Public Act 094-0901
 		





HB4308 Enrolled
LRB094 15677 NHT 50886 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 
21-27 as follows:
 



    (105 ILCS 5/21-27)



    Sec. 21-27. The Illinois Teaching Excellence Program. The 
Illinois
Teaching
Excellence Program is hereby established to 
provide categorical funding for
monetary
incentives and 
bonuses for teachers and school counselors who are employed by 
school districts and
who hold a
Master Certificate.  The State 
Board of Education shall allocate and distribute
to each
school 
district an amount as annually appropriated by the General 
Assembly
from federal funds for the
Illinois Teaching 
Excellence Program.  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, each

school district's annual allocation shall be the sum of the 
amounts earned for
the
following incentives and bonuses:


        (1) An annual payment of $3,000 to be paid to (A) each

    teacher
 who
successfully completes the program leading to 
    and who receives a Master
Certificate and is employed as a 
    teacher by a school district and (B) each school counselor 
    who successfully completes the program leading to and who 
    receives a Master Certificate and is employed as a school 
    counselor by a school district.  The school
district shall

    distribute this payment to each eligible teacher or school 
    counselor
as a single payment or in not more than 3 
    payments.


        (2) An annual incentive equal to $1,000 shall be paid 
    to
each teacher
who
holds a Master Certificate, who is 
    employed as a teacher by a school
district, and who
agrees,

    in writing, to provide 60 hours of mentoring during that 
    year to classroom
teachers.  This mentoring may include, 
    either singly or in combination, (i)
providing high quality 
    professional development for new and experienced
teachers,

    and (ii) assisting National Board for Professional 
    Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
candidates through the NBPTS 
    certification process.  The school district shall

    distribute 50% of each annual incentive payment upon 
    completion of 30 hours of
the required mentoring and the 
    remaining 50% of the incentive upon completion
of the 
    required 60 hours of mentoring.  Credit may not be granted 
    by a school
district for mentoring or related services 
    provided during a regular school day
or
during the total 
    number of days of required service for the school year.


        (3) An annual incentive equal to $3,000 shall be paid 
    to
each teacher who
holds a Master Certificate, who is 
    employed as a teacher by a school
district, and who
agrees,

    in writing, to provide 60 hours of mentoring during that 
    year to classroom
teachers in schools on academic early 
    warning status or in
schools
in which 50% or more of the 
    students receive free or reduced price lunches, or
both.

    The school district shall distribute 50% of each annual 
    incentive
payment upon completion of 30 hours of the 
    required mentoring and the
remaining 50% of the incentive 
    upon completion of the required 60 hours of
mentoring.  
    Credit may not be granted by a school district for 
    mentoring or
related services provided during a regular 
    school day or during the total
number of
days of required 
    service for the school year.

    Each regional superintendent of schools shall provide 
information
about the Master Certificate Program of the 
National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and 
this amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly
to each 
individual
seeking
to register or renew a certificate under 
Section 21-14 of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 93-470, eff. 8-8-03; 94-105, eff. 7-1-05.)

 

    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
becoming law.