Happy Friday!
Amidst the gray clouds that have blanketed our skies this week, there has been a whirlwind of activity echoing through the halls of the Capitol. As we bid farewell to House Committee Deadline Week, numerous pieces of legislation have successfully progressed out of committee, marked by collaborative agreements to refine and further discuss these important matters. Below is a recap of this week's education-related bill movement.
House Appropriations: Elementary and Secondary Education Committee
Ann Whalen, the Transition Director for the Department of Early Childhood, presented the FY25 budget request for a brand new state agency, the Department of Early Childhood. The new agency will combine efforts that affect early childhood education from the Department of Human Services (DHS), the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
This initiative of the Governor's office aims to streamline operations by consolidating critical programs such as the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), Head Start, the Head Start Collaboration Office, Early Intervention services, the state's three home visiting programs, the Early Childhood Block Grant and DCFS licensing for daycare facilities.
Scheduled for launch on July 1, 2024, the transition to this unified agency is slated to occur gradually, culminating on July 1, 2026, at the beginning of FY27. During this transitional period, the legacy agencies will continue their vital role in administering and supporting the ongoing improvement of early childhood education services. This continuity ensures that essential services remain uninterrupted while the groundwork is laid for a new agency. Click here to view the Transition Advisory Committee members and here for opportunities to engage and provide feedback to the committee.
The FY25 budget request for the agency totals $13.1 million, strategically allocated to various aspects of the transition process. This includes $5.3 million earmarked for staffing support, ensuring that the agency is equipped with a skilled workforce to carry out its mission effectively. An additional $5 million is dedicated to the evaluation and reconciliation of the agencies involved, facilitating a seamless integration of resources and systems.
Financial modeling, a critical component of the transition, receives $1.5 million in funding to provide essential insights into the fiscal implications of the agency consolidation. Moreover, $900,000 is allocated towards engaging parents and providers in this transformative process, ensuring that their voices are heard and their needs addressed. Recognizing the importance of ongoing professional development, $420,000 is set aside for staff training and capacity-building initiatives. This investment not only enhances the skills of the workforce but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement within the agency.
Although the agency articulated clear needs for $13 million to fund transition activities for FY25, many committee members asked for an estimated fiscal request for FY27 when the agency would be fully functional. Transition Director Whalen was unable to give an estimate on the cost to the state budget of the new agency as there is still much work to be done to determine the ultimate structure and function, and indicated stakeholder input would be integral in the development of the new agency.
The committee also took action to approve HJR57 (Davis; D-East Hazel Crest), which directs the Professional Review Panel (PRP) and ISBE to conduct financial modeling to evaluate the cost of implementing a $22 minimum hourly rate for educational support personnel. The analysis should include the district impact of incremental increases beginning with $20 in school year 2025-2026, $21 dollars in school year 2026-2027, and $22 in school year 2027-2028. A written report with findings should be produced to the General Assembly and Governor by December 31, 2024.
House Elementary and Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies Committee
HB 4586 (Stava Murray; D-Downers Grove) aims to ensure students and guardians are aware of the mental health services that are available through the school district and throughout the community. Specifically, the bill would require school districts to make this information available two times per year to families. Concerns have been articulated to the sponsor surrounding the bill, so it was held on second reading and will be brought back to the committee for further discussion at a later date.
HB 5394 (Faver Dias; D-Grayslake) directs school districts to develop a cardiac emergency plan that provides specific guidelines for school personnel to follow during a cardiac emergency on school grounds. There has been crossover discussion between this bill and SB 3571 (Harriss; R-Edwardsville), which requires AEDs to be available at schools and during after school events. We anticipate the possibility of an amendment being filed to merge the two components into a final bill.
HB 4274 (Swanson; R-Woodhull) would require school districts to notify parents if a student is found to have a tick on them while at school. Additionally, school staff would need to remove the tick and preserve it for up to 3 days to ensure guardians are provided with an opportunity to take the tick for testing to determine if it is carrying disease. The bill has emerged from discussions that have occurred in the state's Lyme Disease Task Force. The bill was held on second reading for further discussion, and the sponsor has indicated he will continue to work with groups, such as ours, who are opposed and find an agreeable solution.
HB 4417 (Johnson; D-East Moline) encourages school districts to observe a week known as "Workplace Readiness Week" and details what topics could be covered in the instruction, including the rights of workers. The final version of the bill makes the instruction permissive and is not a mandate.
HB 340 (Mussman; D-Schaumburg) was filed on a shell bill and aims to provide clarity on the provision of information about a student's individual education plan prior to an IEP meeting. The sponsor indicated during testimony in committee that there remain instances in which school districts are not providing guardians with copies of documents three days prior to the scheduled meeting. The bill requires that the date on which the relevant documents will be available for inspection must be included on the meeting notification that is sent to guardians.
HB 5407 (Mussman; D-Schaumburg) provides that the Education of Homeless Children and Youth State Grant Program grants shall be awarded to applicant school districts based on the percentage of students experiencing homelessness in those districts. The bill aims to expand the use of grant funds to allow funding for emergency housing, transportation and supplementing other activities under McKinney-Vento. The bill passed through committee, but it is relevant to note that the line item for the funding of this grant is currently zeroed out, so in order for the grants to be made available again, the General Assembly would need to fund the line item annually.
