Bill Text: IL SB2236 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Engrossed

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Bill Title: Amends the School Boards Article of the School Code. Removes the repeal date for the short-term substitute teacher training program. Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning short-term substitute teacher licenses, removes the June 30, 2023 expiration date for issuing short-term substitute teacher licenses. Removes the licensing fees for short-term substitute teacher, substitute teaching, and professional teaching licenses.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-05-03 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [SB2236 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB2236-Engrossed.html

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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 changing Sections
10-20.67, 21B-20, and 21B-40 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/10-20.67)
(Section scheduled to be repealed on July 1, 2023)
Sec. 10-20.67. Short-term substitute teacher training.
(a) Each school board shall, in collaboration with its
teachers or, if applicable, the exclusive bargaining
representative of its teachers, jointly develop a short-term
substitute teacher training program that provides individuals
who hold a Short-Term Substitute Teaching License under
Section 21B-20 of this Code with information on curriculum,
classroom management techniques, school safety, and district
and building operations. The State Board of Education may
develop a model short-term substitute teacher training program
for use by a school board under this subsection (a) if the
school board and its teachers or, if applicable, the exclusive
bargaining representative of its teachers agree to use the
State Board's model. A school board with a substitute teacher
training program in place before July 1, 2018 (the effective
date of Public Act 100-596) may utilize that program to

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satisfy the requirements of this subsection (a).
(b) Nothing in this Section prohibits a school board from
offering substitute training to substitute teachers licensed
under paragraph (3) of Section 21B-20 of this Code or to
substitute teachers holding a Professional Educator License.
(c) (Blank). This Section is repealed on July 1, 2023.
(Source: P.A. 100-596, eff. 7-1-18; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19.)
(105 ILCS 5/21B-20)
Sec. 21B-20. Types of licenses. The State Board of
Education shall implement a system of educator licensure,
whereby individuals employed in school districts who are
required to be licensed must have one of the following
licenses: (i) a professional educator license; (ii) an
educator license with stipulations; (iii) a substitute
teaching license; or (iv) until June 30, 2023, a short-term
substitute teaching license. References in law regarding
individuals certified or certificated or required to be
certified or certificated under Article 21 of this Code shall
also include individuals licensed or required to be licensed
under this Article. The first year of all licenses ends on June
30 following one full year of the license being issued.
The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt such
rules as may be necessary to govern the requirements for
licenses and endorsements under this Section.

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(1) Professional Educator License. Persons who (i)
have successfully completed an approved educator
preparation program and are recommended for licensure by
the Illinois institution offering the educator preparation
program, (ii) have successfully completed the required
testing under Section 21B-30 of this Code, (iii) have
successfully completed coursework on the psychology of,
the identification of, and the methods of instruction for
the exceptional child, including without limitation
children with learning disabilities, (iv) have
successfully completed coursework in methods of reading
and reading in the content area, and (v) have met all other
criteria established by rule of the State Board of
Education shall be issued a Professional Educator License.
All Professional Educator Licenses are valid until June 30
immediately following 5 years of the license being issued.
The Professional Educator License shall be endorsed with
specific areas and grade levels in which the individual is
eligible to practice. For an early childhood education
endorsement, an individual may satisfy the student
teaching requirement of his or her early childhood teacher
preparation program through placement in a setting with
children from birth through grade 2, and the individual
may be paid and receive credit while student teaching. The
student teaching experience must meet the requirements of
and be approved by the individual's early childhood

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teacher preparation program.
Individuals can receive subsequent endorsements on the
Professional Educator License. Subsequent endorsements
shall require a minimum of 24 semester hours of coursework
in the endorsement area and passage of the applicable
content area test, unless otherwise specified by rule.
(2) Educator License with Stipulations. An Educator
License with Stipulations shall be issued an endorsement
that limits the license holder to one particular position
or does not require completion of an approved educator
program or both.
An individual with an Educator License with
Stipulations must not be employed by a school district or
any other entity to replace any presently employed teacher
who otherwise would not be replaced for any reason.
An Educator License with Stipulations may be issued
with the following endorsements:
(A) (Blank).
(B) Alternative provisional educator. An
alternative provisional educator endorsement on an
Educator License with Stipulations may be issued to an
applicant who, at the time of applying for the
endorsement, has done all of the following:
(i) Graduated from a regionally accredited
college or university with a minimum of a
bachelor's degree.

