103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB1569 Introduced 2/8/2023, by Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 105 ILCS 5/24-11 from Ch. 122, par. 24-11 Amends the Employment of Teachers Article of the School Code. Provides that if an employing board determines to dismiss any teacher who currently holds a summative evaluation rating of "Proficient" or "Excellent" during the probationary period (instead of determines to dismiss a teacher in the last year of a specified probationary period), the employing board must provide a written notice for dismissal with specific reasons for dismissal. Provides that any full-time teacher who does not receive written notice from the employing board at least 45 days before the end of any school term and whose performance does not require dismissal (instead of whose performance does not require dismissal after the fourth probationary year) shall be re-employed for the following school term. Effective immediately. LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b A BILL FOR 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB1569 Introduced 2/8/2023, by Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 105 ILCS 5/24-11 from Ch. 122, par. 24-11 105 ILCS 5/24-11 from Ch. 122, par. 24-11 Amends the Employment of Teachers Article of the School Code. Provides that if an employing board determines to dismiss any teacher who currently holds a summative evaluation rating of "Proficient" or "Excellent" during the probationary period (instead of determines to dismiss a teacher in the last year of a specified probationary period), the employing board must provide a written notice for dismissal with specific reasons for dismissal. Provides that any full-time teacher who does not receive written notice from the employing board at least 45 days before the end of any school term and whose performance does not require dismissal (instead of whose performance does not require dismissal after the fourth probationary year) shall be re-employed for the following school term. Effective immediately. LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b A BILL FOR 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB1569 Introduced 2/8/2023, by Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 105 ILCS 5/24-11 from Ch. 122, par. 24-11 105 ILCS 5/24-11 from Ch. 122, par. 24-11 105 ILCS 5/24-11 from Ch. 122, par. 24-11 Amends the Employment of Teachers Article of the School Code. Provides that if an employing board determines to dismiss any teacher who currently holds a summative evaluation rating of "Proficient" or "Excellent" during the probationary period (instead of determines to dismiss a teacher in the last year of a specified probationary period), the employing board must provide a written notice for dismissal with specific reasons for dismissal. Provides that any full-time teacher who does not receive written notice from the employing board at least 45 days before the end of any school term and whose performance does not require dismissal (instead of whose performance does not require dismissal after the fourth probationary year) shall be re-employed for the following school term. Effective immediately. LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b A BILL FOR SB1569LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 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 School Code is amended by changing Section 5 24-11 as follows: 6 (105 ILCS 5/24-11) (from Ch. 122, par. 24-11) 7 Sec. 24-11. Boards of Education - Boards of School 8 Inspectors - Contractual continued service. 9 (a) As used in this and the succeeding Sections of this 10 Article: 11 "Teacher" means any or all school district employees 12 regularly required to be licensed under laws relating to the 13 licensure of teachers. 14 "Board" means board of directors, board of education, or 15 board of school inspectors, as the case may be. 16 "School term" means that portion of the school year, July 17 1 to the following June 30, when school is in actual session. 18 "Program" means a program of a special education joint 19 agreement. 20 "Program of a special education joint agreement" means 21 instructional, consultative, supervisory, administrative, 22 diagnostic, and related services that are managed by a special 23 educational joint agreement designed to service 2 or more 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB1569 Introduced 2/8/2023, by Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 105 ILCS 5/24-11 from Ch. 122, par. 24-11 105 ILCS 5/24-11 from Ch. 122, par. 24-11 105 ILCS 5/24-11 from Ch. 122, par. 24-11 Amends the Employment of Teachers Article of the School Code. Provides that if an employing board determines to dismiss any teacher who currently holds a summative evaluation rating of "Proficient" or "Excellent" during the probationary period (instead of determines to dismiss a teacher in the last year of a specified probationary period), the employing board must provide a written notice for dismissal with specific reasons for dismissal. Provides that any full-time teacher who does not receive written notice from the employing board at least 45 days before the end of any school term and whose performance does not require dismissal (instead of whose performance does not require dismissal after the fourth probationary year) shall be re-employed for the following school term. Effective immediately. LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b A BILL FOR 105 ILCS 5/24-11 from Ch. 122, par. 24-11 LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569- 2 -LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 2 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 2 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b 1 school districts that are members of the joint agreement. 2 "PERA implementation date" means the implementation date 3 of an evaluation system for teachers as specified by Section 4 24A-2.5 of this Code for all schools within a school district 5 or all programs of a special education joint agreement. 