SCH CD-TEACH EXCELLENC PROGRAM

Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SB3598

Select Language

×

The Illinois General Assembly offers the Google Translate™ service for visitor convenience. In no way should it be considered accurate as to the translation of any content herein.

Visitors of the Illinois General Assembly website are encouraged to use other translation services available on the internet.

The English language version is always the official and authoritative version of this website.

NOTE: To return to the original English language version, select the "Show Original" button on the Google Translate™ menu bar at the top of the window.

Choose Language

English

Afrikaans

Albanian

Arabic

Armenian

Azerbaijani

Basque

Bengali

Bosnian

Catalan

Croatian

Czech

Danish

Dutch

Esperanto

Estonian

Filipino

Finnish

French

Galician

Georgian

German

Greek

Gujarati

Haitian Creole

Hausa

Hawaiian

Hebrew

Hindi

Hungarian

Icelandic

Indonesian

Interlingua

Interlingue

Inuktitut

Irish

Italian

Japanese

Javanese

Kannada

Khmer

Korean

Latin

Latvian

Lithuanian

Luxembourgish

Macedonian

Malagasy

Malayalam

Maltese

Maori

Marathi

Myanmar

Nepali

Norwegian

Odia

Pashto

Punjabi

Romanian

Russian

Samoan

Sango

Sanskrit

Sardinian

Sindhi

Sinhala

Slovak

Slovenian

Somali

Southern Sotho

Spanish

Sundanese

Swahili

Swedish

Tamil

Telugu

Thai

Tigrinya

Tonga

Turkish

Ukrainian

Urdu

Vietnamese

Welsh

Xhosa

Yiddish

Yoruba

Zulu

Powered by
Translate

Close

Illinois General Assembly

Top Navigation Bar

Translate

Learn

Select General Assembly

Search the 104th General Assembly

Enter search terms for legislation, members, committees, or schedules.

ILGA.GOV

LEGISLATION & LAWS

Bills & Resolutions

Public Acts

Illinois Compiled Statutes

Illinois Constitution

Search Legislation

Glossary

Guide

Reports & Inquiry

Legislative Reports

Special Reports

FTP Site

Legislator Lookup

Capitol Complex Phone Numbers

Rules & Regulations

Illinois Register

Administrative Rules

Senate

Members

Schedules

Committees

Request for Remote Testimony

Journals

Transcripts

Rules

Audio/Video

FOIA Information

Senate Employment Opportunities

Media Guidelines

House

Members

Schedules

Committees

Submit testimony for House Committees

Journals

Transcripts

Rules

Audio/Video

FOIA Information

House Employment Opportunities

Log In

Mobile Top Bar

Search the 104th General Assembly

Enter keywords to search the Illinois General Assembly website.

Full Text of SB3598

Home

Legislation

Full Text

SB3598 - 104th General Assembly

Bill Status

Full Text

Votes

Witness Slips

Select Menu

Bill Status

Full Text

Votes

Witness Slips

Printer Friendly Version

Introduced

Senate Amendment 001

Printer Friendly Version

Introduced

Senate Amendment 001

Open PDF

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB3598

Introduced 2/5/2026, by Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/21B-70

Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. In a
provision regarding the Illinois Teaching Excellence Program, changes the
definition of "hard-to-staff school" to mean a public school that either
(i) is identified as hard-to-staff based on data reported on its school
report card or (ii) does not have a school report card but serves a student
population in which 30% or more of the student enrollment is considered
low-income as determined by the State Board of Education using available
enrollment or funding data, and provides that the State Board may not deny
a National Board certified teacher a retention bonus solely because the
public school at which the teacher is employed does not have a school
report card.
LRB104 19018 LNS 32463 b

A BILL FOR

SB3598
LRB104 19018 LNS 32463 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
that either
13
(i) is identified as hard-to-staff based on data reported on
14
the school report card under Section 10-17a of this Code or
15
(ii) does not have a school report card under Section 10-17a of
16
this Code but serves a student population
in which
no less than

17
30%
or more
of the student enrollment is considered low-income
18
as
determined by the State Board of Education using available
19
enrollment or funding data

reported by the report card under
20
Section 10-17a of this Code
.
21

"National Board certified teacher candidate cohort
22
facilitator" means a National Board certified teacher who
23
collaborates to advance the goal of supporting all other

SB3598
- 2 -
LRB104 19018 LNS 32463 b
1
candidate cohorts other than diverse candidate cohorts through
2
the Illinois National Board for Professional Teaching
3
Standards Comprehensive Support System.
4

"National Board certified teacher diverse candidate cohort
5
facilitator" means a National Board certified teacher who
6
collaborates to advance the goal of supporting racially and
7
ethnically diverse candidates through the Illinois National
8
Board for Professional Teaching Standards Comprehensive
9
Support System.
10

"National Board certified teacher diverse liaison" means
11
an individual or entity that supports the National Board
12
certified teacher leading a diverse candidate cohort.
13

"National Board certified teacher liaison" means an
14
individual or entity that supports the National Board
15
certified teacher leading candidate cohorts other than diverse
16
candidate cohorts.
17

"National Board certified teacher rural or remote or
18
distant candidate cohort facilitator" means a National Board
19
certified teacher who collaborates to advance the goal of
20
supporting rural or remote candidates through the Illinois
21
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
22
Comprehensive Support System.
23

"National Board certified teacher rural or remote or
24
distant liaison" means an individual or entity that supports
25
the National Board certified teacher leading a rural or remote
26
candidate cohort.

