103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB3690 Introduced 2/9/2024, by Sen. Doris Turner SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 35 ILCS 5/241 new105 ILCS 5/2-3.204 new Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall establish a librarian recruitment and retention program, which shall encourage both new and experienced librarians to seek employment with qualifying public schools by providing for a refundable income tax credit to each participating librarian in the amount of $3,000 per school year for no more than 5 consecutive school years. Contains requirements for participating school districts and participating librarians. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act establishing the $3,000 tax credit for individuals designated by the State Board of Education as a participating librarian in the librarian recruitment and retention program. Effective July 1, 2024. LRB103 37449 RJT 67571 b A BILL FOR 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB3690 Introduced 2/9/2024, by Sen. Doris Turner SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 35 ILCS 5/241 new105 ILCS 5/2-3.204 new 35 ILCS 5/241 new 105 ILCS 5/2-3.204 new Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall establish a librarian recruitment and retention program, which shall encourage both new and experienced librarians to seek employment with qualifying public schools by providing for a refundable income tax credit to each participating librarian in the amount of $3,000 per school year for no more than 5 consecutive school years. Contains requirements for participating school districts and participating librarians. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act establishing the $3,000 tax credit for individuals designated by the State Board of Education as a participating librarian in the librarian recruitment and retention program. Effective July 1, 2024. LRB103 37449 RJT 67571 b LRB103 37449 RJT 67571 b A BILL FOR
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB3690 Introduced 2/9/2024, by Sen. Doris Turner SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
35 ILCS 5/241 new105 ILCS 5/2-3.204 new 35 ILCS 5/241 new 105 ILCS 5/2-3.204 new
35 ILCS 5/241 new
105 ILCS 5/2-3.204 new
Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall establish a librarian recruitment and retention program, which shall encourage both new and experienced librarians to seek employment with qualifying public schools by providing for a refundable income tax credit to each participating librarian in the amount of $3,000 per school year for no more than 5 consecutive school years. Contains requirements for participating school districts and participating librarians. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act establishing the $3,000 tax credit for individuals designated by the State Board of Education as a participating librarian in the librarian recruitment and retention program. Effective July 1, 2024.
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A BILL FOR
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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 Illinois Income Tax Act is amended by
5 adding Section 241 as follows:
6 (35 ILCS 5/241 new)
7 Sec. 241. Tax credit for librarian recruitment and
8 retention. For taxable years beginning on or after January 1,
9 2024, an individual designated as a participating librarian by
10 the State Board of Education to the Department under
11 subsection (l) of Section 2-3.204 of the School Code is
12 entitled to a tax credit against the tax imposed by
13 subsections (a) and (b) of Section 201 equal to $3,000. If the
14 total amount of the tax credit provided exceeds the taxpayer's
15 income tax liability for a taxable year, such excess amount
16 shall be refunded to the taxpayer.
17 This Section is exempt from the provisions of Section 250.
18 Section 10. The School Code is amended by adding Section
19 2-3.204 as follows:
20 (105 ILCS 5/2-3.204 new)
21 Sec. 2-3.204. Librarian recruitment and retention program.
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB3690 Introduced 2/9/2024, by Sen. Doris Turner SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
35 ILCS 5/241 new105 ILCS 5/2-3.204 new 35 ILCS 5/241 new 105 ILCS 5/2-3.204 new
35 ILCS 5/241 new
105 ILCS 5/2-3.204 new
Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall establish a librarian recruitment and retention program, which shall encourage both new and experienced librarians to seek employment with qualifying public schools by providing for a refundable income tax credit to each participating librarian in the amount of $3,000 per school year for no more than 5 consecutive school years. Contains requirements for participating school districts and participating librarians. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act establishing the $3,000 tax credit for individuals designated by the State Board of Education as a participating librarian in the librarian recruitment and retention program. Effective July 1, 2024.
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LRB103 37449 RJT 67571 b
A BILL FOR
35 ILCS 5/241 new
105 ILCS 5/2-3.204 new
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1 (a) As used in this Section:
2 "Participating school" means a qualifying public school
3 that has been selected by the Board to participate in the
4 program.
5 "Participating school district" means a public school
6 district that has been selected by the Board to participate in
7 the program.
8 "Participating librarian" means an eligible librarian
9 participating in the program who holds a Professional Educator
10 License under Section 21B-20.
11 "Institution of higher education" means a public
12 institution of higher education or private institution of
13 higher education, as those terms are defined in Section 1 of
14 the Board of Higher Education Act.
15 "Program" means the librarian recruitment and retention
16 program established in this Section.
17 "Qualifying public school" means a public school that is
18 located in a rural area in the State or a school that has
19 performed in the lowest 5% of schools in the State as
20 identified in accordance with the statewide accountability
21 system established in the State plan under the federal Every
22 Student Succeeds Act.
23 "Recently hired" means a licensed librarian, whether a new
24 or experienced librarian, who has accepted the librarian's
25 first school year contract to be a librarian at a qualifying
26 public school for the 2024-2025 school year, the current
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1 school year, or for the immediately upcoming school year.
2 "Rural area" means an area that is more than 5 miles from
3 the nearest urbanized area and more than 2.5 miles from the
4 nearest urban cluster.
5 "School year contract" means a contract of full-time
6 employment between a librarian and a local board of education
7 covering a full school year. A contract of employment for a
8 portion of a school year shall not be counted as a school year
9 contract, nor shall contracts of employment for portions of a
10 school year be cumulated and treated as a school year
11 contract. A school year contract is deemed included within a
12 contract of full-time employment between a librarian and a
13 local board of education covering a full calendar or fiscal
14 year.