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(ii) Successfully completed the first phase of
the Alternative Educator Licensure Program for
Teachers, as described in Section 21B-50 of this
Code.
(iii) Passed a content area test, as required
under Section 21B-30 of this Code.
The alternative provisional educator endorsement is
valid for 2 years of teaching and may be renewed for a
third year by an individual meeting the requirements set
forth in Section 21B-50 of this Code.
(C) Alternative provisional superintendent. An
alternative provisional superintendent endorsement on
an Educator License with Stipulations entitles the
holder to serve only as a superintendent or assistant
superintendent in a school district's central office.
This endorsement may only be issued to an applicant
who, at the time of applying for the endorsement, has
done all of the following:
(i) Graduated from a regionally accredited
college or university with a minimum of a master's
degree in a management field other than education.
(ii) Been employed for a period of at least 5
years in a management level position in a field
other than education.
(iii) Successfully completed the first phase
of an alternative route to superintendent

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endorsement program, as provided in Section 21B-55
of this Code.
(iv) Passed a content area test required under
Section 21B-30 of this Code.
The endorsement is valid for 2 fiscal years in
order to complete one full year of serving as a
superintendent or assistant superintendent.
(D) (Blank).
(E) Career and technical educator. A career and
technical educator endorsement on an Educator License
with Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who
has a minimum of 60 semester hours of coursework from a
regionally accredited institution of higher education
or an accredited trade and technical institution and
has a minimum of 2,000 hours of experience outside of
education in each area to be taught.
The career and technical educator endorsement on
an Educator License with Stipulations is valid until
June 30 immediately following 5 years of the
endorsement being issued and may be renewed.
An individual who holds a valid career and
technical educator endorsement on an Educator License
with Stipulations but does not hold a bachelor's
degree may substitute teach in career and technical
education classrooms.
(F) (Blank).

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(G) Transitional bilingual educator. A
transitional bilingual educator endorsement on an
Educator License with Stipulations may be issued for
the purpose of providing instruction in accordance
with Article 14C of this Code to an applicant who
provides satisfactory evidence that he or she meets
all of the following requirements:
(i) Possesses adequate speaking, reading, and
writing ability in the language other than English
in which transitional bilingual education is
offered.
(ii) Has the ability to successfully
communicate in English.
(iii) Either possessed, within 5 years
previous to his or her applying for a transitional
bilingual educator endorsement, a valid and
comparable teaching certificate or comparable
authorization issued by a foreign country or holds
a degree from an institution of higher learning in
a foreign country that the State Educator
Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be
the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a
regionally accredited institution of higher
learning in the United States.
A transitional bilingual educator endorsement
shall be valid for prekindergarten through grade 12,

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is valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years
of the endorsement being issued, and shall not be
renewed.
Persons holding a transitional bilingual educator
endorsement shall not be employed to replace any
presently employed teacher who otherwise would not be
replaced for any reason.
(H) Language endorsement. In an effort to
alleviate the shortage of teachers speaking a language
other than English in the public schools, an
individual who holds an Educator License with
Stipulations may also apply for a language
endorsement, provided that the applicant provides
satisfactory evidence that he or she meets all of the
following requirements:
(i) Holds a transitional bilingual
endorsement.
(ii) Has demonstrated proficiency in the
language for which the endorsement is to be issued
by passing the applicable language content test
required by the State Board of Education.
(iii) Holds a bachelor's degree or higher from
a regionally accredited institution of higher
education or, for individuals educated in a
country other than the United States, holds a
degree from an institution of higher learning in a

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foreign country that the State Educator
Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be
the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a
regionally accredited institution of higher
learning in the United States.
(iv) (Blank).
A language endorsement on an Educator License with
Stipulations is valid for prekindergarten through
grade 12 for the same validity period as the
individual's transitional bilingual educator
endorsement on the Educator License with Stipulations
and shall not be renewed.
(I) Visiting international educator. A visiting
international educator endorsement on an Educator
License with Stipulations may be issued to an
individual who is being recruited by a particular
school district that conducts formal recruitment
programs outside of the United States to secure the
services of qualified teachers and who meets all of
the following requirements:
(i) Holds the equivalent of a minimum of a
bachelor's degree issued in the United States.
(ii) Has been prepared as a teacher at the
grade level for which he or she will be employed.
(iii) Has adequate content knowledge in the
subject to be taught.