6 (b) This Section and Sections 24-12 through 24-16 of this 7 Article apply only to school districts having less than 8 500,000 inhabitants. 9 (c) Any teacher who is first employed as a full-time 10 teacher in a school district or program prior to the PERA 11 implementation date and who is employed in that district or 12 program for a probationary period of 4 consecutive school 13 terms shall enter upon contractual continued service in the 14 district or in all of the programs that the teacher is legally 15 qualified to hold, unless the teacher is given written notice 16 of dismissal by certified mail, return receipt requested, by 17 the employing board at least 45 days before the end of any 18 school term within such period. 19 (d) For any teacher who is first employed as a full-time 20 teacher in a school district or program on or after the PERA 21 implementation date, the probationary period shall be one of 22 the following periods, based upon the teacher's school terms 23 of service and performance, before the teacher shall enter 24 upon contractual continued service in the district or in all 25 of the programs that the teacher is legally qualified to hold, 26 unless the teacher is given written notice of dismissal by SB1569 - 2 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569- 3 -LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 3 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 3 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b 1 certified mail, return receipt requested, by the employing 2 board at least 45 days before the end of any school term within 3 such period: 4 (1) 4 consecutive school terms of service in which the 5 teacher receives overall annual evaluation ratings of at 6 least "Proficient" in the last school term and at least 7 "Proficient" in either the second or third school term; 8 (2) 3 consecutive school terms of service in which the 9 teacher receives 3 overall annual evaluations of 10 "Excellent"; or 11 (3) 2 consecutive school terms of service in which the 12 teacher receives 2 overall annual evaluations of 13 "Excellent" service, but only if the teacher (i) 14 previously attained contractual continued service in a 15 different school district or program in this State, (ii) 16 voluntarily departed or was honorably dismissed from that 17 school district or program in the school term immediately 18 prior to the teacher's first school term of service 19 applicable to the attainment of contractual continued 20 service under this subdivision (3), and (iii) received, in 21 his or her 2 most recent overall annual or biennial 22 evaluations from the prior school district or program, 23 ratings of at least "Proficient", with both such ratings 24 occurring after the school district's or program's PERA 25 implementation date. For a teacher to attain contractual 26 continued service under this subdivision (3), the teacher SB1569 - 3 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569- 4 -LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 4 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 4 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b 1 shall provide official copies of his or her 2 most recent 2 overall annual or biennial evaluations from the prior 3 school district or program to the new school district or 4 program within 60 days from the teacher's first day of 5 service with the new school district or program. The prior 6 school district or program must provide the teacher with 7 official copies of his or her 2 most recent overall annual 8 or biennial evaluations within 14 days after the teacher's 9 request. If a teacher has requested such official copies 10 prior to 45 days after the teacher's first day of service 11 with the new school district or program and the teacher's 12 prior school district or program fails to provide the 13 teacher with the official copies required under this 14 subdivision (3), then the time period for the teacher to 15 submit the official copies to his or her new school 16 district or program must be extended until 14 days after 17 receipt of such copies from the prior school district or 18 program. If the prior school district or program fails to 19 provide the teacher with the official copies required 20 under this subdivision (3) within 90 days from the 21 teacher's first day of service with the new school 22 district or program, then the new school district or 23 program shall rely upon the teacher's own copies of his or 24 her evaluations for purposes of this subdivision (3). 25 If the teacher does not receive overall annual evaluations 26 of "Excellent" in the school terms necessary for eligibility SB1569 - 4 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569- 5 -LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 5 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 5 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b 1 to achieve accelerated contractual continued service in 2 subdivisions (2) and (3) of this subsection (d), the teacher 3 shall be eligible for contractual continued service pursuant 4 to subdivision (1) of this subsection (d). If, at the 5 conclusion of 4 consecutive school terms of service that count 6 toward attainment of contractual continued service, the 7 teacher's performance does not qualify the teacher for 8 contractual continued service under subdivision (1) of this 9 subsection (d), then the teacher shall not enter upon 10 contractual continued service and shall be dismissed. If a 11 performance evaluation is not conducted for any school term 12 when such evaluation is required to be conducted under Section 13 24A-5 of this Code, then the teacher's performance evaluation 14 rating for such school term for purposes of determining the 15 attainment of contractual continued service shall be deemed 16 "Proficient", except that, during any time in which the 17 Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health 