SB3156 Summary

• Strategic Planning & Equity: Requires the State Board of Education to develop and annually review a 5-year strategic plan addressing equity in Illinois schools, including service to disadvantaged students, social-emotional well-being, and teacher recruitment/retention.

• School Funding & Reporting: Modifies property tax relief pool grant calculations and requires schools to report firearms incidents and drug-related incidents to the State Board by July 31 annually for public disclosure via website.

• Teacher Licensure & Assessment: Creates a Teacher Performance Assessment Task Force to evaluate performance-based assessment systems; suspends teacher performance assessment requirements from August 2023 through August 2025; transitions elementary education content tests to include bilingual/literacy components by 2026.

• School Safety & Threat Assessment: Strengthens threat assessment team requirements by mandating at least one law enforcement official and cross-disciplinary mental health representatives; establishes crisis response mapping data grants for schools to improve emergency preparedness.

• Career & Technical Education: Updates terminology from "vocational" to "career and technical education"; expands Gender Equity Advisory Committee membership and focus to address equity for historically disadvantaged students, including diverse populations and nontraditional career pathways.