State Sen. Napoleon Harris (D-Harvey) recently introduced legislation to establish a Black Wall Street Program to accelerate the growth of Black businesses in Illinois. | Facebook
State Sen. Napoleon Harris (D-Harvey) recently introduced legislation to establish a Black Wall Street Program to accelerate the growth of Black businesses in Illinois. | Facebook
Amid an ongoing teacher shortage in the state, state Sen. Napoleon Harris (D-Harvey) is pushing a bill that would make it easier for retired teachers to take up classroom positions while maintaining their retired status.
Harris tweeted Feb. 1, sharing a link to a press release announcing his efforts.
“The teacher shortage is a burden that our educational system is currently having and allowing retired teachers to return to schools for a longer period of time will reduce that burden,” Harris wrote in his tweet.
The bill, filed on Jan. 14, provides that beginning July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2023, a retired teacher may accept employment in a classroom without impairing his or her retirement status, provided that employment is not within the same school year during which service was terminated and does not exceed 150 paid days (instead of 120 paid days) or 750 paid hours (instead of 600 paid hours) in each school year.
“The ongoing teacher shortage is affecting our children but allowing retired teachers to bring their expertise back to the classroom for longer would help students thrive,” Harris said in the release.
The bill would go into effect immediately upon passage.
According to the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, 2,040 teaching positions and 77 administrative positions remain open across the state.
State Rep. Sue Scherer (D-Decatur) has worked to remedy the shortage from a different angle, sponsoring multiple bills, including House Bill 4139, which creates a teacher reimbursement grant program, according to the Macon Reporter. This would pay back public school educators who attended a state college or university over time for eight semesters, or 12 quarters, of tuition and mandatory fees for their professional educator license.
Scherer previously sponsored House Bill 4246, which would allow educators to have their lapsed professional educator license reinstated through a payment of $50, significantly decreasing the cost of the current $500 fine.
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