2026 End of Session Report 

July 2026

The 2026 End of Session Report provides highlights of the 2026 Spring Session of the Illinois General Assembly. A comprehensive summary of bills impacting K-12 public education will be published in the upcoming New School Laws publication.

The 2026 End of Session Report notes significant bills the IASB Governmental Relations team engaged with during session, including those that passed both chambers, and those that did not advance but remain under consideration. Some of these bills may return in future sessions, often with revised language or renewed advocacy. Awareness of these developing issues is critical, as many will continue to shape education policy in years to come.    

The goal is to provide members with an overview of the scope of work done on their behalf and encourage continued engagement in IASB’s advocacy efforts.

Upcoming IASB Publication 

New School Laws – September 2026 
IASB will publish New School Laws, a comprehensive summary of all legislation affecting K-12 public education that passed both chambers and has been signed by the Governor. This publication provides a thorough list of bills signed into law and will also note any measure vetoed by the Governor. An addendum to New School Laws will be published in January 2027 if additional measures that impact K-12 education are passed during veto session or any special session that may be called. Additionally, if the Governor vetoes any bills which are then overridden by the General Assembly during veto session, those bills will also be included in the addendum.

Quick Links
Session Overview
End of Session Omnibus Bills
Bills That Passed Both Chambers
Bills That Did Not Pass Both Chambers

Session Overview

In the second year of the 104th General Assembly, the Illinois legislature passed a total of 395 bills, 229 bills by the House and 166 by the Senate. Over 70 of those bills impact K-12 public education. Throughout the legislative process, the IASB Governmental Relations team engaged in reading, analyzing, drafting amendments, testifying, negotiating, and collaborating with stakeholders to influence the outcomes of the bills that impact K-12 education. 

On the final day of session, the Illinois General Assembly passed a $55.9 billion Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget; the Budget Implementation Plan (BIMP), which makes statutory changes necessary to ensure the approved appropriations can be properly spent; and an omnibus revenue bill which includes revenue enhancements for FY27. Additionally, other important bills passed, including a state bond authorization bill for capital projects and the Children’s Online Social Media Safety Act. 

Several key bills failed to pass prior to adjournment. Efforts that stalled this session include comprehensive reform of the Tier 2 pension system; the megaprojects legislation that would have provided a framework for the Chicago Bears to build an athletic stadium; the elections/ethics omnibus bill; and the OMA/FOIA omnibus bill. Given the importance of these issues to the state, renewed efforts may occur during veto session. Veto session is scheduled for two weeks this fall: November 17-19 and December 1-3. Additionally, a special session may be called, particularly if there is agreement on a legislative solution for the Chicago Bears to build a stadium in Illinois. 

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End of Session Omnibus Bills 

FY27 State Budget (HB111)

The Illinois General Assembly passed a $55.9 billion budget bill (HB111) for fiscal year 2027 (FY27), which closely aligns with anticipated revenue. For K-12 education, the FY27 budget includes:

• Evidence-Based Funding (EBF): The full $350 million in new EBF was included, bringing total EBF to $9.2 billion. In doing so, the Property Tax Relief Grant (PTRG) was restored. In the FY26 budget, the EBF allocation was only $307 million, falling $43 million short of the statutorily required $350 million annual increase, which was achieved by cutting the PTRG. One important change to this grant program is that school districts receiving the PTRG will be required to abate taxes for three consecutive years (currently the requirement is two years).
• Mandated Categoricals (MCATs): MCATs were increased beyond FY26 amounts by $68 million. Specifically, increases were made to the following MCATs:
  • Regular Transportation – $10 million
  • Special Education Transportation – $20 million
  • Special Education Private and Public Facilities – $20 million
  • Free and Reduced Lunch – $17 million
  • Orphanage Tuition – $1 million

While the above increases are still less than the amount needed to keep MCAT proration levels flat at FY26 levels for Special Education Transportation, Regular Ed Transportation, and Special Education Private and Public Facilities, the commitment to increase MCATs is important in this tight state budget year.

• Teacher Vacancy Grant: This grant was originally intended as a three-year pilot program which was set to expire after FY26. However, due to its success, $15 million was allocated to allow it to continue for a fourth year in FY27.

