103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB3690

 

Introduced 2/9/2024, by Sen. Doris Turner

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
35 ILCS 5/241 new
105 ILCS 5/2-3.204 new

    Amends the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall establish a librarian recruitment and retention program, which shall encourage both new and experienced librarians to seek employment with qualifying public schools by providing for a refundable income tax credit to each participating librarian in the amount of $3,000 per school year for no more than 5 consecutive school years. Contains requirements for participating school districts and participating librarians. Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act establishing the $3,000 tax credit for individuals designated by the State Board of Education as a participating librarian in the librarian recruitment and retention program. Effective July 1, 2024.


LRB103 37449 RJT 67571 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB3690LRB103 37449 RJT 67571 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 Illinois Income Tax Act is amended by
5adding Section 241 as follows:
 
6    (35 ILCS 5/241 new)
7    Sec. 241. Tax credit for librarian recruitment and
8retention. For taxable years beginning on or after January 1,
92024, an individual designated as a participating librarian by
10the State Board of Education to the Department under
11subsection (l) of Section 2-3.204 of the School Code is
12entitled to a tax credit against the tax imposed by
13subsections (a) and (b) of Section 201 equal to $3,000. If the
14total amount of the tax credit provided exceeds the taxpayer's
15income tax liability for a taxable year, such excess amount
16shall be refunded to the taxpayer.
17    This Section is exempt from the provisions of Section 250.
 
18    Section 10. The School Code is amended by adding Section
192-3.204 as follows:
 
20    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.204 new)
21    Sec. 2-3.204. Librarian recruitment and retention program.

 

 

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1    (a) As used in this Section:
2    "Participating school" means a qualifying public school
3that has been selected by the Board to participate in the
4program.
5    "Participating school district" means a public school
6district that has been selected by the Board to participate in
7the program.
8    "Participating librarian" means an eligible librarian
9participating in the program who holds a Professional Educator
10License under Section 21B-20.
11    "Institution of higher education" means a public
12institution of higher education or private institution of
13higher education, as those terms are defined in Section 1 of
14the Board of Higher Education Act.
15    "Program" means the librarian recruitment and retention
16program established in this Section.
17    "Qualifying public school" means a public school that is
18located in a rural area in the State or a school that has
19performed in the lowest 5% of schools in the State as
20identified in accordance with the statewide accountability
21system established in the State plan under the federal Every
22Student Succeeds Act.
23    "Recently hired" means a licensed librarian, whether a new
24or experienced librarian, who has accepted the librarian's
25first school year contract to be a librarian at a qualifying
26public school for the 2024-2025 school year, the current

 

 

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1school year, or for the immediately upcoming school year.
2    "Rural area" means an area that is more than 5 miles from
3the nearest urbanized area and more than 2.5 miles from the
4nearest urban cluster.
5    "School year contract" means a contract of full-time
6employment between a librarian and a local board of education
7covering a full school year. A contract of employment for a
8portion of a school year shall not be counted as a school year
9contract, nor shall contracts of employment for portions of a
10school year be cumulated and treated as a school year
11contract. A school year contract is deemed included within a
12contract of full-time employment between a librarian and a
13local board of education covering a full calendar or fiscal
14year.
15    "Urban cluster" and "urbanized area" have the meanings
16given to those terms in the Standards for Defining
17Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas, 65 FR 82227.
18    (b) The Board shall establish a librarian recruitment and
19retention program. The purpose of the program shall be to
20encourage both new and experienced librarians to seek
21employment with qualifying public schools by providing for a
22refundable income tax credit, as provided under Section 241 of
23the Illinois Income Tax Act, to each participating librarian
24in the amount of $3,000 per school year for no more than 5
25consecutive school years, subject to conditions provided for
26under this Section. The Board may adopt rules as necessary to

 

 

