Public Act 096-0062
 
SB1276 Enrolled LRB096 04855 NHT 14921 b

    AN ACT concerning education.
 
    WHEREAS, The new superintendent mentoring program is
intended to exist as a statewide program in which a statewide
organization, selected by the State Board of Education, offers
mentoring programs aligned with standards and criteria of the
new superintendent mentoring program; and
 
    WHEREAS, Mentors must complete mentoring training offered
by the provider selected by the State Board of Education and
work with the new superintendents to identify areas for
professional growth that will assist the superintendent when
making Illinois Administrators' Academy and professional
development choices, allowing the new superintendents, with
the approval of their mentors, to select any appropriate
Illinois Administrators' Academy courses even though it might
be a duplication of an Illinois Professional School Leader
Standard; therefore
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
2-3.53b and by changing Section 10-20.20 as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.53b new)
    Sec. 2-3.53b. New superintendent mentoring program.
    (a) Beginning on July 1, 2009 and subject to an annual
appropriation by the General Assembly, to establish a new
superintendent mentoring program for new superintendents. Any
individual who begins serving as a superintendent in this State
on or after July 1, 2009 and has not previously served as a
school district superintendent in this State shall participate
in the new superintendent mentoring program for the duration of
his or her first 2 school years as a superintendent and must
complete the program in accordance with the requirements
established by the State Board of Education by rule. The new
superintendent mentoring program shall match an experienced
superintendent who meets the requirements of subsection (b) of
this Section with each new superintendent in his or her first 2
school years in that position in order to assist the new
superintendent in the development of his or her professional
growth and to provide guidance during the new superintendent's
first 2 school years of service.
    (b) Any individual who has actively served as a school
district superintendent in this State for 3 or more years and
who has demonstrated success as an instructional leader, as
determined by the State Board of Education by rule, is eligible
to apply to be a mentor under the new superintendent mentoring
program. Mentors shall complete mentoring training through a
provider selected by the State Board of Education and shall
meet any other requirements set forth by the State Board and by
the school district employing the mentor.
    (c) Under the new superintendent mentoring program, a
provider selected by the State Board of Education shall assign
a mentor to a new superintendent based on (i) similarity of
grade level or type of school district, (ii) learning needs of
the new superintendent, and (iii) geographical proximity of the
mentor to the new superintendent. The new superintendent, in
collaboration with the mentor, shall identify areas for
improvement of the new superintendent's professional growth,
including, but not limited to, each of the following:
        (1) Analyzing data and applying it to practice.
        (2) Aligning professional development and
    instructional programs.
        (3) Building a professional learning community.
        (4) Effective school board relations.
        (5) Facilitating effective meetings.
        (6) Developing distributive leadership practices.
        (7) Facilitating organizational change.
    The mentor must not be required to provide an evaluation of
the new superintendent on the basis of the mentoring
relationship.
    (d) From January 1, 2010 until May 15, 2010 and from
January 1 until May 15 each year thereafter, each mentor and
each new superintendent shall complete a survey of progress of
the new superintendent on a form developed by the school
district. On or before September 1, 2010 and on or before
September 1 of each year thereafter, the provider selected by
the State Board of Education shall submit a detailed annual
report to the State Board of how the appropriation for the new
superintendent mentoring program was spent, details on each
mentor-mentee relationship, and a qualitative evaluation of
the outcomes. The provider shall develop a verification form
that each new superintendent and his or her mentor must
complete and submit to the provider to certify completion of
each year of the new superintendent mentoring program by July
15 immediately following the school year just completed.
    (e) The requirements of this Section do not apply to any
individual who has previously served as an assistant
superintendent in a school district in this State acting under
an administrative certificate for 5 or more years and who, on
or after July 1, 2009, begins serving as a superintendent in
the school district where he or she had served as an assistant
superintendent immediately prior to being named
superintendent, although such an individual may choose to
participate in the new superintendent mentoring program or may
be required to participate by the school district. The
requirements of this Section do not apply to any superintendent
or chief executive officer of a school district organized under
Article 34 of this Code.
    (f) The State Board may adopt any rules that are necessary
for the implementation of this Section.
 
    (105 ILCS 5/10-20.20)  (from Ch. 122, par. 10-20.20)
    Sec. 10-20.20. Protection from suit.) To indemnify and
protect school districts, members of school boards, employees,
volunteer personnel authorized in Sections 10-22.34, 10-22.34a
and 10-22.34b of this Code, mentors of certified staff as
authorized in Article 21A and Sections 2-3.53a, 2-3.53b, and
34-18.33 of this Code, and student teachers against civil
rights damage claims and suits, constitutional rights damage
claims and suits and death and bodily injury and property
damage claims and suits, including defense thereof, when
damages are sought for negligent or wrongful acts alleged to
have been committed in the scope of employment or under the
direction of the board or related to any mentoring services
provided to certified staff of the school district. Such
indemnification and protection shall extend to persons who were
members of school boards, employees of school boards,
authorized volunteer personnel, mentors of certified staff, or
student teachers at the time of the incident from which a claim
arises. No agent may be afforded indemnification or protection
unless he was a member of a school board, an employee of a
board, an authorized volunteer, a mentor of certified staff, or
a student teacher at the time of the incident from which the
claim arises.
(Source: P.A. 79-210.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.

Effective Date: 7/23/2009