SB3598
- 3 -
LRB104 19018 LNS 32463 b
1

"Qualified educator" means a teacher or school counselor
2
currently employed in a school district who is in the process
3
of obtaining certification through the National Board for
4
Professional Teaching Standards or who has completed
5
certification and holds a current Professional Educator
6
License with a National Board for Professional Teaching
7
Standards designation or a retired teacher or school counselor
8
who holds a Professional Educator License with a National
9
Board for Professional Teaching Standards designation.
10

"Rural or remote" or "rural or remote or distant" means
11
local codes 32, 33, 41, 42, and 43 of the New Urban-Centric
12
Locale Codes, as defined by the National Center for Education
13
Statistics.
14

"Tier 1" has the meaning given to that term under Section
15
18-8.15.
16

"Tier 2" has the meaning given to that term under Section
17
18-8.15.
18

(b) Any funds appropriated for the Illinois Teaching
19
Excellence Program must be used to provide monetary assistance
20
and incentives for qualified educators who are employed by or
21
retired from school districts and who have or are in the
22
process of obtaining licensure through the National Board for
23
Professional Teaching Standards. The goal of the program is to
24
improve instruction and student performance.
25

The State Board of Education shall allocate an amount as
26
annually appropriated by the General Assembly for the Illinois

SB3598
- 4 -
LRB104 19018 LNS 32463 b
1
Teaching Excellence Program for (i) application or re-take
2
fees for each qualified educator seeking to complete
3
certification through the National Board for Professional
4
Teaching Standards, to be paid directly to the National Board
5
for Professional Teaching Standards, and (ii) incentives under
6
paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of subsection (c) for each
7
qualified educator, to be distributed to the respective school
8
district, and incentives under paragraph (5) of subsection
9
(c), to be distributed to the respective school district or
10
directly to the qualified educator. The school district shall
11
distribute this payment to each eligible teacher or school
12
counselor as a single payment.
13

The State Board of Education's annual budget must set out
14
by separate line item the appropriation for the program.
15
Unless otherwise provided by appropriation, qualified
16
educators are eligible for monetary assistance and incentives
17
outlined in subsections (c) and (d) of this Section.
18

(c) When there are adequate funds available, monetary
19
assistance and incentives shall include the following:
20

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

re-take fee for teachers or school counselors in a Tier 1
22

school district who apply on a first-come, first-serve
23

basis for National Board certification.
24

(2) A maximum of $2,000 toward the application or
25

re-take fee for teachers or school counselors in a school
26

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

SB3598
- 5 -
LRB104 19018 LNS 32463 b
1

first-come, first-serve basis for National Board
2

certification.
3

(3) A maximum of $1,000 toward the National Board for
4

Professional Teaching Standards' renewal application fee.
5

(4) (Blank).
6

(5) An annual incentive of no more than $2,250
7

prorated at $50 per hour, which shall be paid to each
8

qualified educator currently employed in a school district
9

who holds both a National Board for Professional Teaching
10

Standards designation and a current corresponding
11

certificate issued by the National Board for Professional
12

Teaching Standards and who agrees, in writing, to provide
13

up to 45 hours of mentoring or National Board for
14

Professional Teaching Standards professional development
15

or both during the school year to classroom teachers or
16

school counselors, as applicable. Funds must be disbursed
17

on a first-come, first-serve basis, with priority given to
18

Tier 1 school districts. Mentoring shall include, either
19

singly or in combination, the following:
20

(A) National Board for Professional Teaching
21

Standards certification candidates.
22

(B) National Board for Professional Teaching
23

Standards re-take candidates.
24

(C) National Board for Professional Teaching
25

Standards renewal candidates.
26

(D) (Blank).

SB3598
- 6 -
LRB104 19018 LNS 32463 b
1

Funds may also be used for professional development
2
training provided by the National Board Resource Center.
3

Funds may also be used for instructional leadership
4
training for qualified educators interested in supporting
5
implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards or teaching
6
and learning priorities of the State Board of Education or
7
both.
8

(d) In addition to the monetary assistance and incentives
9
provided under subsection (c), if adequate funds are
10
available, incentives shall include the following incentives
11
for the program in rural or remote schools or school districts
12
or for programs working with diverse candidates or for
13
retention bonuses for hard-to-staff schools, to be distributed
14
to the respective school district or directly to the qualified
15
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

SB3598
- 7 -
LRB104 19018 LNS 32463 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

(e) The State Board of Education may not deny a National
13
Board certified teacher a retention bonus under this Section
14
solely because the public school at which the teacher is
15
employed does not have a school report card under Section
16
10-17a of this Code.

17
(Source: P.A. 103-122, eff. 6-30-23; 103-207, eff. 1-1-24;
18
103-605, eff. 7-1-24.)

Footer

Disclaimer

This site is maintained for the Illinois General Assembly by the
Legislative Information System, 705 Stratton Building, Springfield, Illinois 62706.

Contact ILGA Webmaster

ILGA.gov uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to browse ILGA.gov you consent to our use of cookies.
Read About Cookies

ILGA.GOV

2026 ILGA.gov | All Rights Reserved |
ADA

|
Disclaimers
|
Learn

This site is maintained for the Illinois General Assembly by the
Legislative Information System, 705 Stratton Building, Springfield, Illinois 62706.
Contact ILGA Webmaster

ILGA.gov uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to browse ILGA.gov you consent to our use of cookies.
Read About Cookies

ILGA.GOV

2026 ILGA.gov | All Rights Reserved |
ADA

|
Disclaimers
|
Learn