SB 3663

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Full Text of SB3663
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	SB3663 - 104th General Assembly
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			Senate Amendment 001
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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB3663
Introduced 2/5/2026, by Sen. Christopher Belt
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/21B-70
Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code with respect to the Illinois Teaching Excellence Program. Provides that a maximum of $2,000 (rather than $1,000) shall be given as monetary assistance and incentives toward the National Board for Professional Teaching standards' renewal application fee. Removes other monetary assistance and incentives. Provides that the State Board of Education shall provide an annual stipend of $4,000 for up to 5 years to teachers who hold current National Board for Professional Teacher Standards certification. Provides that to receive the $4,000 annual stipend, the National Board certified teacher must be employed as a public school teacher and must hold a valid National Board for Professional Teacher Standards certificate throughout each year of the stipend. Provides that if there are adequate funds available, mentoring programming must be made available to support qualified educators in their pursuit of National Board certification. Sets forth specific incentives, and provides that funds may also be used for (i) professional development training provided by National Board certified teachers or (ii) 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. Provides that the selection of teachers who hold both a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards designation and a current corresponding certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards shall be encouraged for other mentoring programs.
LRB104 19931 LNS 33381 b
A BILL FOR
		SB3663		LRB104 19931 LNS 33381 b
1    AN ACT concerning education.
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
521B-70 as follows:
6    (105 ILCS 5/21B-70)
7    Sec. 21B-70. Illinois Teaching Excellence Program.
8    (a) As used in this Section:
9    ["Diverse candidate" means a candidate who identifies with ]
10[any of the ethnicities reported on the Illinois Report Card ]
11[other than White.]
12    ["Hard-to-staff school" means a public school in which no ]
13[less than 30% of the student enrollment is considered ]
14[low-income as reported by the report card under Section 10-17a ]
15[of this Code.]
16    "National Board certified teacher candidate cohort
17facilitator" means a National Board certified teacher who
18collaborates to advance the goal of supporting [all other]
19candidate cohorts [other than diverse candidate cohorts] through
20the Illinois National Board for Professional Teaching
21Standards Comprehensive Support System.
22    ["National Board certified teacher diverse candidate cohort ]
23[facilitator" means a National Board certified teacher who ]
		SB3663	- 2 -	LRB104 19931 LNS 33381 b
1[collaborates to advance the goal of supporting racially and ]
2[ethnically diverse candidates through the Illinois National ]
3[Board for Professional Teaching Standards Comprehensive ]
4[Support System.]
5    ["National Board certified teacher diverse liaison" means ]
6[an individual or entity that supports the National Board ]
7[certified teacher leading a diverse candidate cohort.]
8    "National Board certified teacher liaison" means an
9individual or entity that supports the National Board
10certified teacher leading a candidate cohort [cohorts other ]
11[than diverse candidate cohorts].
12    ["National Board certified teacher rural or remote or ]
13[distant candidate cohort facilitator" means a National Board ]
14[certified teacher who collaborates to advance the goal of ]
15[supporting rural or remote candidates through the Illinois ]
16[National Board for Professional Teaching Standards ]
17[Comprehensive Support System.]
18    ["National Board certified teacher rural or remote or ]
19[distant liaison" means an individual or entity that supports ]
20[the National Board certified teacher leading a rural or remote ]
21[candidate cohort.]
22    "Qualified educator" means a teacher or school counselor
23currently employed in a school district who is in the process
24of obtaining certification through the National Board for
25Professional Teaching Standards or who has completed
26certification and holds a current Professional Educator
		SB3663	- 3 -	LRB104 19931 LNS 33381 b
1License with a National Board for Professional Teaching
2Standards designation or a retired teacher or school counselor
3who holds a Professional Educator License with a National
4Board for Professional Teaching Standards designation.
5    ["Rural or remote" or "rural or remote or distant" means ]
6[local codes 32, 33, 41, 42, and 43 of the New Urban-Centric ]
7[Locale Codes, as defined by the National Center for Education ]
8[Statistics.]
