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HB5216 - 104th General Assembly

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB5216

Introduced 2/10/2026, by Rep. Katie Stuart

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/21B-70

Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code with respect
to the Illinois Teaching Excellence Program. Provides that a maximum of
$2,000 (rather than $1,000) shall be given as monetary assistance and
incentives toward the National Board for Professional Teaching standards'
renewal application fee. Removes other monetary assistance and incentives.
Provides that the State Board of Education shall provide an annual stipend
of $4,000 for up to 5 years to teachers who hold current National Board for
Professional Teacher Standards certification. Provides that to receive the
$4,000 annual stipend, the National Board certified teacher must be
employed as a public school teacher and must hold a valid National Board
for Professional Teacher Standards certificate throughout each year of the
stipend. Provides that if there are adequate funds available, mentoring
programming must be made available to support qualified educators in their
pursuit of National Board certification. Sets forth specific incentives,
and provides that funds may also be used for (i) professional development
training provided by National Board certified teachers or (ii)
instructional leadership training for qualified educators interested in
supporting implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards or teaching
and learning priorities of the State Board of Education or both. Provides
that the selection of teachers who hold both a National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards designation and a current corresponding
certificate issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards shall be encouraged for other mentoring programs.
LRB104 19933 LNS 33383 b

A BILL FOR

HB5216
LRB104 19933 LNS 33383 b
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 School Code is amended by changing Section
5
21B-70 as follows:

6

(105 ILCS 5/21B-70)
7

Sec. 21B-70.
Illinois Teaching Excellence Program.
8

(a) As used in this Section:
9

"Diverse candidate" means a candidate who identifies with
10
any of the ethnicities reported on the Illinois Report Card
11
other than White.

12

"Hard-to-staff school" means a public school in which no
13
less than 30% of the student enrollment is considered
14
low-income as reported by the report card under Section 10-17a
15
of this Code.

16

"National Board certified teacher candidate cohort
17
facilitator" means a National Board certified teacher who
18
collaborates to advance the goal of supporting
all other

19
candidate cohorts
other than diverse candidate cohorts
through
20
the Illinois National Board for Professional Teaching
21
Standards Comprehensive Support System.
22

"National Board certified teacher diverse candidate cohort
23
facilitator" means a National Board certified teacher who

HB5216
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LRB104 19933 LNS 33383 b
1
collaborates to advance the goal of supporting racially and
2
ethnically diverse candidates through the Illinois National
3
Board for Professional Teaching Standards Comprehensive
4
Support System.
5

"National Board certified teacher diverse liaison" means
6
an individual or entity that supports the National Board
7
certified teacher leading a diverse candidate cohort.
8

"National Board certified teacher liaison" means an
9
individual or entity that supports the National Board
10
certified teacher leading
a
candidate
cohort

cohorts other
11
than diverse candidate cohorts
.
12

"National Board certified teacher rural or remote or
13
distant candidate cohort facilitator" means a National Board
14
certified teacher who collaborates to advance the goal of
15
supporting rural or remote candidates through the Illinois
16
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
17
Comprehensive Support System.

18

"National Board certified teacher rural or remote or
19
distant liaison" means an individual or entity that supports
20
the National Board certified teacher leading a rural or remote
21
candidate cohort.

22

"Qualified educator" means a teacher or school counselor
23
currently employed in a school district who is in the process
24
of obtaining certification through the National Board for
25
Professional Teaching Standards or who has completed
26
certification and holds a current Professional Educator

HB5216
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LRB104 19933 LNS 33383 b
1
License with a National Board for Professional Teaching
2
Standards designation or a retired teacher or school counselor
3
who holds a Professional Educator License with a National
4
Board for Professional Teaching Standards designation.
5

"Rural or remote" or "rural or remote or distant" means
6
local codes 32, 33, 41, 42, and 43 of the New Urban-Centric
7
Locale Codes, as defined by the National Center for Education
8
Statistics.

9

"Tier 1" has the meaning given to that term under Section
10
18-8.15.
11

"Tier 2" has the meaning given to that term under Section
12
18-8.15.
13

(b) Any funds appropriated for the Illinois Teaching
14
Excellence Program must be used to provide monetary assistance
15
and incentives for qualified educators who are employed by or
16
retired from school districts and who have or are in the
17
process of obtaining
certification

licensure
through the
18
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The goal
19
of the program is to improve instruction and student
20
performance.
21

The State Board of Education shall allocate an amount as
22
annually appropriated by the General Assembly for the Illinois
23
Teaching Excellence Program for (i) application or re-take
24
fees for each qualified educator seeking to complete
25
certification through the National Board for Professional
26
Teaching Standards, to be paid directly to the National Board

HB5216
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LRB104 19933 LNS 33383 b
1
for Professional Teaching Standards, and (ii) incentives under
2
paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of subsection (c) for each
3
qualified educator, to be distributed to the respective school
4
district, and incentives under paragraph (5) of subsection
5
(c), to be distributed to the respective school district or
6
directly to the qualified educator. The school district shall
7
distribute this payment to each eligible teacher or school
8
counselor as a single payment.
9

The State Board of Education's annual budget must set out
10
by separate line item the appropriation for the program.
11
Unless otherwise provided by appropriation, qualified
12
educators are eligible for monetary assistance and incentives
13
outlined in subsections (c) and (d) of this Section.
14

(c) When there are adequate funds available, monetary
15
assistance and incentives shall include the following:
16

(1) A maximum of $2,000 toward the application or
17

re-take fee for teachers or school counselors in a Tier 1
18

school district who apply on a first-come, first-serve
19

basis for National Board certification.
20

(2) A maximum of $2,000 toward the application or
21

re-take fee for teachers or school counselors in a school
22

district other than a Tier 1 school district who apply on a
23

first-come, first-serve basis for National Board
24

certification.
25

(3) A maximum of
$2,000

$1,000
toward the National
26

Board for Professional Teaching Standards' renewal

HB5216
- 5 -
LRB104 19933 LNS 33383 b
1

application fee.
2

(4) (Blank).
3

(5)
(Blank).

