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.