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Board renews intergovernmental agreement with ISBE for recruiting bilingual teachers from Spain
Summary
Waukegan Public Schools on Jan. 14 approved a renewed intergovernmental agreement with the Illinois State Board of Education to help recruit bilingual teachers from Spain, while trustees pressed for clarity on housing, salary responsibility and mentoring.
The Waukegan Public Schools Board of Education on Jan. 14 approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to support recruitment of bilingual teachers, specifically programs that had focused historically on Spain.
Trustees probed the agreement’s details, asking who would pay teacher salaries and how housing and mentoring would be handled for international recruits. Administration explained the district is responsible for local compensation and benefits for hired teachers and said the district has a separate recruitment grant that covers temporary lodging and relocation incidentals; the agreement does not prohibit districts from later participating in ISBE funding opportunities.
Board members also asked how the district would mentor and orient international teachers to Illinois classrooms. District staff said existing mentoring programs for new teachers would be applied and the bilingual department would support curriculum and instructional transition. Trustees asked administration to monitor effectiveness and return with data on mentoring outcomes.
The board approved the intergovernmental agreement by roll call; all seven members voted yes. Trustees asked administration to clarify grant funding sources and provide more detailed budgets and mentoring plans in a follow-up briefing.