FY27 Budget Implementation Plan (HB2949)

Another significant piece of legislation that passed is the Budget Implementation Plan (BIMP), a companion bill to the budget, that makes changes to statutes and policies to allow allocated funds to be spent. For K-12 education, new programs and initiatives in the BIMP include:

• Downstate Transportation: Two new downstate transportation initiatives passed that could benefit school districts:
  • Downstate Reduced Fare Grant Program (DRF): $20 million was appropriated for this program. Under the program, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) may award grants to eligible applicants to support reduced fare programs for students enrolled in public schools or other career or technical education centers administered by ISBE.
  • Downstate Cooperative Transportation Grant Program (DCT): $15 million was appropriated for this program. Under this program, IDOT may award grants to establish and fund cooperative transportation programs in partnership with public school districts, regional offices of education, public career centers, or other educational centers administered by ISBE.
• ISBE Transportation Study: ISBE is required to conduct a study on best funding practices for regular, vocational, and special education transportation. The study must also consider any potential impacts of incorporating transportation reimbursements into EBF.

Revenue Package (SB3019) 

To fund the FY27 budget, the legislature passed a revenue package to raise a number of revenue streams, which are projected to bring in over $800 million in new funds. The key revenue enhancements and anticipated revenue include:

• Social Media Platform Fee – $200 million
• Tax change lowering the cap on corporate net operating loss deductions – $300 million
• Tax on Digital Assets (cryptocurrency) and Fantasy Sports – $65 million

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Bills That Passed Both Chambers

Throughout the 2026 legislative session, hundreds of bills that impact K-12 public education were filed. Below are highlights of key education bills that passed both chambers.

Bills IASB Supported That Passed Both Chambers

IASB actively supported the bills listed below in committee hearings. The bills passed both the House and Senate and will be sent to the Governor for his signature. 

SB2773 (Cappel/Manley) – Paraprofessional Licensure: Allows ISBE to issue a paraprofessional educator license to an individual whose short-term license has expired provided certain conditions are met, including that the individual has been employed as a paraprofessional each year during the short-term approval and the district determines the individual has certain competencies. 

SB3272 (Cunningham/Hoffman) – Renewable Energy: Reduces barriers for school districts to complete solar energy projects. For renewable generation projects on public school lands, it sets interconnection timelines with the electric distribution company and timelines for the school district to receive metering credits or other credits owed to the district.

HB2564 (Vella/Halpin) – 6% TRS Penalty Exemptions: In the provision requiring additional employer contributions to TRS for salary increases greater than 6%, excludes salary increases resulting from overload work, including summer school, from the assessment of those employer contributions. 

HB4375 (Hoffman/Belt) – Interfund Transfers: Extends the ability to make interfund transfers under Section 17-2A of the School Code through June 20, 2029 (currently expires on June 30, 2026). Provided certain conditions are met, Section 17-2A of the School Code allows for interfund transfers from the Tort Immunity Fund to the Operations and Maintenance Fund and between the Education Fund, the Operations and Maintenance Fund, and the Transportation Fund.

HB4535 (Hirschauer/Villivalam) – Election E-Learning Days: Allows districts to use additional e-learning days, that do not count against the number of e-learning days currently allowable by law, when the school is selected as a polling place.  

HB4534 (Mussman/Collins) – Faith’s Law Trailer Bill: Amends various portions of the School Code related to Faith’s Law, including:

• Requiring that the district establish and post on its website guidelines for employees regarding how to maintain a professional relationship with students. 
• Limiting the employment history review to situations where the applicant has had direct contact with children or students. Allowing the Regional Office of Education or Intermediate Service Center to complete the employment history review for substitute teachers, and upon request, to share the documentation with specified school districts. 
• New language related to grooming in the DCFS definition of “abused child.”

Bills IASB Opposed That Passed Both Chambers

IASB and other school management groups actively opposed the bill listed below. Despite the opposition, this bill passed both the House and Senate.

SB2914 (Cappel/Moeller) – Notice to Remedy: As it relates to the board’s issuance of a notice of a notice to remedy, requires that: 1) The written warning specify the nature of the misconduct that needs to be remedied; 2) The teacher be allowed to respond to the findings in the written warning either in writing or before the board, prior to the board’s vote; and 3) Allows the teacher, within 10 days after receipt of the board’s decision, to file for binding arbitration on the notice to remedy. 

Bills IASB Worked to Amend That Passed Both Chambers

The bills listed below were negotiated by IASB and other management groups and amended in an effort to better align with member needs and remove opposition. These bills passed both the House and the Senate.

Safety

HB3275 (Faver Dias/Johnson) – Cardiac Emergency Response Drills: Requires all paid school head coaches or chief sponsors of an activity to obtain training in CPR, first aid, and the use of an AED every two years. Amends the School Safety Drill Act by requiring the district to conduct an annual cardiac response drill to practice the steps established in its cardiac emergency response plans and adds immunity from liability language for school districts. 

