Bill Text: IL HB3346 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall develop a grant program to support the educator licensure of paraprofessionals with bachelor's degrees. Provides that the State Board shall distribute grants to qualified school districts. Provides that the school districts shall distribute funds to paraprofessionals. Sets forth requirements for school districts to qualify. Sets forth requirements for paraprofessionals to qualify. Sets forth requirements for the grant application, selection of paraprofessionals, restrictions of funds, priority to award grant assistance, program evaluation, and rulemaking.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2023-05-19 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB3346 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB3346-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB3346 Introduced , by Rep. Sharon Chung SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/2-3.196 new
Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall develop a grant program to support the educator licensure of paraprofessionals with bachelor's degrees. Provides that the State Board shall distribute grants to qualified school districts. Provides that the school districts shall distribute funds to paraprofessionals. Sets forth requirements for school districts to qualify. Sets forth requirements for paraprofessionals to qualify. Sets forth requirements for the grant application, selection of paraprofessionals, restrictions of funds, priority to award grant assistance, program evaluation, and rulemaking.
LRB103 30078 RJT 56502 b
A BILL FOR
HB3346 LRB103 30078 RJT 56502 b
AN ACT concerning education.
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
2-3.196 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/2-3.196 new)
Sec. 2-3.196. Paraprofessional to educator grant program.
(a) The State Board of Education shall develop a grant
program to support the educator licensure of paraprofessionals
with bachelor's degrees. This program shall use federal funds
from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief
program.
(b) The State Board shall distribute funds to qualified
school districts for the school districts to distribute. To
qualify, a school district shall:
(1) commit to the continued employment of qualified
paraprofessionals engaging in the program;
(2) commit to employing the qualified
paraprofessionals as full-time teachers once they have
received a professional educator license in exchange for a
commitment from the qualified paraprofessional to work as
a full-time teacher in the district for a minimum of 4
years unless there is no vacant teaching position for the

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paraprofessional; and
(3) commit to ensuring that awardee paraprofessionals
were provided with mentoring for their first 2 years of
teaching with a professional educator license.
(c) For a paraprofessional to qualify, the
paraprofessional:
(1) must hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally
accredited college or university;
(2) have a paraprofessional license, substitute
teaching license, or short-term substitute teaching
license registered with the Illinois Educator Licensure
Information System;
(3) must be currently working in a State public school
district; and
(4) commit to working in the district for 4 years
after earning their professional educator license, but
paraprofessionals may work in a different district if
there is no teaching position that they are qualified for
available in the school district which the
paraprofessional received funds from.
(d) All applications for grants under this Section shall
be made to the State Board. The form of application and the
information required to be set forth in the application shall
be determined by the State Board, and the State Board shall
require school districts to submit with their applications
such supporting documents as the State Board deems necessary.

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School districts shall also include in the grant application
current efforts to recruit paraprofessionals into the school
district to backfill the positions vacated by
paraprofessionals when they become teachers, how the school
district would use the funds, how many candidates the school
district plans to serve, if the school district plans to
restrict the program to certain subject areas or grade levels,
and how the school district will incorporate the initiative
into any existing high school pathways.
(e) School districts may limit the type of license a
paraprofessional may pursue to areas of high need within the
district. The school district shall be responsible for
selecting paraprofessionals from their school district to
participate in the program.
(f) The school district shall choose how to award the
funds to the paraprofessional to cover costs associated with
education, training, and other costs for a professional
educator license.
(g) In awarding grant assistance, the State Board may make
grant funds available in the following order based on the
school's Tier as determined by Section 18-8.15 of this Code:
(1) Tier 1 schools;
(2) Tier 2 schools;
(3) Tier 3 schools; and
(4) Tier 4 schools.
Within each Tier of school, the State Board may prioritize

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districts with the highest 3-year average teacher vacancy
rates.
(h) The State Board shall evaluate this program to
determine future educator investments.
(i) The State Board may adopt any rules to implement this
Section.