Sen. Patrick Joyce’s proposal removes lifetime cap on hours retired teachers can work as substitutes. | Photo Courtesy of Patrick Joyce Facebook
Sen. Patrick Joyce’s proposal removes lifetime cap on hours retired teachers can work as substitutes. | Photo Courtesy of Patrick Joyce Facebook
The Senate has approved legislation from an Essex lawmaker that would allow retired teachers to work more hours as a substitute without impacting their retirement benefits.
Sen. Patrick Joyce's (D-Essex) legislation creates a yearly work cap in favor of the current lifetime allotment and comes when the state is dealing with a teacher shortage because of COVID-19.
"To eliminate the teacher shortage in Illinois, I advanced a plan out of the Senate [April 23] to increase the number of hours a retired teacher may work without impairing their retirement status," Joyce said in a Facebook post.
Existing state law limits retired teachers to work a lifetime maximum of 120 days or 600 hours. Joyce's Senate Bill 1989 would change that policy to 100 days or 500 hours per year, starting on July 1, 2023, if approved in the House.
“The teacher shortage in Illinois predated COVID-19, and as we see more school districts return to in-person learning, some will be faced with challenges in hiring substitute teachers,” Joyce said in a statement on his website. “This legislation will ensure schools have the most qualified professionals to teach our children.”
The proposal was approved by the Senate and will now be reviewed by the House.
“The time is now to address the teacher shortage in Illinois,” Joyce said. “This legislation will allow school districts to increase the pool of qualified substitute teachers while allowing former teachers to maintain their retirement status.”
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