Full Text of SB3690 103rd General Assembly
SB3690 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | 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. |
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| | A BILL FOR |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning education. | 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | 3 | | represented in the General Assembly: | 4 | | Section 5. The Illinois Income Tax Act is amended by | 5 | | adding Section 241 as follows: | 6 | | (35 ILCS 5/241 new) | 7 | | Sec. 241. Tax credit for librarian recruitment and | 8 | | retention. For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, | 9 | | 2024, an individual designated as a participating librarian by | 10 | | the State Board of Education to the Department under | 11 | | subsection (l) of Section 2-3.204 of the School Code is | 12 | | entitled to a tax credit against the tax imposed by | 13 | | subsections (a) and (b) of Section 201 equal to $3,000. If the | 14 | | total amount of the tax credit provided exceeds the taxpayer's | 15 | | income tax liability for a taxable year, such excess amount | 16 | | shall 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 | 19 | | 2-3.204 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 | 3 | | that has been selected by the Board to participate in the | 4 | | program. | 5 | | "Participating school district" means a public school | 6 | | district that has been selected by the Board to participate in | 7 | | the program. | 8 | | "Participating librarian" means an eligible librarian | 9 | | participating in the program who holds a Professional Educator | 10 | | License under Section 21B-20. | 11 | | "Institution of higher education" means a public | 12 | | institution of higher education or private institution of | 13 | | higher education, as those terms are defined in Section 1 of | 14 | | the Board of Higher Education Act. | 15 | | "Program" means the librarian recruitment and retention | 16 | | program established in this Section. | 17 | | "Qualifying public school" means a public school that is | 18 | | located in a rural area in the State or a school that has | 19 | | performed in the lowest 5% of schools in the State as | 20 | | identified in accordance with the statewide accountability | 21 | | system established in the State plan under the federal Every | 22 | | Student Succeeds Act. | 23 | | "Recently hired" means a licensed librarian, whether a new | 24 | | or experienced librarian, who has accepted the librarian's | 25 | | first school year contract to be a librarian at a qualifying | 26 | | public school for the 2024-2025 school year, the current |
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| 1 | | school year, or for the immediately upcoming school year. | 2 | | "Rural area" means an area that is more than 5 miles from | 3 | | the nearest urbanized area and more than 2.5 miles from the | 4 | | nearest urban cluster. | 5 | | "School year contract" means a contract of full-time | 6 | | employment between a librarian and a local board of education | 7 | | covering a full school year. A contract of employment for a | 8 | | portion of a school year shall not be counted as a school year | 9 | | contract, nor shall contracts of employment for portions of a | 10 | | school year be cumulated and treated as a school year | 11 | | contract. A school year contract is deemed included within a | 12 | | contract of full-time employment between a librarian and a | 13 | | local board of education covering a full calendar or fiscal | 14 | | year. | 15 | | "Urban cluster" and "urbanized area" have the meanings | 16 | | given to those terms in the Standards for Defining | 17 | | Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas, 65 FR 82227. | 18 | | (b) The Board shall establish a librarian recruitment and | 19 | | retention program. The purpose of the program shall be to | 20 | | encourage both new and experienced librarians to seek | 21 | | employment with qualifying public schools by providing for a | 22 | | refundable income tax credit, as provided under Section 241 of | 23 | | the Illinois Income Tax Act, to each participating librarian | 24 | | in the amount of $3,000 per school year for no more than 5 | 25 | | consecutive school years, subject to conditions provided for | 26 | | under this Section. The Board may adopt rules as necessary to |