18 emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency 19 Management Agency Act, this default to "Proficient" does not 20 apply to any teacher who has entered into contractual 21 continued service and who was deemed "Excellent" on his or her 22 most recent evaluation. During any time in which the Governor 23 has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency 24 pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management 25 Agency Act and unless the school board and any exclusive 26 bargaining representative have completed the performance SB1569 - 5 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569- 6 -LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 6 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 6 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b 1 rating for teachers or mutually agreed to an alternate 2 performance rating, any teacher who has entered into 3 contractual continued service, whose most recent evaluation 4 was deemed "Excellent", and whose performance evaluation is 5 not conducted when the evaluation is required to be conducted 6 shall receive a teacher's performance rating deemed 7 "Excellent". A school board and any exclusive bargaining 8 representative may mutually agree to an alternate performance 9 rating for teachers not in contractual continued service 10 during any time in which the Governor has declared a disaster 11 due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the 12 Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, as long as the 13 agreement is in writing. 14 (e) For the purposes of determining contractual continued 15 service, a school term shall be counted only toward attainment 16 of contractual continued service if the teacher actually 17 teaches or is otherwise present and participating in the 18 district's or program's educational program for 120 days or 19 more, provided that the days of leave under the federal Family 20 Medical Leave Act that the teacher is required to take until 21 the end of the school term shall be considered days of teaching 22 or participation in the district's or program's educational 23 program. A school term that is not counted toward attainment 24 of contractual continued service shall not be considered a 25 break in service for purposes of determining whether a teacher 26 has been employed for 4 consecutive school terms, provided SB1569 - 6 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569- 7 -LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 7 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 7 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b 1 that the teacher actually teaches or is otherwise present and 2 participating in the district's or program's educational 3 program in the following school term. 4 (f) If the employing board determines to dismiss any the 5 teacher who currently holds a summative evaluation rating of 6 "Proficient" or "Excellent" during in the last year of the 7 probationary period as provided in subsection (c) of this 8 Section or subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (d) of this 9 Section, but not subdivision (3) of subsection (d) of this 10 Section, the written notice of dismissal provided by the 11 employing board must contain specific reasons for dismissal. 12 Any full-time teacher who does not receive written notice from 13 the employing board at least 45 days before the end of any 14 school term as provided in this Section and whose performance 15 does not require dismissal after the fourth probationary year 16 pursuant to subsection (d) of this Section shall be 17 re-employed for the following school term. 18 (g) Contractual continued service shall continue in effect 19 the terms and provisions of the contract with the teacher 20 during the last school term of the probationary period, 21 subject to this Act and the lawful regulations of the 22 employing board. This Section and succeeding Sections do not 23 modify any existing power of the board except with respect to 24 the procedure of the discharge of a teacher and reductions in 25 salary as hereinafter provided. Contractual continued service 26 status shall not restrict the power of the board to transfer a SB1569 - 7 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569- 8 -LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 8 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 8 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b 1 teacher to a position which the teacher is qualified to fill or 2 to make such salary adjustments as it deems desirable, but 3 unless reductions in salary are uniform or based upon some 4 reasonable classification, any teacher whose salary is reduced 5 shall be entitled to a notice and a hearing as hereinafter 6 provided in the case of certain dismissals or removals. 7 (h) If, by reason of any change in the boundaries of school 8 districts, by reason of a special education cooperative 9 reorganization or dissolution in accordance with Section 10 10-22.31 of this Code, or by reason of the creation of a new 11 school district, the position held by any teacher having a 12 contractual continued service status is transferred from one 13 board to the control of a new or different board, then the 14 contractual continued service status of the teacher is not 15 thereby lost, and such new or different board is subject to 16 this Code with respect to the teacher in the same manner as if 17 the teacher were its employee and had been its employee during 18 the time the teacher was actually employed by the board from 19 whose control the position was transferred. 