95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
SB2500

 

Introduced 2/15/2008, by Sen. Deanna Demuzio

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/2-3.53b new
105 ILCS 5/10-20.20   from Ch. 122, par. 10-20.20

    Amends the School Code. Provides that any individual, with exceptions, 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 a new superintendent mentoring program, established by the State Board of Education, for the duration of his or her first 2 school years as a superintendent. Contains provisions concerning program requirements, who may apply to be a mentor, mentoring training, assignment of a mentor by a provider selected by the State Board, identification of areas for improvement, a survey of progress, an annual report to the State Board, and a verification form. Provides that mentors of certified staff are protected from suit. Effective immediately.


LRB095 16782 NHT 42819 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB2500 LRB095 16782 NHT 42819 b

1     AN ACT concerning education.
 
2     WHEREAS, The new superintendent mentoring program is
3 intended to exist as a statewide program in which a statewide
4 organization, selected by the State Board of Education, offers
5 mentoring programs aligned with standards and criteria of the
6 new superintendent mentoring program; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Mentors must complete mentoring training offered
8 by the provider selected by the State Board of Education and
9 work with the new superintendents to identify areas for
10 professional growth that will assist the superintendent when
11 making Illinois Administrators' Academy and professional
12 development choices, allowing the new superintendents, with
13 the approval of their mentors, to select any appropriate
14 Illinois Administrators' Academy courses even though it might
15 be a duplication of an Illinois Professional School Leader
16 Standard; therefore
 
17     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
18 represented in the General Assembly:
 
19     Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
20 2-3.53b and by changing Section 10-20.20 as follows:
 
21     (105 ILCS 5/2-3.53b new)

 

 

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1     Sec. 2-3.53b. New superintendent mentoring program.
2     (a) Beginning on July 1, 2008 and subject to an annual
3 appropriation by the General Assembly, to establish a new
4 superintendent mentoring program for new superintendents. Any
5 individual who begins serving as a superintendent in this State
6 on or after July 1, 2008 and has not previously served as a
7 school district superintendent in this State shall participate
8 in the new superintendent mentoring program for the duration of
9 his or her first 2 school years as a superintendent and must
10 complete the program in accordance with the requirements
11 established by the State Board of Education by rule. The new
12 superintendent mentoring program shall match an experienced
13 superintendent who meets the requirements of subsection (b) of
14 this Section with each new superintendent in his or her first 2
15 school years in that position in order to assist the new
16 superintendent in the development of his or her professional
17 growth and to provide guidance during the new superintendent's
18 first 2 school years of service.
19     (b) Any individual who has actively served as a school
20 district superintendent in this State for 3 or more years and
21 who has demonstrated success as an instructional leader, as
22 determined by the State Board of Education by rule, is eligible
23 to apply to be a mentor under the new superintendent mentoring
24 program. Mentors shall complete mentoring training through a
25 provider selected by the State Board of Education and shall
26 meet any other requirements set forth by the State Board and by

 

 

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1 the school district employing the mentor.
2     (c) Under the new superintendent mentoring program, a
3 provider selected by the State Board of Education shall assign
4 a mentor to a new superintendent based on (i) similarity of
5 grade level or type of school district, (ii) learning needs of
6 the new superintendent, and (iii) geographical proximity of the
7 mentor to the new superintendent. The new superintendent, in
8 collaboration with the mentor, shall identify areas for
9 improvement of the new superintendent's professional growth,
10 including, but not limited to, each of the following:
11         (1) Analyzing data and applying it to practice.
12         (2) Aligning professional development and
13     instructional programs.
14         (3) Building a professional learning community.
15         (4) Effective school board relations.
16         (5) Facilitating effective meetings.
17         (6) Developing distributive leadership practices.
18         (7) Facilitating organizational change.
19     The mentor must not be required to provide an evaluation of
20 the new superintendent on the basis of the mentoring
21 relationship.
22     (d) From January 1, 2009 until May 15, 2009 and from
23 January 1 until May 15 each year thereafter, each mentor and
24 each new superintendent shall complete a survey of progress of
25 the new superintendent on a form developed by the school
26 district. On or before September 1, 2009 and on or before

 

 

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1 September 1 of each year thereafter, the provider selected by
2 the State Board of Education shall submit a detailed annual
3 report to the State Board of how the appropriation for the new
4 superintendent mentoring program was spent, details on each
5 mentor-mentee relationship, and a qualitative evaluation of
6 the outcomes. The provider shall develop a verification form
7 that each new superintendent and his or her mentor must
8 complete and submit to the provider to certify completion of
9 each year of the new superintendent mentoring program by July
10 15 immediately following the school year just completed.
11     (e) The requirements of this Section do not apply to any
12 individual who has previously served as an assistant
13 superintendent in a school district in this State acting under
14 an administrative certificate for 5 or more years and who, on
15 or after July 1, 2008, begins serving as a superintendent in
16 the school district where he or she had served as an assistant
17 superintendent immediately prior to being named
18 superintendent, although such an individual may choose to
19 participate in the new superintendent mentoring program or may
20 be required to participate by the school district. The
21 requirements of this Section do not apply to any superintendent
22 or chief executive officer of a school district organized under
23 Article 34 of this Code.
24     (f) The State Board may adopt any rules that are necessary
25 for the implementation of this Section.
 

 

 

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1     (105 ILCS 5/10-20.20)  (from Ch. 122, par. 10-20.20)
2     Sec. 10-20.20. Protection from suit.) To indemnify and
3 protect school districts, members of school boards, employees,
4 volunteer personnel authorized in Sections 10-22.34, 10-22.34a
5 and 10-22.34b of this Code, mentors of certified staff as
6 authorized in Article 21A and Sections 2-3.53a, 2-3.53b, and
7 34-18.33 of this Code, and student teachers against civil
8 rights damage claims and suits, constitutional rights damage
9 claims and suits and death and bodily injury and property
10 damage claims and suits, including defense thereof, when
11 damages are sought for negligent or wrongful acts alleged to
12 have been committed in the scope of employment or under the
13 direction of the board or related to any mentoring services
14 provided to certified staff of the school district. Such
15 indemnification and protection shall extend to persons who were
16 members of school boards, employees of school boards,
17 authorized volunteer personnel, mentors of certified staff, or
18 student teachers at the time of the incident from which a claim
19 arises. No agent may be afforded indemnification or protection
20 unless he was a member of a school board, an employee of a
21 board, an authorized volunteer, a mentor of certified staff, or
22 a student teacher at the time of the incident from which the
23 claim arises.
24 (Source: P.A. 79-210.)
 
25     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
26 becoming law.