SB2500eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB2500 Engrossed LRB095 16782 NHT 42819 b

AN ACT concerning education.

WHEREAS, The new superintendent mentoring program is intended to exist as a statewide program in which a statewide organization, selected by the State Board of Education, offers mentoring programs aligned with standards and criteria of the new superintendent mentoring program; and

WHEREAS, Mentors must complete mentoring training offered by the provider selected by the State Board of Education and work with the new superintendents to identify areas for professional growth that will assist the superintendent when making Illinois Administrators' Academy and professional development choices, allowing the new superintendents, with the approval of their mentors, to select any appropriate Illinois Administrators' Academy courses even though it might be a duplication of an Illinois Professional School Leader Standard; therefore

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 2-3.53b and by changing Section 10-20.20 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/2-3.53b new)

Sec. 2-3.53b. New superintendent mentoring program.

(a) Beginning on July 1, 2008 and subject to an annual appropriation by the General Assembly, to establish a new superintendent mentoring program for new superintendents. Any individual who begins serving as a superintendent in this State on or after July 1, 2008 and has not previously served as a school district superintendent in this State shall participate in the new superintendent mentoring program for the duration of his or her first 2 school years as a superintendent and must complete the program in accordance with the requirements established by the State Board of Education by rule. The new superintendent mentoring program shall match an experienced superintendent who meets the requirements of subsection (b) of this Section with each new superintendent in his or her first 2 school years in that position in order to assist the new superintendent in the development of his or her professional growth and to provide guidance during the new superintendent's first 2 school years of service.

(b) Any individual who has actively served as a school district superintendent in this State for 3 or more years and who has demonstrated success as an instructional leader, as determined by the State Board of Education by rule, is eligible to apply to be a mentor under the new superintendent mentoring program. Mentors shall complete mentoring training through a provider selected by the State Board of Education and shall meet any other requirements set forth by the State Board and by the school district employing the mentor.

(c) Under the new superintendent mentoring program, a provider selected by the State Board of Education shall assign a mentor to a new superintendent based on (i) similarity of grade level or type of school district, (ii) learning needs of the new superintendent, and (iii) geographical proximity of the mentor to the new superintendent. The new superintendent, in collaboration with the mentor, shall identify areas for improvement of the new superintendent's professional growth, including, but not limited to, each of the following:

(1) Analyzing data and applying it to practice.

(2) Aligning professional development and instructional programs.

(3) Building a professional learning community.

(4) Effective school board relations.

(5) Facilitating effective meetings.

(6) Developing distributive leadership practices.

(7) Facilitating organizational change.

The mentor must not be required to provide an evaluation of the new superintendent on the basis of the mentoring relationship.

(d) From January 1, 2009 until May 15, 2009 and from January 1 until May 15 each year thereafter, each mentor and each new superintendent shall complete a survey of progress of the new superintendent on a form developed by the school district. On or before September 1, 2009 and on or before September 1 of each year thereafter, the provider selected by the State Board of Education shall submit a detailed annual report to the State Board of how the appropriation for the new superintendent mentoring program was spent, details on each mentor-mentee relationship, and a qualitative evaluation of the outcomes. The provider shall develop a verification form that each new superintendent and his or her mentor must complete and submit to the provider to certify completion of each year of the new superintendent mentoring program by July 15 immediately following the school year just completed.

(e) The requirements of this Section do not apply to any individual who has previously served as an assistant superintendent in a school district in this State acting under an administrative certificate for 5 or more years and who, on or after July 1, 2008, begins serving as a superintendent in the school district where he or she had served as an assistant superintendent immediately prior to being named superintendent, although such an individual may choose to participate in the new superintendent mentoring program or may be required to participate by the school district. The requirements of this Section do not apply to any superintendent or chief executive officer of a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code.

(f) The State Board may adopt any rules that are necessary for the implementation of this Section.

(105 ILCS 5/10-20.20) (from Ch. 122, par. 10-20.20)

Sec. 10-20.20. Protection from suit.) To indemnify and protect school districts, members of school boards, employees, volunteer personnel authorized in Sections 10-22.34, 10-22.34a and 10-22.34b of this Code, mentors of certified staff as authorized in Article 21A and Sections 2-3.53a, 2-3.53b, and 34-18.33 of this Code, and student teachers against civil rights damage claims and suits, constitutional rights damage claims and suits and death and bodily injury and property damage claims and suits, including defense thereof, when damages are sought for negligent or wrongful acts alleged to have been committed in the scope of employment or under the direction of the board or related to any mentoring services provided to certified staff of the school district. Such indemnification and protection shall extend to persons who were members of school boards, employees of school boards, authorized volunteer personnel, mentors of certified staff, or student teachers at the time of the incident from which a claim arises. No agent may be afforded indemnification or protection unless he was a member of a school board, an employee of a board, an authorized volunteer, a mentor of certified staff, or a student teacher at the time of the incident from which the claim arises.

(Source: P.A. 79-210.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.