Rep. Willis Introduces Legislation to Ensure Teachers are Fairly Paid, Reversing Unfair Rauner-Era Law

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Local teachers would be able to receive fair pay raises under legislation introduced by state Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Addison, repealing an unfair Rauner-era law that inadvertently capped many teachers’ salary.

 “Bruce Rauner’s policies reflected his wrongly held belief that teachers are the cause of Illinois’ problems, when in reality they are the solution,” said Willis. “To truly move Illinois forward, we need to provide our children with a world-class education, and that requires teachers who are fairly compensated for their hard work.”

A provision tucked in a 2018 budget implementation law attempted to limit end-of-career salary hikes paid to retiring teachers in order to increase their pension, but the law effectively capped many more teachers’ annual raises, including some teachers who are years away from retirement.       

Working with teachers’ groups like the Illinois Education Association, Willis introduced House Bill 350 this week, which rewrites the law to allow teachers to again receive raises of up to six percent.

“This measure had unintended consequences that not only had a negative impact on our members, but also will negatively impact our students. Districts now will be limited in the selection of the best educators to work with students on extra-curricular activities or on writing curriculum since that selection will be based on whether the district has the resources to pay the penalty they will incur. This harms our state’s ability to attract and retain educators in Illinois, encouraging them to teach in another state,” said Kathi Griffin, president of the Illinois Education Association. 

For more information, please contact Rep. Willis’ full-time constituent service office by calling 708-562-6970 or by emailing RepWillis77@gmail.com.