103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB3346

 

Introduced 2/17/2023, 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

 

HB3346LRB103 30078 RJT 56502 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
52-3.196 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.196 new)
7    Sec. 2-3.196. Paraprofessional to educator grant program.
8    (a) The State Board of Education shall develop a grant
9program to support the educator licensure of paraprofessionals
10with bachelor's degrees. This program shall use federal funds
11from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief
12program.
13    (b) The State Board shall distribute funds to qualified
14school districts for the school districts to distribute. To
15qualify, a school district shall:
16        (1) commit to the continued employment of qualified
17    paraprofessionals engaging in the program;
18        (2) commit to employing the qualified
19    paraprofessionals as full-time teachers once they have
20    received a professional educator license in exchange for a
21    commitment from the qualified paraprofessional to work as
22    a full-time teacher in the district for a minimum of 4
23    years unless there is no vacant teaching position for the

 

 

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1    paraprofessional; and
2        (3) commit to ensuring that awardee paraprofessionals
3    were provided with mentoring for their first 2 years of
4    teaching with a professional educator license.
5    (c) For a paraprofessional to qualify, the
6paraprofessional:
7        (1) must hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally
8    accredited college or university;
9        (2) have a paraprofessional license, substitute
10    teaching license, or short-term substitute teaching
11    license registered with the Illinois Educator Licensure
12    Information System;
13        (3) must be currently working in a State public school
14    district; and
15        (4) commit to working in the district for 4 years
16    after earning their professional educator license, but
17    paraprofessionals may work in a different district if
18    there is no teaching position that they are qualified for
19    available in the school district which the
20    paraprofessional received funds from.
21    (d) All applications for grants under this Section shall
22be made to the State Board. The form of application and the
23information required to be set forth in the application shall
24be determined by the State Board, and the State Board shall
25require school districts to submit with their applications
26such supporting documents as the State Board deems necessary.

 

 

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1School districts shall also include in the grant application
2current efforts to recruit paraprofessionals into the school
3district to backfill the positions vacated by
4paraprofessionals when they become teachers, how the school
5district would use the funds, how many candidates the school
6district plans to serve, if the school district plans to
7restrict the program to certain subject areas or grade levels,
8and how the school district will incorporate the initiative
9into any existing high school pathways.
10    (e) School districts may limit the type of license a
11paraprofessional may pursue to areas of high need within the
12district. The school district shall be responsible for
13selecting paraprofessionals from their school district to
14participate in the program.
15    (f) The school district shall choose how to award the
16funds to the paraprofessional to cover costs associated with
17education, training, and other costs for a professional
18educator license.
19    (g) In awarding grant assistance, the State Board may make
20grant funds available in the following order based on the
21school's Tier as determined by Section 18-8.15 of this Code:
22        (1) Tier 1 schools;
23        (2) Tier 2 schools;
24        (3) Tier 3 schools; and
25        (4) Tier 4 schools.
26    Within each Tier of school, the State Board may prioritize

 

 

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1districts with the highest 3-year average teacher vacancy
2rates.
3    (h) The State Board shall evaluate this program to
4determine future educator investments.
5    (i) The State Board may adopt any rules to implement this
6Section.