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(iv) Has an adequate command of the English
language.
A holder of a visiting international educator
endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations
shall be permitted to teach in bilingual education
programs in the language that was the medium of
instruction in his or her teacher preparation program,
provided that he or she passes the English Language
Proficiency Examination or another test of writing
skills in English identified by the State Board of
Education, in consultation with the State Educator
Preparation and Licensure Board.
A visiting international educator endorsement on
an Educator License with Stipulations is valid for 5
years and shall not be renewed.
(J) Paraprofessional educator. A paraprofessional
educator endorsement on an Educator License with
Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who holds a
high school diploma or its recognized equivalent and
(i) holds an associate's degree or a minimum of 60
semester hours of credit from a regionally accredited
institution of higher education; (ii) has passed a
paraprofessional competency test under subsection
(c-5) of Section 21B-30; or (iii) is at least 18 years
of age and will be using the Educator License with
Stipulations exclusively for grades prekindergarten

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through grade 8, until the individual reaches the age
of 19 years and otherwise meets the criteria for a
paraprofessional educator endorsement pursuant to this
subparagraph (J). The paraprofessional educator
endorsement is valid until June 30 immediately
following 5 years of the endorsement being issued and
may be renewed through application and payment of the
appropriate fee, as required under Section 21B-40 of
this Code. An individual who holds only a
paraprofessional educator endorsement is not subject
to additional requirements in order to renew the
endorsement.
(K) Chief school business official. A chief school
business official endorsement on an Educator License
with Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who
qualifies by having a master's degree or higher, 2
years of full-time administrative experience in school
business management or 2 years of university-approved
practical experience, and a minimum of 24 semester
hours of graduate credit in a program approved by the
State Board of Education for the preparation of school
business administrators and by passage of the
applicable State tests, including an applicable
content area test.
The chief school business official endorsement may
also be affixed to the Educator License with

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Stipulations of any holder who qualifies by having a
master's degree in business administration, finance,
accounting, or public administration and who completes
an additional 6 semester hours of internship in school
business management from a regionally accredited
institution of higher education and passes the
applicable State tests, including an applicable
content area test. This endorsement shall be required
for any individual employed as a chief school business
official.
The chief school business official endorsement on
an Educator License with Stipulations is valid until
June 30 immediately following 5 years of the
endorsement being issued and may be renewed if the
license holder completes renewal requirements as
required for individuals who hold a Professional
Educator License endorsed for chief school business
official under Section 21B-45 of this Code and such
rules as may be adopted by the State Board of
Education.
The State Board of Education shall adopt any rules
necessary to implement Public Act 100-288.
(L) Provisional in-state educator. A provisional
in-state educator endorsement on an Educator License
with Stipulations may be issued to a candidate who has
completed an Illinois-approved educator preparation

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program at an Illinois institution of higher education
and who has not successfully completed an
evidence-based assessment of teacher effectiveness but
who meets all of the following requirements:
(i) Holds at least a bachelor's degree.
(ii) Has completed an approved educator
preparation program at an Illinois institution.
(iii) Has passed an applicable content area
test, as required by Section 21B-30 of this Code.
(iv) Has attempted an evidence-based
assessment of teacher effectiveness and received a
minimum score on that assessment, as established
by the State Board of Education in consultation
with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
Board.
A provisional in-state educator endorsement on an
Educator License with Stipulations is valid for one
full fiscal year after the date of issuance and may not
be renewed.
(M) (Blank).
(N) Specialized services. A specialized services
endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations
may be issued as defined and specified by rule.
(3) Substitute Teaching License. A Substitute Teaching
License may be issued to qualified applicants for
substitute teaching in all grades of the public schools,