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| 1 | | implement and administer the program. | 2 | | (c) By October 1 of each year, the Board shall determine | 3 | | which public schools in the State are qualifying public | 4 | | schools and shall publish a list of all qualifying public | 5 | | schools on the Board's website. For the purposes of the | 6 | | program, a school that has been designated as a qualifying | 7 | | public school shall be eligible for selection as a | 8 | | participating school for the current school year and for at | 9 | | least the immediately upcoming school year. The Board shall | 10 | | develop criteria for the selection of no more than 100 | 11 | | participating school districts and shall publish the selection | 12 | | criteria simultaneously with the publication of the list of | 13 | | qualifying school districts on the Board's website. | 14 | | By December 1 of each year, the Board shall select no more | 15 | | than 100 participating school districts and shall publish a | 16 | | list of all participating school districts on the Board's | 17 | | website. A school district that has been designated as a | 18 | | participating school district shall be eligible to participate | 19 | | in the program for the current school year and for at least the | 20 | | immediately upcoming school year. The Board shall determine | 21 | | the total number of participating librarians authorized for | 22 | | each participating school district. | 23 | | (d) The Board shall solicit applications from librarians | 24 | | who meet the eligibility criteria provided for in subsections | 25 | | (g), (h), and (i) and may share with participating school | 26 | | districts such applications and related materials submitted by |
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| 1 | | librarians. | 2 | | (e) The Board may provide guidance and technical | 3 | | assistance to librarians, participating schools, and school | 4 | | districts with participating schools in the program. | 5 | | (f) The Board shall establish program objectives and shall | 6 | | annually measure and evaluate the program. Beginning with the | 7 | | 2024-2025 school year, and by December 1 of each year, the | 8 | | Board shall file with the Governor and the General Assembly a | 9 | | report covering the immediately preceding school year that | 10 | | includes, 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 | 17 | | shall: | 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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| 1 | | in subsection (g) and who wish to participate in the program | 2 | | shall submit to the Board a completed application to | 3 | | participate in the program, on a form and in a manner | 4 | | prescribed by the Board. Each application shall include, but | 5 | | is 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 | 13 | | process prescribed by the Board shall be accepted to | 14 | | participate in the program on an annual basis, subject to the | 15 | | continuation of the program, the provisions of subsection (m), | 16 | | and for good cause shown by the Board. | 17 | | (j) A librarian who is accepted by the Board to | 18 | | participate in the program shall be allowed to continue as a | 19 | | participating librarian in the program on an annual basis for | 20 | | up to 5 consecutive school years the librarian remains | 21 | | employed under a school year contract as a librarian at the | 22 | | same school district continuously, regardless of whether the | 23 | | school remains a participating or qualifying public school, | 24 | | and subject to continuation of the program, the provisions of | 25 | | subsection (m), and for good cause shown by the Board. | 26 | | (k) A participating librarian who is involuntarily |
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| 1 | | transferred to another school within the same participating or | 2 | | qualifying school district shall be eligible to continue | 3 | | participating in the program on the same terms and conditions | 4 | | as provided in subsection (j). A participating librarian who | 5 | | voluntarily transfers to another school is not eligible to | 6 | | continue participating in the program, effective immediately | 7 | | upon the transfer. | 8 | | A participating librarian who receives an annual | 9 | | performance evaluation of "unsatisfactory", as provided in | 10 | | Sections 24A-5 and 34-85c, shall be permanently ineligible to | 11 | | participate in the program upon the conclusion of the school | 12 | | year in which the librarian received such rating. | 13 | | A participating librarian who lawfully takes a leave of | 14 | | absence pursuant to any State or federal law retains | 15 | | eligibility to continue participating in the program if the | 16 | | librarian remains unemployed under a school year contract as a | 17 | | librarian at the same school continuously. | 18 | | (l) By July 31 of each year, the Board shall notify the | 19 | | Department of Revenue of each participating librarian who has | 20 | | satisfied all terms and conditions of the program for the | 21 | | immediately preceding school year. | 22 | | (m) The number of participating librarians in the program | 23 | | in any school year shall be limited to 1,000 participating | 24 | | librarians statewide. At the discretion of the Board, | 25 | | participation in the program may be determined according to | 26 | | the 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, | 9 | | 2024. |
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