There is a lot of work to get done before the Illinois legislature adjourns on May 31. The House cancelled session this weekend (the Senate was not scheduled to be in over the weekend), however it is anticipated that a number of lawmakers will remain in Springfield continuing FY22 budget and redistricting talks.
Below are the latest updates on statehouse action this week:
IFT Initiatives
HB 18 (Scherer, D-Decatur/Morrison, D-Highwood) will stretch out the evaluations for tenured teachers with excellent and proficient ratings to once every three years (rather than every other year) but leaves in the flexibility for more frequent administrative observations to ensure meaningful feedback to teachers and if determined to be necessary (current law).
Senator Julie Morrison (D-Highwood) filed an amendment that makes three changes:
clarifies evaluation/observation language in the bill,
extends the sunset of the Performance Evaluation Advisory Committee by three years (to 2024) to allow continued work on teacher evaluation training, and
provides parity by making the change applicable to educators in CPS.
The amendment was approved unanimously by the Senate Education Committee this week and is positioned for final Senate action. It will return to the House for a concurrence vote once passed in the Senate.
HB 375 (Smith, D-Chicago) will provide an employment notice for adjuncts at universities and community colleges. The amended bill requires a higher education institution to notify the adjunct about the status of enrollment for their class at 30 days and then again at 14 days before the beginning of the next term. The legislation was approved in the House of Representatives by a vote of 74-38. An amendment has been filed and it is expected that the bill will see action this coming week in the Senate Higher Education Committee.
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