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prekindergarten through grade 12. Substitute Teaching
Licenses are not eligible for endorsements. Applicants for
a Substitute Teaching License must hold a bachelor's
degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution
of higher education or must be enrolled in an approved
educator preparation program in this State and have earned
at least 90 credit hours.
Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for 5 years.
Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for substitute
teaching in every county of this State. If an individual
has had his or her Professional Educator License or
Educator License with Stipulations suspended or revoked,
then that individual is not eligible to obtain a
Substitute Teaching License.
A substitute teacher may only teach in the place of a
licensed teacher who is under contract with the employing
board. If, however, there is no licensed teacher under
contract because of an emergency situation, then a
district may employ a substitute teacher for no longer
than 30 calendar days per each vacant position in the
district if the district notifies the appropriate regional
office of education within 5 business days after the
employment of the substitute teacher in the emergency
situation. An emergency situation is one in which an
unforeseen vacancy has occurred and (i) a teacher is
unable to fulfill his or her contractual duties or (ii)

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teacher capacity needs of the district exceed previous
indications, and the district is actively engaged in
advertising to hire a fully licensed teacher for the
vacant position.
There is no limit on the number of days that a
substitute teacher may teach in a single school district,
provided that no substitute teacher may teach for longer
than 120 days beginning with the 2021-2022 school year
through the 2022-2023 school year, otherwise 90 school
days for any one licensed teacher under contract in the
same school year. A substitute teacher who holds a
Professional Educator License or Educator License with
Stipulations shall not teach for more than 120 school days
for any one licensed teacher under contract in the same
school year. The limitations in this paragraph (3) on the
number of days a substitute teacher may be employed do not
apply to any school district operating under Article 34 of
this Code.
A school district may not require an individual who
holds a valid Professional Educator License or Educator
License with Stipulations to seek or hold a Substitute
Teaching License to teach as a substitute teacher.
(4) Short-Term Substitute Teaching License. Beginning
on July 1, 2018 and until June 30, 2023, the State Board of
Education may issue a Short-Term Substitute Teaching
License. A Short-Term Substitute Teaching License may be

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issued to a qualified applicant for substitute teaching in
all grades of the public schools, prekindergarten through
grade 12. Short-Term Substitute Teaching Licenses are not
eligible for endorsements. Applicants for a Short-Term
Substitute Teaching License must hold an associate's
degree or have completed at least 60 credit hours from a
regionally accredited institution of higher education.
Short-Term Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for
substitute teaching in every county of this State. If an
individual has had his or her Professional Educator
License or Educator License with Stipulations suspended or
revoked, then that individual is not eligible to obtain a
Short-Term Substitute Teaching License.
The provisions of Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this
Code apply to short-term substitute teachers.
An individual holding a Short-Term Substitute Teaching
License may teach no more than 15 consecutive days per
licensed teacher who is under contract. For teacher
absences lasting 6 or more days per licensed teacher who
is under contract, a school district may not hire an
individual holding a Short-Term Substitute Teaching
License, unless the Governor has declared a disaster due
to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the
Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act. An individual
holding a Short-Term Substitute Teaching License must
complete the training program under Section 10-20.67 or

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34-18.60 of this Code to be eligible to teach at a public
school. This paragraph (4) is inoperative on and after
July 1, 2023.
(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-220, eff. 8-7-19;
101-594, eff. 12-5-19; 101-643, eff. 6-18-20; 102-711, eff.
1-1-23; 102-712, eff. 4-27-22; 102-713, eff. 1-1-23; 102-717,
eff. 4-29-22; 102-894, eff. 5-20-22; revised 12-13-22.)
(105 ILCS 5/21B-40)
Sec. 21B-40. Fees.
(a) Beginning with the start of the new licensure system
established pursuant to this Article, the following fees shall
be charged to applicants:
(1) (Blank). A $100 application fee for a Professional
Educator License or an Educator License with Stipulations.
(1.5) A $50 application fee for a Substitute Teaching
License. If the application for a Substitute Teaching
License is made and granted after July 1, 2017, the
licensee may apply for a refund of the application fee
within 18 months of issuance of the new license and shall
be issued that refund by the State Board of Education if
the licensee provides evidence to the State Board of
Education that the licensee has taught pursuant to the
Substitute Teaching License at least 10 full school days
within one year of issuance.
(1.7) A $25 application fee for a Short-Term