An annual incentive of no more than
4

$2,250 prorated at $50 per hour, which shall be paid to
5

each qualified educator currently employed in a school
6

district who holds both a National Board for Professional
7

Teaching Standards designation and a current corresponding
8

certificate issued by the National Board for Professional
9

Teaching Standards and who agrees, in writing, to provide
10

up to 45 hours of mentoring or National Board for
11

Professional Teaching Standards professional development
12

or both during the school year to classroom teachers or
13

school counselors, as applicable. Funds must be disbursed
14

on a first-come, first-serve basis, with priority given to
15

Tier 1 school districts. Mentoring shall include, either
16

singly or in combination, the following:
17

(A) National Board for Professional Teaching
18

Standards certification candidates.
19

(B) National Board for Professional Teaching
20

Standards re-take candidates.
21

(C) National Board for Professional Teaching
22

Standards renewal candidates.
23

(D) (Blank).
24

Funds may also be used for professional development
25
training provided by the National Board Resource Center.

26

Funds may also be used for instructional leadership

HB5216
- 6 -
LRB104 19933 LNS 33383 b
1
training for qualified educators interested in supporting
2
implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards or teaching
3
and learning priorities of the State Board of Education or
4
both.

5

(d) In addition to the monetary assistance and incentives
6
provided under subsection (c), if adequate funds are
7
available,
the State Board of Education shall provide an
8
annual stipend of $4,000 for up to 5 years to teachers who hold
9
current National Board for Professional Teacher Standards
10
certification

incentives shall include the following
11
incentives for the program in rural or remote schools or
12
school districts or for programs working with diverse
13
candidates or for retention bonuses for hard-to-staff schools
,
14
to be distributed
to the respective school district or

15
directly to the qualified educator or entity
.

:

16

(1) A one-time incentive of $3,000 payable to National
17

Board certified teachers teaching in Tier 1 or Tier 2
18

rural or remote school districts or rural or remote
19

schools in Tier 1 or Tier 2 school districts, with
20

priority given to teachers teaching in Tier 1 rural or
21

remote school districts or rural or remote schools in Tier
22

1 school districts.

23

(2) An annual incentive of $3,200 for National Board
24

certified teacher rural or remote or distant candidate
25

cohort facilitators, diverse candidate cohort
26

facilitators, and candidate cohort facilitators. Priority

HB5216
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LRB104 19933 LNS 33383 b
1

shall be given to rural or remote candidate cohort
2

facilitators and diverse candidate cohort facilitators.

3

(3) An annual incentive of $2,500 for National Board
4

certified teacher rural or remote or distant liaisons,
5

diverse liaisons, and liaisons. Priority shall be given to
6

rural or remote liaisons and diverse liaisons.

7

(4) An annual retention bonus of $4,000 per year for 2
8

consecutive years shall be awarded to National Board
9

certified teachers employed in hard-to-staff schools.
10

Funds must be disbursed on a first-come, first-served
11

basis.
12

To receive the $4,000 annual stipend, the National Board
13
certified teacher must be employed as a public school teacher
14
in this State and must hold a valid National Board for
15
Professional Teacher Standards certificate throughout each
16
year of the stipend.
17

(e) If there are adequate funds available, programming
18
must be made available to support qualified educators in their
19
pursuit of National Board certification. This shall include
20
each of the following:
21

(1) An annual incentive of no more than $3,000,
22

prorated at $50 per hour, which shall be paid to each
23

qualified educator currently employed in a school district
24

who holds both a National Board for Professional Teaching
25

Standards designation and a current corresponding
26

certificate issued by the National Board for Professional

HB5216
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LRB104 19933 LNS 33383 b
1

Teaching Standards and who agrees, in writing, to provide
2

up to 60 hours of mentoring or National Board for
3

Professional Teaching Standards professional development
4

or both during the school year to classroom teachers or
5

school counselors, as applicable. Funds must be disbursed
6

on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given
7

to Tier 1 school districts. Mentoring shall include,
8

either singly or in combination, mentoring of the
9

following:
10

(A) National Board for Professional Teaching
11

Standards certification candidates.
12

(B) National Board for Professional Teaching
13

Standards re-take candidates.
14

(C) National Board for Professional Teaching
15

Standards renewal candidates.
16

(2) An annual incentive of $3,200 for National Board
17

certified teacher candidate cohort facilitators.
18

(3) An annual incentive of $2,500 for National Board
19

certified teacher liaisons.
20

Funds under this subsection (e) may also be used for (i)
21
professional development training provided by National Board
22
certified teachers or (ii) instructional leadership training
23
for qualified educators interested in supporting
24
implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards or teaching
25
and learning priorities of the State Board of Education or
26
both.

HB5216
- 9 -
LRB104 19933 LNS 33383 b
1

The selection of teachers who hold both a National Board
2
for Professional Teaching Standards designation and a current
3
corresponding certificate issued by the National Board for
4
Professional Teaching Standards shall be encouraged for other
5
mentoring programs.

6
(Source: P.A. 103-122, eff. 6-30-23; 103-207, eff. 1-1-24;
7
103-605, eff. 7-1-24.)

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