The Illinois Senate has approved legislation filed by State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield) to make it easier for schools to recruit good teachers, by helping ease the transition for teachers making the jump from private to public schools.
“Right now, for a teacher to switch from a public school to a public school, they fear their years of private teaching are lost, at least in terms of their retirement credit,” said Senator McClure. “This creates another challenge for our public schools who are already struggling to recruit good teachers in the midst of a statewide teacher shortage.”
When teachers move from private schools to public schools, their years of private teaching don’t count toward their pension benefits. Under McClure’s legislation, Senate Bill 3027, teachers would have the option of paying into the system to cover both the employee and employer pension contributions for up to two years of private teaching. It also requires that their previous private school was certified by the Illinois State Board of Education. Teachers would have until June 30th of 2021 to take advantage of the program.
“This bill would help public schools and their teachers at little to no cost to the taxpayers,” said McClure.
SB3027 passed the Senate unanimously and is now headed to the House for consideration in that chamber.