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Substitute Teaching License. The Short-Term Substitute
Teaching License must be registered in at least one region
in this State, but does not require a registration fee.
The licensee may apply for a refund of the application fee
within 18 months of issuance of the new license and shall
be issued that refund by the State Board of Education if
the licensee provides evidence to the State Board of
Education that the licensee has taught pursuant to the
Short-Term Substitute Teaching License at least 10 full
school days within one year of issuance. The application
fee for a Short-Term Substitute Teaching License shall be
waived when the Governor has declared a disaster due to a
public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the
Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act.
(2) A $150 application fee for individuals who have
not been entitled by an Illinois-approved educator
preparation program at an Illinois institution of higher
education and are seeking any of the licenses set forth in
subdivision (1) of this subsection (a).
(3) A $50 application fee for each endorsement or
approval.
(4) A $10 per year registration fee for the course of
the validity cycle to register the license, which shall be
paid to the regional office of education having
supervision and control over the school in which the
individual holding the license is to be employed. If the

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individual holding the license is not yet employed, then
the license may be registered in any county in this State.
The registration fee must be paid in its entirety the
first time the individual registers the license for a
particular validity period in a single region. No
additional fee may be charged for that validity period
should the individual subsequently register the license in
additional regions. An individual must register the
license (i) immediately after initial issuance of the
license and (ii) at the beginning of each renewal cycle if
the individual has satisfied the renewal requirements
required under this Code.
Beginning on July 1, 2017, at the beginning of each
renewal cycle, individuals who hold a Substitute Teaching
License may apply for a reimbursement of the registration
fee within 18 months of renewal and shall be issued that
reimbursement by the State Board of Education from funds
appropriated for that purpose if the licensee provides
evidence to the State Board of Education that the licensee
has taught pursuant to the Substitute Teaching License at
least 10 full school days within one year of renewal.
(5) The license renewal fee for an Educator License
with Stipulations with a paraprofessional educator
endorsement is $25.
(b) All application fees paid pursuant to subdivisions (1)
through (3) of subsection (a) of this Section shall be

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deposited into the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving Fund and
shall be used, subject to appropriation, by the State Board of
Education to provide the technology and human resources
necessary for the timely and efficient processing of
applications and for the renewal of licenses. Funds available
from the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving Fund may also be
used by the State Board of Education to support the
recruitment and retention of educators, to support educator
preparation programs as they seek national accreditation, and
to provide professional development aligned with the
requirements set forth in Section 21B-45 of this Code. A
majority of the funds in the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving
Fund must be dedicated to the timely and efficient processing
of applications and for the renewal of licenses. The Teacher
Certificate Fee Revolving Fund is not subject to
administrative charge transfers, authorized under Section 8h
of the State Finance Act, from the Teacher Certificate Fee
Revolving Fund into any other fund of this State, and moneys in
the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving Fund shall not revert
back to the General Revenue Fund at any time.
The regional superintendent of schools shall deposit the
registration fees paid pursuant to subdivision (4) of
subsection (a) of this Section into the institute fund
established pursuant to Section 3-11 of this Code.
(c) The State Board of Education and each regional office
of education are authorized to charge a service or convenience

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fee for the use of credit cards for the payment of license
fees. This service or convenience fee shall not exceed the
amount required by the credit card processing company or
vendor that has entered into a contract with the State Board or
regional office of education for this purpose, and the fee
must be paid to that company or vendor.
(d) If, at the time a certificate issued under Article 21
of this Code is exchanged for a license issued under this
Article, a person has paid registration fees for any years of
the validity period of the certificate and these years have
not expired when the certificate is exchanged, then those fees
must be applied to the registration of the new license.
(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-570, eff. 8-23-19;
102-867, eff. 5-13-22.)