Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois Senate Bill SB2127 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB2127 Introduced 2/7/2025, by Sen. Sally J. Turner SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 110 ILCS 947/65.27 Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides that scholarships awarded under the Teach Illinois Scholarship Program may be granted to individuals employed as teachers who agree to pursue a master's degree at a qualified institution of higher learning in order to teach dual credit courses at a secondary school. Provides that for any individual receiving a scholarship to teach dual credit courses, following the completion of the program of study, the individual must teach at least one dual credit course per school year in a secondary school in this State for a period of at least 5 years. Provides that individuals who fail to comply shall refund all of the awarded scholarships to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, whether payments were made directly to the institutions of higher learning or to the individuals, and this condition shall be agreed to in writing by the scholarship recipients at the time the scholarship is awarded. Provides that no individual may be required to refund tuition payments if his or her failure to teach a dual credit course in a secondary school is the result of financial conditions within school districts. Makes conforming changes. Effective July 1, 2026. LRB104 04091 LNS 14115 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB2127 Introduced 2/7/2025, by Sen. Sally J. Turner SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 110 ILCS 947/65.27 110 ILCS 947/65.27 Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides that scholarships awarded under the Teach Illinois Scholarship Program may be granted to individuals employed as teachers who agree to pursue a master's degree at a qualified institution of higher learning in order to teach dual credit courses at a secondary school. Provides that for any individual receiving a scholarship to teach dual credit courses, following the completion of the program of study, the individual must teach at least one dual credit course per school year in a secondary school in this State for a period of at least 5 years. Provides that individuals who fail to comply shall refund all of the awarded scholarships to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, whether payments were made directly to the institutions of higher learning or to the individuals, and this condition shall be agreed to in writing by the scholarship recipients at the time the scholarship is awarded. Provides that no individual may be required to refund tuition payments if his or her failure to teach a dual credit course in a secondary school is the result of financial conditions within school districts. Makes conforming changes. Effective July 1, 2026. LRB104 04091 LNS 14115 b LRB104 04091 LNS 14115 b A BILL FOR
2	2	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB2127 Introduced 2/7/2025, by Sen. Sally J. Turner SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
3	3	110 ILCS 947/65.27 110 ILCS 947/65.27
4	4	110 ILCS 947/65.27
5	5	Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides that scholarships awarded under the Teach Illinois Scholarship Program may be granted to individuals employed as teachers who agree to pursue a master's degree at a qualified institution of higher learning in order to teach dual credit courses at a secondary school. Provides that for any individual receiving a scholarship to teach dual credit courses, following the completion of the program of study, the individual must teach at least one dual credit course per school year in a secondary school in this State for a period of at least 5 years. Provides that individuals who fail to comply shall refund all of the awarded scholarships to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, whether payments were made directly to the institutions of higher learning or to the individuals, and this condition shall be agreed to in writing by the scholarship recipients at the time the scholarship is awarded. Provides that no individual may be required to refund tuition payments if his or her failure to teach a dual credit course in a secondary school is the result of financial conditions within school districts. Makes conforming changes. Effective July 1, 2026.
6	6	LRB104 04091 LNS 14115 b LRB104 04091 LNS 14115 b
7	7	LRB104 04091 LNS 14115 b
8	8	A BILL FOR
9	9	SB2127LRB104 04091 LNS 14115 b SB2127 LRB104 04091 LNS 14115 b
10	10	SB2127 LRB104 04091 LNS 14115 b
11	11	1 AN ACT concerning education.
12	12	2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
13	13	3 represented in the General Assembly:
14	14	4 Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
15	15	5 amended by changing Section 65.27 as follows:
16	16	6 (110 ILCS 947/65.27)
17	17	7 Sec. 65.27. Teach Illinois Scholarship Program.
18	18	8 (a) For the purposes of this Section:
19	19	9 "Area of identified staff shortage" means a school
20	20	10 district in which the number of teachers is insufficient to
21	21	11 meet student or school district demand or a subject area for
22	22	12 which the number of teachers who are qualified to teach that
23	23	13 subject area is insufficient to meet student or school
24	24	14 district demand, as determined by the State Board of
25	25	15 Education.
26	26	16 "Dual credit course" means a college course taken by a
27	27	17 high school student for credit at both the college and high
28	28	18 school level.
29	29	19 "Qualified institution of higher learning" means one of
30	30	20 the universities listed in Section 65.40 of this Act.
