DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Legislation has been filed to make it easier for retired teachers to return to the classroom and help alleviate the teacher shortage in Illinois.
There were over 5,200 open teaching positions in Illinois during the fall of 2019.
State Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) filed legislation to reduce the penalty for renewing the Professional Educator License.
This came after learning a retired teacher had to pay a $500 penalty in order to renew her educator license and return to teaching.
"We have a teacher shortage not only in central Illinois, but the state as well," said Rep. Caulkins. "Charging retired educators a $500 penalty to return to the classroom when there is a teacher shortage seems to be counterintuitive. The state should not be in the business of penalizing retired teachers that want to come back and help educate our next generation."
House Bill 4382 provides for the reinstatement of a lapsed Professional Educator License upon payment by the applicant a $10 penalty for each year the license has lapsed, with the maximum penalty of $100. Under current law, if an individual's educator license is expired, they have to pay a $500 penalty to reinstate their license.
"The sooner we make it easier for retired teachers to return to the classroom, the better off we will be," Caulkins added. "We should encourage experienced educators to return to the classroom rather than penalizing them for allowing their teaching license to lapse."
