Distributed via Email: January 22, 2010

GOVERNOR SIGNS EDUCATION BILLS

Governor Pat Quinn has signed several education bills into law. He acted quickly on the two bills approved by the legislature last week regarding "Race to the Top", and he finally acted on a couple of bills that were approved last October in the Veto Session.

SB 315 (Lightford, D-Maywood) creates the "Performance Evaluation Reform Act of 2010" to require that teacher and principal evaluations use student growth as part of the evaluation criteria. A complete analysis of SB 315 can be found on the IASB webpage here. The bill is now Public Act 96-0861, effective January 15, 2010.

SB 616 (Meeks, D-Chicago) expands the types of entities that may provide alternative teacher certification programs. It allows alternative teacher certification programs to be provided by "various types of qualified providers, including both institutions of higher education and other providers operating independently". Further, it allows the ISBE, in "cooperation with one or more not-for-profit organizations" which "support excellence in teaching" to approve courses of study for alternative certification. The bill is now Public Act 96-0862, effective January 15, 2010.

SB 1371 (Crotty, D-Oak Forest) makes clarifications to the law that requires school districts and other entities to have access to Automated External Defibrillators (AED) at all outdoor physical fitness facilities. It more clearly states that school districts only must provide the AED and trained AED user at outside athletic facilities if the activity is directly supervised by an employee (not maintenance or security personnel) of the school district and specifically exempts any activity or program that is organized by a private or not-for-profit organization and supervised by a person who is not employed by the school district. The bill is now Public Act 96-0873, effective January 21, 2010.

HB 806 (Fortner, R-West Chicago), based upon an assessment of a child's readiness, allows children 5 years of age due to be 6 years by December 31, who have attended a state-certified, private preschool through kindergarten, to be enrolled in the first grade. It also allows the Department of Human Services to operate a "Gateways to Opportunity" program, a comprehensive professional development system the goal of which is to support a diverse, stable, and quality workforce for settings serving children and youth. The bill is now Public Act 96-0864, effective July 1, 2009.

Lawmakers are not scheduled to return to the Capitol until after the February 2 Primary Election. The House of Representatives returns on Wednesday, February 3. The Senate reconvenes on Monday, February 8. Both chambers then are scheduled to work steadily through the spring and are targeting a May 7 adjournment deadline.

This legislative report is written and edited by the lobbyists of the Illinois Association of School Boards to provide information to the members of the organizations that comprise the Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance.

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