9    "Tier 1" has the meaning given to that term under Section
1018-8.15.
11    ["Tier 2" has the meaning given to that term under Section ]
12[18-8.15.]
13    (b) Any funds appropriated for the Illinois Teaching
14Excellence Program must be used to provide monetary assistance
15and incentives for qualified educators who are employed by or
16retired from school districts and who have or are in the
17process of obtaining certification [licensure] through the
18National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The goal
19of the program is to improve instruction and student
20performance.
21    The State Board of Education shall allocate an amount as
22annually appropriated by the General Assembly for the Illinois
23Teaching Excellence Program for (i) application or re-take
24fees for each qualified educator seeking to complete
25certification through the National Board for Professional
26Teaching Standards, to be paid directly to the National Board
		SB3663	- 4 -	LRB104 19931 LNS 33381 b
1for Professional Teaching Standards, and (ii) incentives under
2paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of subsection (c) for each
3qualified educator, to be distributed to the respective school
4district, and incentives under paragraph (5) of subsection
5(c), to be distributed to the respective school district or
6directly to the qualified educator. The school district shall
7distribute this payment to each eligible teacher or school
8counselor as a single payment.
9    The State Board of Education's annual budget must set out
10by separate line item the appropriation for the program.
11Unless otherwise provided by appropriation, qualified
12educators are eligible for monetary assistance and incentives
13outlined in subsections (c) and (d) of this Section.
14    (c) When there are adequate funds available, monetary
15assistance and incentives shall include the following:
16        (1) A maximum of $2,000 toward the application or
17    re-take fee for teachers or school counselors in a Tier 1
18    school district who apply on a first-come, first-serve
19    basis for National Board certification.
20        (2) A maximum of $2,000 toward the application or
21    re-take fee for teachers or school counselors in a school
22    district other than a Tier 1 school district who apply on a
23    first-come, first-serve basis for National Board
24    certification.
25        (3) A maximum of $2,000 [$1,000] toward the National
26    Board for Professional Teaching Standards' renewal
		SB3663	- 5 -	LRB104 19931 LNS 33381 b
1    application fee.
2        (4) (Blank).
3        (5) (Blank). [An annual incentive of no more than ]
4    [$2,250 prorated at $50 per hour, which shall be paid to ]
5    [each qualified educator currently employed in a school ]
6    [district who holds both a National Board for Professional ]
7    [Teaching Standards designation and a current corresponding ]
8    [certificate issued by the National Board for Professional ]
9    [Teaching Standards and who agrees, in writing, to provide ]
10    [up to 45 hours of mentoring or National Board for ]
11    [Professional Teaching Standards professional development ]
12    [or both during the school year to classroom teachers or ]
13    [school counselors, as applicable. Funds must be disbursed ]
14    [on a first-come, first-serve basis, with priority given to ]
15    [Tier 1 school districts. Mentoring shall include, either ]
16    [singly or in combination, the following:]
17            [(A) National Board for Professional Teaching ]
18        [Standards certification candidates.]
19            [(B) National Board for Professional Teaching ]
20        [Standards re-take candidates.]
21            [(C) National Board for Professional Teaching ]
22        [Standards renewal candidates.]
23            [(D) (Blank).]
24    [Funds may also be used for professional development ]
25[training provided by the National Board Resource Center.]
26    [Funds may also be used for instructional leadership ]
		SB3663	- 6 -	LRB104 19931 LNS 33381 b
1[training for qualified educators interested in supporting ]
2[implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards or teaching ]
3[and learning priorities of the State Board of Education or ]
4[both.]
