Governor J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 10 yesterday making it easier for residents of the state to become teacher’s aides in the state. The law amends the Educator Licensure Article of the school code to allow paraprofessionals and aides who have passed a paraprofessional competency test to become an aide. Prior to the amendment, aides were required to possess either a bachelors degree or a particular number of higher education credits to be allowed in a classroom.
The law also requires that Charter Schools require employees in instructional positions to have passed a content area knowledge test. According to a report from WICS Newchannel 20, there were nearly 1000 vacancies across the State of Illinois for paraprofessionals and student aides.
The amendment was a trailer bill to the teacher minimum wage bill proposed by Senator Andy Manar back in January that was passed by the General Assembly in May. The trailer legislation passed 108-5 in the House and 48-0 in the Senate. A 3/5ths majority was required to be sent to the governor for his signature.