Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SB3877

LRB104 18470 LNS 31912 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB3877

Introduced 2/6/2026, by Sen. Donald P. DeWitte

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/24-8.2 new

Amends the Employment of Teachers Article of the School Code. Provides that beginning with continuing education coursework commenced on or after July 1, 2026, a school district, special education cooperative, or other public educational employer may recognize graduate-level continuing education coursework for purposes of salary advancement or lane changes only if the continuing education coursework meets specified requirements. Provides that nothing in the provisions impairs the ability of the parties to a collective bargaining agreement to negotiate salary schedules or compensation structures, as long as any graduate-level continuing education coursework recognized for salary advancement or lane changes complies with those specified requirements. Allows the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Board of Higher Education, to adopt rules as necessary to implement the provisions. Effective July 1, 2026.

STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

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 24-8.2 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/24-8.2 new)

Sec. 24-8.2. Continuing education coursework used for salary increases.

(a) For purposes of this Section:

"Continuing education coursework" means any graduate-level course completed by a licensed educator for the purpose of salary advancement, a salary lane change, or other compensation-related advancement under a collective bargaining agreement, school board policy, or salary schedule.

"Graduate-level, degree-eligible credit" means academic credit documented on an official academic transcript by a regionally accredited institution of higher education that may be applied toward a master's degree, education specialist degree, or doctoral degree.

"Instructor of record" means an individual assigned responsibility for academic oversight of a course, including instruction, evaluation and feedback of participant work, and the assignment of grades.

"Salary lane change" means the receiving of a pay increase on a salary schedule by earning additional academic credits.

(b) Beginning with continuing education coursework commenced on or after July 1, 2026, a school district, special education cooperative, or other public educational employer may recognize continuing education coursework for purposes of salary advancement or salary lane changes only if the continuing education coursework meets all of the following requirements:

(1) The continuing education coursework is graduate-level, degree-eligible credit offered by a regionally accredited institution of higher education and documented on an official academic transcript.

(2) The continuing education coursework results in a letter grade issued by the institution of higher education. Coursework graded solely on a pass or fail, satisfactory or unsatisfactory, or completion basis is not eligible.

(3) The continuing education coursework includes an instructor of record who:

(A) is a credentialed educator holding a master's degree or higher and is academically qualified to teach the continuing education course, with demonstrated experience in the content area or areas of the continuing education course;

(B) provides substantive instructional support to the participating educator throughout the period of continuing education course enrollment; and

(C) evaluates participant work and provides individualized, written feedback aligned to continuing education course objectives.

(c) Nothing in this Section impairs the ability of the parties to a collective bargaining agreement to negotiate salary schedules or compensation structures, as long as any continuing education coursework recognized for salary advancement or salary lane changes complies with the requirements of this Section.

(d) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the Board of Higher Education, may adopt rules as necessary to implement this Section, including standards for documentation, transcript verification, institutional accreditation, and compliance monitoring.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2026.