IL SB0138

State Board of Education to establish a teacher recruitment and retention program offering a $3,000 refundable income tax credit per school year for up to 5 consecutive years to participating teachers

Program limited to 1,000 participating teachers statewide annually, with no more than 100 school districts selected to participate each year

Qualifying schools include those in rural areas (more than 5 miles from urbanized areas and 2.5 miles from urban clusters) or schools performing in the lowest 5% statewide under federal accountability standards

Teachers must hold a Professional Educator License, have a bachelor's degree in education from an approved program, and be recently hired at a participating school; those receiving an "unsatisfactory" performance rating become permanently ineligible

Program accepts applications through December 31, 2035, with annual reporting to the Governor and General Assembly required beginning with the 2026-2027 school year; effective date July 1, 2025