House Elementary and Secondary Education: Administration, Licensing, & Charter Schools Committee
HB 5455 (Crespo; D-Streamwood) is an initiative of the Illinois State Board of Education and aims to provide a new pathway for licensure for post-Bachelor's individuals who are interested in going back to gain educator licensure. Specifically, the bill would allow community colleges the opportunity to add teacher preparation programs to their course offerings, and individuals who are interested in a second career as an educator could use the new pathway to complete the coursework that would be necessary to be eligible for a Professional Educator Licensure from ISBE. The bill has opposition from public and private universities, but was passed by the committee and will move to the floor for a full vote.
HB 4577 (Mason; D-Gurnee) is a trailer bill related to Public Act 102-0727, which prohibited school districts from withholding transcripts, diplomas, etc for students with unpaid account balances. PA 102-0727 also required school districts to report to ISBE the amount of unpaid account balances and these provisions were enacted for a period of three years (through June 2025). ISBE has provided data suggesting that through the first year of the data collection period, unpaid fees totaled around $9,000,000 statewide. The currently filed bill would make permanent the prohibition on withholding transcripts and diplomas, as well as the requirement to report unpaid balances to the state board and would add that school districts are also prohibited from punishing or penalizing students in other ways for unpaid balances. The bill is still being negotiated with management groups, so the sponsor agreed to return to committee with an amendment at a later date.
HB 5510 (Johnson; D-East Moline) aims to assist with the ongoing shortages of licensed applicants for school support personnel positions, specifically school social workers. The bill would allow for a "social work associate" endorsement to be added to an Educator License with Stipulations. Individuals with graduate degrees from social work programs and active licenses under the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act would be eligible for the endorsement, and would be allowed to conduct certain types of social work activities in schools, including providing Tier 1 and 2 interventions. The endorsee would be required to perform the work in consultation with an individual who holds a PEL with a school support personnel endorsement in the area of school social work.
House Personnel & Pensions Committee
The committee delved into a plethora of bills during Thursday morning's hearing. However, the majority of these bills were retained on second reading to allow for further negotiations before resuming discussions. With the impending deadline for committee bill approvals approaching on Friday, this action was taken simply to ensure adherence to legislative timelines. While it was generally acknowledged by the committee that this procedural step was routine and that all bills would eventually return for further action, Republican members expressed several concerns with many of the pension proposals. In particular, Republican Spokesperson Reick highlighted worries regarding the absence of reliable cost estimates and the potential for significant pension reforms to be introduced late in the session with minimal notice.
Although several pension bills were moved out of committee, the following two proposals are of particular note for school district employees:
HB 4873 (Kifowit; D-Aurora) makes changes to pension calculations for Tier 2 TRS employees, as well as employees of other state retirement systems. Specifically, the bill would allow for Tier 2 members to retire without a discounted annuity at age 62 with 35 years of service, 65 with 20 years, or 67 with 10 years, and amend the cost of living adjustment calculation to a 3% simple increase annually. The bill also brings the pensionable earnings limitation for Tier 2 members in line with the Social Security Wage Base (SSWB) by 2029. The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability is in the process of completing an actuarial analysis of the fiscal impact of the bill, but a preliminary note is available to view here.
HB 5211 (Kifowit; D-Aurora) essentially mirrors the changes listed in HB 4873, summarized above, for Tier 2 members of IMRF, with the exception that the pensionable earnings limitation would be set to match the SSWB by January of 2025. COGFA is in the process of completing an actuarial analysis of the fiscal impact of the bill, but a preliminary note is available to view here.
Mandated Teacher Plan Time (HB 3907)
Thank you to all who completed witness slips to demonstrate opposition to HB 3907 (Stuart; D-Collinsville), which would mandate 45 minutes of uninterrupted plan time for all educators. As a result of your advocacy, the sponsor did not call the bill for a vote in committee. That being said, Representative Stuart has expressed a strong desire to find a way to protect teacher plan time and ensure educators have adequate opportunities to prepare effective lessons and complete other work-related tasks during the work day. Committees for next week have been posted publicly, and the amended version of the bill is slated to possibly be called again in the House Elementary & Secondary Education: Administration, Licensing and Charter Schools Committee for Thursday, April 11 at 2:00pm. Please be on the lookout for another possible Call to Action from us next week!
Native American Mascots (HB 5617)
We have continued to work with the sponsor of HB 5617 (West; D-Rockford), which would prohibit the use of Native American mascots, names or imagery in public schools. There was a possibility that the bill was going to be called this week in committee, but it was ultimately not brought forth for a committee vote. There remains work to be done on this topic and we will continue to provide updates to impacted school districts as those conversations occur.
Next Week
Both chambers will be back next week for floor action and potential committee action for bills that have received extension allowances. As always, please be on the lookout for Calls to Action on surprise measures that may emerge and look for our weekly wrap up Advocacy Alert on Friday!