5    (d) In addition to the monetary assistance and incentives
6provided under subsection (c), if adequate funds are
7available, the State Board of Education shall provide an 
8annual stipend of $4,000 for up to 5 years to teachers who hold 
9current National Board for Professional Teacher Standards 
10certification [incentives shall include the following ]
11[incentives for the program in rural or remote schools or ]
12[school districts or for programs working with diverse ]
13[candidates or for retention bonuses for hard-to-staff schools],
14to be distributed [to the respective school district or]
15directly to the qualified educator or entity. [:]
16        [(1) A one-time incentive of $3,000 payable to National ]
17    [Board certified teachers teaching in Tier 1 or Tier 2 ]
18    [rural or remote school districts or rural or remote ]
19    [schools in Tier 1 or Tier 2 school districts, with ]
20    [priority given to teachers teaching in Tier 1 rural or ]
21    [remote school districts or rural or remote schools in Tier ]
22    [1 school districts.]
23        [(2) An annual incentive of $3,200 for National Board ]
24    [certified teacher rural or remote or distant candidate ]
25    [cohort facilitators, diverse candidate cohort ]
26    [facilitators, and candidate cohort facilitators. Priority ]
		SB3663	- 7 -	LRB104 19931 LNS 33381 b
1    [shall be given to rural or remote candidate cohort ]
2    [facilitators and diverse candidate cohort facilitators.]
3        [(3) An annual incentive of $2,500 for National Board ]
4    [certified teacher rural or remote or distant liaisons, ]
5    [diverse liaisons, and liaisons. Priority shall be given to ]
6    [rural or remote liaisons and diverse liaisons.]
7        [(4) An annual retention bonus of $4,000 per year for 2 ]
8    [consecutive years shall be awarded to National Board ]
9    [certified teachers employed in hard-to-staff schools. ]
10    [Funds must be disbursed on a first-come, first-served ]
11    [basis.]
12    To receive the $4,000 annual stipend, the National Board 
13certified teacher must be employed as a public school teacher 
14in this State and must hold a valid National Board for 
15Professional Teacher Standards certificate throughout each 
16year of the stipend.
17    (e) If there are adequate funds available, programming 
18must be made available to support qualified educators in their 
19pursuit of National Board certification. This shall include 
20each of the following:
21        (1) An annual incentive of no more than $3,000, 
22    prorated at $50 per hour, which shall be paid to each 
23    qualified educator currently employed in a school district 
24    who holds both a National Board for Professional Teaching 
25    Standards designation and a current corresponding 
26    certificate issued by the National Board for Professional 
		SB3663	- 8 -	LRB104 19931 LNS 33381 b
1    Teaching Standards and who agrees, in writing, to provide 
2    up to 60 hours of mentoring or National Board for 
3    Professional Teaching Standards professional development 
4    or both during the school year to classroom teachers or 
5    school counselors, as applicable. Funds must be disbursed 
6    on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given 
7    to Tier 1 school districts. Mentoring shall include, 
8    either singly or in combination, mentoring of the 
9    following:
10            (A) National Board for Professional Teaching 
11        Standards certification candidates.
12            (B) National Board for Professional Teaching 
13        Standards re-take candidates.
14            (C) National Board for Professional Teaching 
15        Standards renewal candidates.
16        (2) An annual incentive of $3,200 for National Board 
17    certified teacher candidate cohort facilitators.
18        (3) An annual incentive of $2,500 for National Board 
19    certified teacher liaisons.
20    Funds under this subsection (e) may also be used for (i) 
21professional development training provided by National Board 
22certified teachers or (ii) instructional leadership training 
23for qualified educators interested in supporting 
24implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards or teaching 
25and learning priorities of the State Board of Education or 
26both.
		SB3663	- 9 -	LRB104 19931 LNS 33381 b
1    The selection of teachers who hold both a National Board 
2for Professional Teaching Standards designation and a current 
3corresponding certificate issued by the National Board for 
4Professional Teaching Standards shall be encouraged for other 
5mentoring programs.
6(Source: P.A. 103-122, eff. 6-30-23; 103-207, eff. 1-1-24;
7103-605, eff. 7-1-24.)