HB5107 (Syed/Hastings) – Mobile Panic Alert System: By the 2028-2029 school year, requires school districts to consider the use of a mobile panic alert system in the development of their school emergency and crisis response management plans. Systems that meet certain specifications shall be known as “Alyssa’s Alert.” The bill requires the Illinois State Police to develop rules by March 1, 2027, for a mobile panic alert system to qualify as an Alyssa’s Alert. 

SB3051 (Morrison/Katz Muhl) – Undesignated Glucagon: Authorizes school districts to maintain a supply of undesignated glucagon and allows a school district to authorize a school nurse or trained personnel (who must complete specified training requirements annually), to provide undesignated glucagon to a student who meets the student’s prescriber’s order, IEP, Section 504 plan, Individual Health Care Action Plan, or other written accommodations plan on file. The bill specifies the notification required to the student’s parent or guardian and to ISBE when undesignated glucagon is provided to a student.

HB4247 (Mayfield/Johnson) – Undesignated Asthma Medication: Expands the definition of “trained personnel” who may administer undesignated asthma medication to include coaches and athletic trainers and expands where the asthma medication may be stored to include a practice field or gym.

Students

HB3772 (Davis/Lightford) – K-2 Student Discipline: An initiative of ISBE, makes the following changes to discipline of students:

• Suspensions and Expulsions: In students in kindergarten through second grade: 1) Prohibits expulsions unless otherwise required by federal law; and 2) For suspensions of longer than three days, requires that the superintendent provide verbal or written approval of the suspension and the length of the suspension not be for longer than the number of days required by the school district to review, amend, develop, or implement a behavior intervention plan or safety plan.
• ALOP: Expands alternative learning opportunities programs (ALOPs) to kindergarten through grade 12 (currently grade 4 through 12). Limits the placement of students in ALOPs in kindergarten through grade 2 to 90 days. 

SB2427 (Castro/Mussman) – Wireless Communication Device Policy: On or before the 2027-2028 school year, requires school districts to adopt a wireless communication device policy that prohibits students from using wireless communication devices during school hours, except as otherwise provided. 

Districts must allow students to use wireless communication devices:

• As prescribed by certain medical professionals, 
• To fulfill an IEP or 504 Plan,
• If school personnel determine it is necessary for English Language learners,
• If school personnel determine it is necessary for a student caregiver, or 
• As otherwise required by state or federal law. 

Districts may allow for use of wireless communication devices:

• For high schoolers only during a student’s lunch and passing periods,
• If school personnel have authorized its use for educational purposes, or
• In the event of an emergency as detailed in at least one of the school districts’ emergency and crisis response plans, protocols, or procedures.

Other provisions of the bill:

• The development of the policy shall include input from the collective bargaining unit representing teachers, administrators, and parents or guardians.
• The policy may not be enforced through fees, fines, suspensions, expulsions, or deployment of the school resource officer or local law enforcement.
• Requires the school district to post and notify school personnel, students, and parents or guardians of the policy.
• ISBE must post a template for a model wireless communication device policy on its website by September 1, 2026.
• Allows a district to keep an existing policy in place through the 2030-31 school year if certain conditions are met.

SB3774 (Belt/Avelar) – Administrative Withdrawal for Nonattendance: Prior to administratively withdrawing a student for nonattendance, school districts must make at least three documented attempts to notify the parent.

SB3533 (Johnson/Mussman) – Twice-Exceptional Students: Codifies best practices for addressing the educational and related needs of twice-exceptional students. Provides that a school board may adopt a policy to allow for the development of a written education plan for twice-exceptional students.

SB3361 (Simmons/Olickal) – Religious Hairstyles: Expands the types of hairstyles that school districts may not prohibit to include religious hairstyles, hair-related religious practices, or facial hair worn in accordance with a student’s or employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs, observance, or practice. (Currently districts may not prohibit hairstyles historically associated with race, ethnicity, or hair texture.)

Employment and Personnel Issues

HB4862 (Yang Rohr/Villivalam) – Employee Mental Health: By January 1, 2028, school boards must develop a procedure that, at a minimum, incorporates specific elements, including a commitment to support employee mental health in the workplace, opportunities for staff to provide feedback on employee mental health, an annual communication to school district personnel on available mental health resources and supports, and opportunities for the school board to receive information regarding employee mental health initiatives and programs.

HB5321 (Stuart/Cappel) – Teacher Continuing Education Courses: Specifies the coursework that school districts may recognize for purposes of salary advancement for licensed classroom teachers, including that it be a graduate-level, degree-eligible credit offered through a regionally accredited institution of higher education and that it include an instructor of record. Allows implementation to be determined by each school district. 

