SPRINGFIELD — To address unnecessary and burdensome Illinois School Code mandates, State Senator Mary Edly-Allen worked with multiple statewide education stakeholders to create Senate Bill 1740, which passed the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday.

“As an educator, I know personally how overly burdensome and duplicative educational mandates can harm schools that are already struggling due time constraints and limited funding,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “This bill aims to increase administrative efficiency and create more flexibility for local school districts.”

Senate Bill 1740 initiates the reduction of unnecessary school code mandates agreed upon by statewide educational stakeholders. The bill would create the School Code Mandate Reduction Council, comprised of eight members of the General Assembly and one member from each of the 12 statewide educational organizations, to identify and recommend the removal of mandates that align with the state's goal of providing high-quality education tailored to each student.

“The state should be working to make schools a safe, accessible and supportive place for both students and  educators,” said Edly-Allen. “We do not need to bog down our educators with more mandates to their already full plate. I was proud to work alongside Senator Loughran Cappel and many education experts to begin the process of evaluating the 699 mandates introduced since 1982.”

Senate Bill 1740 heads to the full Senate for further consideration.