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1implement and administer the program.
2    (c) By October 1 of each year, the Board shall determine
3which public schools in the State are qualifying public
4schools and shall publish a list of all qualifying public
5schools on the Board's website. For the purposes of the
6program, a school that has been designated as a qualifying
7public school shall be eligible for selection as a
8participating school for the current school year and for at
9least the immediately upcoming school year. The Board shall
10develop criteria for the selection of no more than 100
11participating school districts and shall publish the selection
12criteria simultaneously with the publication of the list of
13qualifying school districts on the Board's website.
14    By December 1 of each year, the Board shall select no more
15than 100 participating school districts and shall publish a
16list of all participating school districts on the Board's
17website. A school district that has been designated as a
18participating school district shall be eligible to participate
19in the program for the current school year and for at least the
20immediately upcoming school year. The Board shall determine
21the total number of participating librarians authorized for
22each participating school district.
23    (d) The Board shall solicit applications from librarians
24who meet the eligibility criteria provided for in subsections
25(g), (h), and (i) and may share with participating school
26districts such applications and related materials submitted by

 

 

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1librarians.
2    (e) The Board may provide guidance and technical
3assistance to librarians, participating schools, and school
4districts with participating schools in the program.
5    (f) The Board shall establish program objectives and shall
6annually measure and evaluate the program. Beginning with the
72024-2025 school year, and by December 1 of each year, the
8Board shall file with the Governor and the General Assembly a
9report covering the immediately preceding school year that
10includes, but is not limited to, the following information:
11        (1) the positions filled by participating librarians
12    with corresponding information regarding the subject
13    matter and grade or grades taught; and
14        (2) the length of time participating librarians have
15    been participating in the program.
16    (g) In order to participate in the program, a librarian
17shall:
18        (1) have been recently hired to be a librarian at a
19    participating school;
20        (2) have attained a master's degree in library science
21    or library and information service from an institution of
22    higher education accredited by the American Library
23    Association; and
24        (3) hold a valid Professional Educator License issued
25    by the Board.
26    (h) Librarians who meet the eligibility criteria provided

 

 

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1in subsection (g) and who wish to participate in the program
2shall submit to the Board a completed application to
3participate in the program, on a form and in a manner
4prescribed by the Board. Each application shall include, but
5is not limited to:
6        (1) a copy of a librarian's school year contract to be
7    a librarian at a participating school; and
8        (2) written verification by the principal or other
9    school personnel of the participating school that the
10    librarian was recently hired as defined under this
11    Section.
12    (i) Eligible librarians who complete the application
13process prescribed by the Board shall be accepted to
14participate in the program on an annual basis, subject to the
15continuation of the program, the provisions of subsection (m),
16and for good cause shown by the Board.
17    (j) A librarian who is accepted by the Board to
18participate in the program shall be allowed to continue as a
19participating librarian in the program on an annual basis for
20up to 5 consecutive school years the librarian remains
21employed under a school year contract as a librarian at the
22same school district continuously, regardless of whether the
23school remains a participating or qualifying public school,
24and subject to continuation of the program, the provisions of
25subsection (m), and for good cause shown by the Board.
26    (k) A participating librarian who is involuntarily

 

 

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1transferred to another school within the same participating or
2qualifying school district shall be eligible to continue
3participating in the program on the same terms and conditions
4as provided in subsection (j). A participating librarian who
5voluntarily transfers to another school is not eligible to
6continue participating in the program, effective immediately
7upon the transfer.
8    A participating librarian who receives an annual
9performance evaluation of "unsatisfactory", as provided in
10Sections 24A-5 and 34-85c, shall be permanently ineligible to
11participate in the program upon the conclusion of the school
12year in which the librarian received such rating.
13    A participating librarian who lawfully takes a leave of
14absence pursuant to any State or federal law retains
15eligibility to continue participating in the program if the
16librarian remains unemployed under a school year contract as a
17librarian at the same school continuously.
18    (l) By July 31 of each year, the Board shall notify the
19Department of Revenue of each participating librarian who has
20satisfied all terms and conditions of the program for the
21immediately preceding school year.
22    (m) The number of participating librarians in the program
23in any school year shall be limited to 1,000 participating
24librarians statewide. At the discretion of the Board,
25participation in the program may be determined according to
26the following order of priority:

 

 

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1        (1) Participating librarians shall be prioritized over
2    librarians not yet participating in the program.
3        (2) Among librarians participating in the program,
4    those with greater seniority in the program shall be
5    prioritized over those with less seniority.
6        (3) No new applications for the program shall be
7    accepted after December 31, 2034.
 
8    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
92024.