31	31	21 (b) The Commission shall implement and administer a
32	32	22 teacher scholarship program, to be known as the Teach Illinois
33	33	23 Scholarship Program. The Commission shall annually award
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37	37	104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB2127 Introduced 2/7/2025, by Sen. Sally J. Turner SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
38	38	110 ILCS 947/65.27 110 ILCS 947/65.27
39	39	110 ILCS 947/65.27
40	40	Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides that scholarships awarded under the Teach Illinois Scholarship Program may be granted to individuals employed as teachers who agree to pursue a master's degree at a qualified institution of higher learning in order to teach dual credit courses at a secondary school. Provides that for any individual receiving a scholarship to teach dual credit courses, following the completion of the program of study, the individual must teach at least one dual credit course per school year in a secondary school in this State for a period of at least 5 years. Provides that individuals who fail to comply shall refund all of the awarded scholarships to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, whether payments were made directly to the institutions of higher learning or to the individuals, and this condition shall be agreed to in writing by the scholarship recipients at the time the scholarship is awarded. Provides that no individual may be required to refund tuition payments if his or her failure to teach a dual credit course in a secondary school is the result of financial conditions within school districts. Makes conforming changes. Effective July 1, 2026.
41	41	LRB104 04091 LNS 14115 b LRB104 04091 LNS 14115 b
42	42	LRB104 04091 LNS 14115 b
43	43	A BILL FOR
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49	49	110 ILCS 947/65.27
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68	68	1 scholarships to persons preparing to teach in areas of
69	69	2 identified staff shortages or to persons employed as teachers
70	70	3 who are preparing to teach dual credit courses within a
71	71	4 secondary school. These scholarships shall be awarded to
72	72	5 individuals who make application to the Commission and who
73	73	6 agree to take courses at qualified institutions of higher
74	74	7 learning that will prepare them to teach in areas of
75	75	8 identified staff shortages or to individuals employed as
76	76	9 teachers who make application to the Commission and who agree
77	77	10 to pursue a master's degree at a qualified institution of
78	78	11 higher learning in order to teach dual credit courses within a
79	79	12 secondary school.
80	80	13 (c) Scholarships awarded under this Section shall be
81	81	14 issued pursuant to rules promulgated by the Commission.
82	82	15 (d) Each scholarship shall be utilized by its holder for
83	83	16 the payment of tuition and non-revenue bond fees at any
84	84	17 qualified institution of higher learning. Such tuition and
85	85	18 fees shall be available only for courses that will enable the
86	86	19 individual to be licensed certified to teach in areas of
87	87	20 identified staff shortages or to be able to teach dual credit
88	88	21 courses. The Commission shall determine which courses are
89	89	22 eligible for tuition payments under this Section.
90	90	23 (e) The Commission shall make tuition payments directly to
91	91	24 the qualified institution of higher learning that the
92	92	25 individual attends for the courses prescribed.
93	93	26 (f) For any individual receiving a scholarship under this
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104	104	1 Section to teach in an area of identified staff shortage,
105	105	2 following Following the completion of the program of study,
106	106	3 the individual must accept employment to teach in an
107	107	4 elementary or secondary school in Illinois in an area of
108	108	5 identified staff shortage for a period of at least 5 years.
109	109	6 Individuals who fail to comply with this subsection (f)
110	110	7 provision shall refund all of the awarded scholarships to the
111	111	8 Commission, whether payments were made directly to the
112	112	9 institutions of higher learning or to the individuals, and
113	113	10 this condition shall be agreed to in writing by such all
114	114	11 scholarship recipients at the time the scholarship is awarded.
115	115	12 No individual shall be required to refund tuition payments if
116	116	13 his or her failure to obtain employment as a teacher in a
117	117	14 school is the result of financial conditions within school
118	118	15 districts. The rules promulgated as provided in this Section
119	119	16 shall contain provisions regarding the waiving and deferral of
120	120	17 such payments.
121	121	18 (f-5) For any individual receiving a scholarship under
122	122	19 this Section to teach dual credit courses, following the
123	123	20 completion of the program of study, the individual must teach
124	124	21 at least one dual credit course per school year in a secondary
125	125	22 school in this State for a period of at least 5 years.
126	126	23 Individuals who fail to comply with this subsection (f-5)
127	127	24 shall refund all of the awarded scholarships to the
128	128	25 Commission, whether payments were made directly to the
129	129	26 institutions of higher learning or to the individuals, and
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140	140	1 this condition shall be agreed to in writing by such
141	141	2 scholarship recipients at the time the scholarship is awarded.
142	142	3 No individual may be required to refund tuition payments if
143	143	4 his or her failure to teach a dual credit course in a secondary
144	144	5 school is the result of financial conditions within school
145	145	6 districts. The rules promulgated as provided in this Section
146	146	7 shall contain provisions regarding the waiving and deferral of
147	147	8 such payments.
148	148	9 (g) The Commission, with the cooperation of the State
149	149	10 Board of Education, shall assist individuals who have
150	150	11 participated in the scholarship program established by this
151	151	12 Section in finding employment in areas of identified staff
152	152	13 shortages or in finding dual credit courses in secondary
153	153	14 schools to teach.
154	154	15 (h) The scholarships under this Section are subject to
155	155	16 appropriations to the Commission by the General Assembly.
156	156	17 (Source: P.A. 94-205, eff. 1-1-06.)
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