1 | | prescribed by the Board. Each application shall include, but | 2 | | is not limited to: | 3 | | (1) a copy of a teacher's school year contract to | 4 | | teach at a participating school; and | 5 | | (2) written verification by the principal or other | 6 | | school personnel of the participating school that the | 7 | | teacher was recently hired as defined under this Section. | 8 | | (i) Eligible teachers who complete the application process | 9 | | prescribed by the Board shall be accepted to participate in | 10 | | the program on an annual basis, subject to the continuation of | 11 | | the program, the provisions of subsection (m), and for good | 12 | | cause shown by the Board. | 13 | | (j) A teacher who is accepted by the Board to participate | 14 | | in the program shall be allowed to continue as a participating | 15 | | teacher in the program on an annual basis for up to 5 | 16 | | consecutive school years if he or she remains employed under a | 17 | | school year contract as a teacher at the same school district | 18 | | continuously, regardless of whether the school remains a | 19 | | participating or qualifying public school, and subject to | 20 | | continuation of the program, the provisions of subsection (m), | 21 | | and for good cause shown by the Board. | 22 | | (k) A participating teacher who is involuntarily | 23 | | transferred to another school within the same participating or | 24 | | qualifying school district shall be eligible to continue | 25 | | participating in the program on the same terms and conditions | 26 | | as provided in subsection (j). A participating teacher who |
| | | SB2265 | - 7 - | LRB103 28491 RJT 54872 b |
|
| 1 | | voluntarily transfers to another school is not eligible to | 2 | | continue participating in the program, effective immediately | 3 | | upon the transfer. | 4 | | A participating teacher who receives an annual performance | 5 | | evaluation of "unsatisfactory" as provided in Sections 24A-5 | 6 | | and 34-85c, shall be permanently ineligible to participate in | 7 | | the program upon the conclusion of the school year in which he | 8 | | or she received such rating. | 9 | | A participating teacher who lawfully takes a leave of | 10 | | absence pursuant to any State or federal law retains | 11 | | eligibility to continue participating in the program if he or | 12 | | she remains unemployed under a school year contract as teacher | 13 | | at the same school continuously. | 14 | | (l) By July 31 of each year, the Board shall notify the | 15 | | Department of Revenue of each participating teacher who has | 16 | | satisfied all terms and conditions of the program for the | 17 | | immediately preceding school year. | 18 | | (m) The number of participating teachers in the program in | 19 | | any school year shall be limited to 1,000 participating | 20 | | teachers statewide. In the discretion of the Board, | 21 | | participation in the program may be determined according to | 22 | | the following order of priority: | 23 | | (1) Participating teachers shall be prioritized over | 24 | | teachers not yet participating in the program. | 25 | | (2) Among teachers participating in the program, those | 26 | | with greater seniority in the program shall be prioritized |
| | | SB2265 | - 8 - | LRB103 28491 RJT 54872 b |
|
| 1 | | over those with less seniority. | 2 | | (3) No new applications for the program shall be | 3 | | accepted after December 31, 2033.
| 4 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, | 5 | | 2023.
|
|