Governor JB Pritzker is reportedly set to veto a bill that would have granted paid time off to teachers kept out of classrooms because of COVID, without forcing them to use their own sick or personal time.
The bill also would provide paycheck protection for hourly employees if a school has to close because of an emergency.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Pritzker made his intentions clear in a letter to the state’s major teachers’ unions. Pritzker said in the letter he had concerns about costs, destabilization, and discouraging vaccinations.
Supporters of the measures including the Illinois Education Association, one of the state’s largest teachers unions say it is the least the state could do while most schools remain in person amid the latest surge of COVID-19.