SB2909 (Belt/Canty) – AI in Teacher Evaluations: Prohibits evaluators from using AI to assign a numerical score or qualitative rating for a teacher’s evaluation or any evaluation task that requires professional judgment. Prohibits teachers from using AI to generate evidence of professional practice that will be used by the evaluator. Allows teachers and evaluators to use an AI tool to support administrative tasks. Requires the joint committee to determine how AI tools will be used and requires evaluators and teachers to disclose the name and purpose of AI tools used in the evaluation process. 

SB2918 (Preston/West II) – Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee: Requires that teachers be selected for the Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee in cooperation with the exclusive bargaining representative. Expands the Committee’s review to include the impact of student behavior on students and school personnel. Specifies that the guideline that the Committee is charged with developing for reciprocal reporting systems includes reporting on attacks on school personnel.

Finance and Operations

HB4379 (Briel/Collins) – Adult Changing Stations: Requires that public buildings, constructed on or after January 1, 2029, install and maintain a minimum of one adult changing station in the building. The definition of public building includes places of education, not including athletic stadiums, designed to educate 1,500 students or more during a semester. Specifies other requirements for the adult changing station, including signage, safety features, and other required equipment for the space. 

Other Bills of Interest That Passed Both Chambers

IASB tracked numerous other bills that may be of interest to local school board members due to their potential impact on district operations or governance:

HB4339 (Du Buclet/Peters) – High School Voter Registration: Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, school districts shall provide all eligible students graduating from high school with the opportunity to register to vote.

SB3070 (Preston/Davis) – CTE Alternative to two-year Foreign Language Requirement: For the two-year foreign language requirement that goes into effect for students entering the 9th grade beginning with the 2028-2029 school year, allows for at least two years of coursework that has been authorized by ISBE as meeting the requirements for an approved career and technical education (CTE) course to satisfy the two-year foreign language requirement. 

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Bills That Did Not Pass Both Chambers

While the IASB Governmental Relations Team expended a significant amount of time on the above bills that ultimately passed both chambers, the team also spends a great deal of time on bills each session that fail to pass before adjournment. Below are bills that did not move forward this session. However, it is not uncommon for these ideas and initiatives to be reintroduced in veto session or in future legislative sessions.

Curricular Mandates

No new curricular mandates passed this session, despite a number being introduced, including: cursive instruction for grades 3-5 (SB2676); one-year of computer science as a graduation requirement (HB4411); Latinx/Latine unit of study (HB4139, HB4372, SB2270, SB3031, and SB3327); Italian American unit of study (HB4143); civic engagement education (HB5289); water safety (HB4927); SEL instruction (HB4855); Illinois Military History (HB4971); parenting education (HB4997); disability history and awareness (HB5398); etiquette education (SB2832); active-transportation safety (SB2966); instruction on gambling disorders (SB3718); and substance abuse education for student athletes (SB3885). 

IASB appreciates the work done by the members of the Mandate Reduction Council, which was created by Public Act 104-0391, to evaluate and reduce all mandates, including curricular mandates, as well as key legislators working to pause new mandates while the Council completes its review.  

Two-Year Foreign Language Requirement

HB4795 (Lightford/Ammons) – This bill would have eliminated the two-year foreign language requirement that would otherwise go into effect for students entering the 9th grade in the 2028-2029 school year. The bill passed the Senate, but not the House. However, the House sponsor has indicated her intent to have a holistic discussion about this curricular requirement in the summer and fall.

Unfunded Mandates

The following bills would have imposed significant costs on school districts. 

HB4416 (Evans) and SB3286 (Villivalam) – Unemployment Insurance for ESPs: An initiative of a coalition of unions, this bill would make educational support personnel (ESPs) eligible for unemployment benefits during the summer break and other scheduled breaks. 

SB2728 (Preston) and SB2948 (Hastings) – Mobile Panic Alert Systems: HB5107 (Syed/Hastings), discussed above, passed both chambers and requires school districts to consider the use of mobile panic alert systems. These two bills, as introduced, would have mandated that school districts implement a mobile panic alert system in each school capable of connecting diverse emergency services technologies to first responder agencies. 

SB2900 (Joyce) – Biodiesel Fuel: Provide that school districts would have to use a biodiesel blend that contains 19%, as defined in the Illinois Renewable Fuels Development Program Act, for any diesel-powered vehicle it owns, including school buses. 