15 "Urban cluster" and "urbanized area" have the meanings
16 given to those terms in the Standards for Defining
17 Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas, 65 FR 82227.
18 (b) The Board shall establish a librarian recruitment and
19 retention program. The purpose of the program shall be to
20 encourage both new and experienced librarians to seek
21 employment with qualifying public schools by providing for a
22 refundable income tax credit, as provided under Section 241 of
23 the Illinois Income Tax Act, to each participating librarian
24 in the amount of $3,000 per school year for no more than 5
25 consecutive school years, subject to conditions provided for
26 under this Section. The Board may adopt rules as necessary to
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1 implement and administer the program.
2 (c) By October 1 of each year, the Board shall determine
3 which public schools in the State are qualifying public
4 schools and shall publish a list of all qualifying public
5 schools on the Board's website. For the purposes of the
6 program, a school that has been designated as a qualifying
7 public school shall be eligible for selection as a
8 participating school for the current school year and for at
9 least the immediately upcoming school year. The Board shall
10 develop criteria for the selection of no more than 100
11 participating school districts and shall publish the selection
12 criteria simultaneously with the publication of the list of
13 qualifying school districts on the Board's website.
14 By December 1 of each year, the Board shall select no more
15 than 100 participating school districts and shall publish a
16 list of all participating school districts on the Board's
17 website. A school district that has been designated as a
18 participating school district shall be eligible to participate
19 in the program for the current school year and for at least the
20 immediately upcoming school year. The Board shall determine
21 the total number of participating librarians authorized for
22 each participating school district.
23 (d) The Board shall solicit applications from librarians
24 who meet the eligibility criteria provided for in subsections
25 (g), (h), and (i) and may share with participating school
26 districts such applications and related materials submitted by
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1 librarians.
2 (e) The Board may provide guidance and technical
3 assistance to librarians, participating schools, and school
4 districts with participating schools in the program.
5 (f) The Board shall establish program objectives and shall
6 annually measure and evaluate the program. Beginning with the
7 2024-2025 school year, and by December 1 of each year, the
8 Board shall file with the Governor and the General Assembly a
9 report covering the immediately preceding school year that
10 includes, but is not limited to, the following information:
11 (1) the positions filled by participating librarians
12 with corresponding information regarding the subject
13 matter and grade or grades taught; and
14 (2) the length of time participating librarians have
15 been participating in the program.
16 (g) In order to participate in the program, a librarian
17 shall:
18 (1) have been recently hired to be a librarian at a
19 participating school;
20 (2) have attained a master's degree in library science
21 or library and information service from an institution of
22 higher education accredited by the American Library
23 Association; and
24 (3) hold a valid Professional Educator License issued
25 by the Board.
26 (h) Librarians who meet the eligibility criteria provided
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1 in subsection (g) and who wish to participate in the program
2 shall submit to the Board a completed application to
3 participate in the program, on a form and in a manner
4 prescribed by the Board. Each application shall include, but
5 is not limited to:
6 (1) a copy of a librarian's school year contract to be
7 a librarian at a participating school; and
8 (2) written verification by the principal or other
9 school personnel of the participating school that the
10 librarian was recently hired as defined under this
11 Section.
12 (i) Eligible librarians who complete the application
13 process prescribed by the Board shall be accepted to
14 participate in the program on an annual basis, subject to the
15 continuation of the program, the provisions of subsection (m),
16 and for good cause shown by the Board.
17 (j) A librarian who is accepted by the Board to
18 participate in the program shall be allowed to continue as a
19 participating librarian in the program on an annual basis for
20 up to 5 consecutive school years the librarian remains
21 employed under a school year contract as a librarian at the
22 same school district continuously, regardless of whether the
23 school remains a participating or qualifying public school,
24 and subject to continuation of the program, the provisions of
25 subsection (m), and for good cause shown by the Board.
26 (k) A participating librarian who is involuntarily
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1 transferred to another school within the same participating or
2 qualifying school district shall be eligible to continue
3 participating in the program on the same terms and conditions
4 as provided in subsection (j). A participating librarian who
5 voluntarily transfers to another school is not eligible to
6 continue participating in the program, effective immediately
7 upon the transfer.
8 A participating librarian who receives an annual
9 performance evaluation of "unsatisfactory", as provided in
10 Sections 24A-5 and 34-85c, shall be permanently ineligible to
11 participate in the program upon the conclusion of the school
12 year in which the librarian received such rating.
13 A participating librarian who lawfully takes a leave of
14 absence pursuant to any State or federal law retains
15 eligibility to continue participating in the program if the
16 librarian remains unemployed under a school year contract as a
17 librarian at the same school continuously.
18 (l) By July 31 of each year, the Board shall notify the
19 Department of Revenue of each participating librarian who has
20 satisfied all terms and conditions of the program for the
21 immediately preceding school year.
22 (m) The number of participating librarians in the program
23 in any school year shall be limited to 1,000 participating
24 librarians statewide. At the discretion of the Board,
25 participation in the program may be determined according to
26 the following order of priority:
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1 (1) Participating librarians shall be prioritized over
2 librarians not yet participating in the program.
3 (2) Among librarians participating in the program,
4 those with greater seniority in the program shall be
5 prioritized over those with less seniority.
6 (3) No new applications for the program shall be
7 accepted after December 31, 2034.
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