Delivered via email: May 8, 2026

This Week at the Capitol

The Illinois House and Senate were both in session this week. After a disconnected schedule with very few session weeks together this year, both chambers will meet every week until the scheduled adjournment on May 31. Both chambers also extended the deadlines for substantive bills to get out of committee until next week.

While legislators are still working on finalizing amendments for those substantive bills, this week marked a shift towards a focus on the budget. President Harmon and Speaker Welch made a joint announcement that they were consolidating the Governor’s proposed FY2027 budget into two bills, one in each chamber, to facilitate the work of the budget committees. IASB is particularly focused on two important budget issues: 1) Will the $50 million Property Tax Relief Grant contained in ISBE’s budget proposal, but not the Governor’s, be included this year after being paused last year; and 2) Whether the continued advocacy by education groups, including IASB, will result in Mandated Categoricals (MCATs) in line with ISBE’s recommendation of $151 million. The $151 million appropriation is needed to maintain FY2026 MCATs proration levels. While the Governor proposed $51 million for MCATs, that is not enough to prevent the continued downward slide in the MCAT proration level that has occurred over the past decade.    

Both the House and Senate will return next week on May 12.   

Notice to Remedy (SB2914) Passes Out of Committee

On May 6, SB2914 (Cappel, Moeller), passed out of the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee: Administration, Licensing & Charters with a vote of 7-2.  

The Large Unit District Association (LUDA) and IASB testified on behalf of school management groups, emphasizing that negotiations on this bill over the past year have led to multiple areas of compromise. However, the recent addition allowing binding arbitration to the Notice to Remedy process in Senate Amendment 1 (SA1) created significant problems for school districts. Student safety concerns were highlighted, noting that there are no accommodations for students in the arbitration process and that students can be subpoenaed to testify. Shifting the locally elected school board’s ability to notify employees of behavior expectations to an outside arbitrator, with no opportunity to appeal, critically impacts how school boards are able to address teacher misconduct.

Attorney Stephanie Jones testified at the hearing that the Notice to Remedy is a critical tool for school boards when they believe conduct is remediable. In those cases, school districts are statutorily required to notify teachers that their conduct is inappropriate and, if not corrected, will be considered irremediable and potentially dismissible. Jones emphasized that a Notice to Remedy is just that – a notice and is not a conclusion that a tenured teacher is being dismissed, it is not disciplinary, and there is no impact on a teacher's property interest related to employment (loss of job, income, etc.).  Suzanne Johnson, Superintendent of School District U-46 (Elgin), testified that arbitration will bring uncertainty to school districts, which will risk binding arbitration every time they issue a Notice to Remedy, exposing districts to unnecessary legal risk and cost.  

Call to Action: Despite the opposition, the sponsor indicated intent to move SB2914 on the House floor in its current form with the binding arbitration language. Now that it has passed out of committee, this bill can be called for a vote in the House at any time. IASB is encouraging members to contact your House representatives directly to express your concerns. For a full overview of school management’s concerns, read IASB’s written testimony.  

Upcoming Advocacy Ambassadors Meetings

Advocacy Ambassadors are finishing the 2025-2026 school year with the final two meetings in May and June. The next monthly Advocacy Ambassadors meeting is Friday, May 15, at noon. Our final meeting will take place on June 5, which will include an overview of the state budget, key bills that passed, and what to expect from Advocacy Ambassadors in the future. If you are not yet an Advocacy Ambassador, sign up on the IASB website. To register for the May webinar, visit the IASB Events Calendar. 

Federal Advocacy Conference

Face-to-face meetings in Washington, D.C. are the number one way to build strong relationships with federal legislators and their staff. We hope you’ll join IASB in Washington, D.C., September 21-23 for the Federal Advocacy Conference. The Association will arrange and facilitate meetings with your Representatives and Senators. IASB will also host an advocacy storytelling workshop with executive speaking coach Jennie Moreau to ensure that your opportunity to tell your district’s story is the best it can be. See you in Washington, D.C.!