SB2438 (Ellman) – Radon Testing and Mitigation: By January 1, 2029, would require that school buildings be tested and retested every five years thereafter, for radon. If radon levels are above a certain threshold, would require the school district to mitigate the affected schools within two years. 

Federal 504 Plans 

While neither of these bills passed this session, IASB is working with the Illinois Council of School Attorneys (ICSA) to update ICSA’s sample Section 504 procedures to address some of the issues raised by the advocates.

HB5488 (Faver Dias) – Section 504 Due Process Hearings: Would set forth new requirements for federal Section 504 due process hearings, including impartiality and qualification requirements for hearing officers, new timelines for the district to appoint the hearing officer and for the hearing officer to issue a written decision, procedures for determining conflicts of interest of the hearing officer, requiring the district to provide interpretation services for the parent or student, and that the district make an informal dispute resolution process available. 

HB4068 (Crawford/Cappel) – Timelines for Section 504 Accommodations: Would set forth timelines for a school district to evaluate a Section 504 request, meet with the parent, and provide written notice to the parent or guardian explaining the rationale for the determination. For students with documentation from a health care provider indicating the need to address a significant health condition, sets timelines for the creation of an individualized health care plan.

Charter Schools

SB4040 (Castro) – State-Authorized Charter Schools Transfer to Local Districts: An initiative of ISBE, would create a local charter authorization pilot program for the return of some state-authorized charter schools to the local school boards by July 1, 2027.

SB3391 (Villanueva) – Charter Schools Closure Security: Would require charter operators to maintain sufficient finances to secure closure obligations. The closure security would have to equal three months of the charter school’s average operating expenditures. Failure to maintain sufficient closure security could require a remediation plan and be grounds for suspension of the charter’s enrollment growth or be considered in a charter renewal determination. 

AI, Student Privacy and Parental Technology Opt-Outs

Numerous bills were filed in both the House and the Senate related to artificial intelligence, data centers, social media, and technology. 

SB3735 (Martwick) was initially introduced and addressed numerous issues related to K-12 education and would have:

• Created the Student Educational Technologies Rights Act which would allow a student or parent to opt out of school-issued personal electronic devices, request a human teacher review grades generated by AI, and require the district to provide the student with a comparable analog version of assignments. 
• Prohibited school districts from purchasing or otherwise acquiring biometric systems to use on students.
• Amended the Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA) to prohibit an operator from selling or renting any person’s information collected by the operator for K-12 purposes. 

Although SB3735 was discussed as part of a subject matter hearing, it was never called for a vote in committee. However, two other bills were later filed, both of which passed out of the Senate but stalled in the House.

• SB415 (Villa/González Jr.) – Biometric Information: Would require that by the 2027-2028 school year, a school district ensure that student biometric information only be used for legitimate instructional purposes, as determined by the school district. 
• SB416 (Martwick/West II) – AI for Grading and Student Work: Would require school districts adopt a policy by the 2027-2028 school year which would: 1) Prohibit teachers from using an AI tool to assign a numerical score or grade for any task that requires professional judgment; and 2) Require that any AI model used in relation to student work be approved by the school district. 

Other Proposed Bills of Interest 

HB5417 (Mussman) and SB3504 (Porfirio) – Food Service Contracts: Would put requirements in place for school food service contracts that are not part of the National School Lunch (NSL) program, including the duration of the contract and renewals, and require a termination clause. Would require all competitive bids for food service contracts to be subject to standardized evaluation criteria created by ISBE for scoring. The bill specifies what the scoring criteria must include. 

HB4666 (Mussman) – School Board Member Training and School Tours: Would require school board members to complete, within the first year of each election: 1) The four-hour professional development and leadership training (currently only required after the initial election), and 2) Tours of any affiliated education buildings that a student may attend while in the district. 

HB4613 (West II) – Ballot Readability: Would require ballot measures be written in plain language and include a ballot measure summary that describes the primary purpose of the ballot measure and the material legal effect of the ballot measure if approved or rejected. Would allow any registered voter to challenge a ballot measure for noncompliance. 

HB5507 (Harper) – Food Reform to Ensure Student Health Act: Would require school districts to begin to phase out restricted school food and ultraprocessed food of concern by July 1, 2029. Beginning July 1, 2032, a vendor, contractor, or food service management company would not be able to offer restricted school food or ultraprocessed food of concern to school districts.

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School Board Member Advocacy

IASB appreciates the engagement of its school board members this session in filing witness slips, contacting legislators, participating in the Advocacy Ambassadors Program, and attending the IASB State Advocacy Day. The advocacy of our school board members is critical in ensuring that legislators understand the full scope and impact of legislative initiatives on school districts and the students they serve.