20 (i) The employment of any teacher in a program of a special 21 education joint agreement established under Section 3-15.14, 22 10-22.31 or 10-22.31a shall be governed by this and succeeding 23 Sections of this Article. For purposes of attaining and 24 maintaining contractual continued service and computing length 25 of continuing service as referred to in this Section and 26 Section 24-12, employment in a special educational joint SB1569 - 8 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569- 9 -LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 9 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 9 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b 1 program shall be deemed a continuation of all previous 2 licensed employment of such teacher for such joint agreement 3 whether the employer of the teacher was the joint agreement, 4 the regional superintendent, or one of the participating 5 districts in the joint agreement. 6 (j) For any teacher employed after July 1, 1987 as a 7 full-time teacher in a program of a special education joint 8 agreement, whether the program is operated by the joint 9 agreement or a member district on behalf of the joint 10 agreement, in the event of a reduction in the number of 11 programs or positions in the joint agreement in which the 12 notice of dismissal is provided on or before the end of the 13 2010-2011 school term, the teacher in contractual continued 14 service is eligible for employment in the joint agreement 15 programs for which the teacher is legally qualified in order 16 of greater length of continuing service in the joint 17 agreement, unless an alternative method of determining the 18 sequence of dismissal is established in a collective 19 bargaining agreement. For any teacher employed after July 1, 20 1987 as a full-time teacher in a program of a special education 21 joint agreement, whether the program is operated by the joint 22 agreement or a member district on behalf of the joint 23 agreement, in the event of a reduction in the number of 24 programs or positions in the joint agreement in which the 25 notice of dismissal is provided during the 2011-2012 school 26 term or a subsequent school term, the teacher shall be SB1569 - 9 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569- 10 -LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 10 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 10 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b 1 included on the honorable dismissal lists of all joint 2 agreement programs for positions for which the teacher is 3 qualified and is eligible for employment in such programs in 4 accordance with subsections (b) and (c) of Section 24-12 of 5 this Code and the applicable honorable dismissal policies of 6 the joint agreement. 7 (k) For any teacher employed after July 1, 1987 as a 8 full-time teacher in a program of a special education joint 9 agreement, whether the program is operated by the joint 10 agreement or a member district on behalf of the joint 11 agreement, in the event of the dissolution of a joint 12 agreement, in which the notice to teachers of the dissolution 13 is provided during the 2010-2011 school term, the teacher in 14 contractual continued service who is legally qualified shall 15 be assigned to any comparable position in a member district 16 currently held by a teacher who has not entered upon 17 contractual continued service or held by a teacher who has 18 entered upon contractual continued service with a shorter 19 length of contractual continued service. Any teacher employed 20 after July 1, 1987 as a full-time teacher in a program of a 21 special education joint agreement, whether the program is 22 operated by the joint agreement or a member district on behalf 23 of the joint agreement, in the event of the dissolution of a 24 joint agreement in which the notice to teachers of the 25 dissolution is provided during the 2011-2012 school term or a 26 subsequent school term, the teacher who is qualified shall be SB1569 - 10 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569- 11 -LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 11 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 11 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b 1 included on the order of honorable dismissal lists of each 2 member district and shall be assigned to any comparable 3 position in any such district in accordance with subsections 4 (b) and (c) of Section 24-12 of this Code and the applicable 5 honorable dismissal policies of each member district. 6 (l) The governing board of the joint agreement, or the 7 administrative district, if so authorized by the articles of 8 agreement of the joint agreement, rather than the board of 9 education of a school district, may carry out employment and 10 termination actions including dismissals under this Section 11 and Section 24-12. 12 (m) The employment of any teacher in a special education 13 program authorized by Section 14-1.01 through 14-14.01, or a 14 joint educational program established under Section 10-22.31a, 15 shall be under this and the succeeding Sections of this 16 Article, and such employment shall be deemed a continuation of 17 the previous employment of such teacher in any of the 18 participating districts, regardless of the participation of 19 other districts in the program. 20 (n) Any teacher employed as a full-time teacher in a 21 special education program prior to September 23, 1987 in which 22 2 or more school districts participate for a probationary 23 period of 2 consecutive years shall enter upon contractual 24 continued service in each of the participating districts, 25 subject to this and the succeeding Sections of this Article, 26 and, notwithstanding Section 24-1.5 of this Code, in the event SB1569 - 11 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569- 12 -LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 12 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b SB1569 - 12 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b 1 of the termination of the program shall be eligible for any 2 vacant position in any of such districts for which such 3 teacher is qualified. 4 (Source: P.A. 101-643, eff. 6-18-20; 102-552, eff. 1-1-22; 5 102-854, eff. 5-13-22.) 6 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 7 becoming law. SB1569 - 12 - LRB103 25984 RJT 52338 b