With the spring legislative season underway in Springfield, local school leaders are closely watching what things lawmakers will act on by May 31.

The budget is the elephant in the room for Springfield but it's likely there will be legislation that passes impacting Illinois schools and Superintendent of Clinton Schools, Curt Nettles says this is becoming an annual event for him and his peers.

Among the changes potentially coming, perhaps not this year, but down the road could be a change in the physical education requirement for schools. Nettles points out that would not impact Clinton schools but it could be a harmful mandate for other districts.

The teacher shortage in Illinois has become a major concern among school leaders and Springfield seems to have taken a great interest in the issue. Nettles believes Springfield had a role in creating the problem and now needs to step aside and let local school districts and their leadership do their jobs.

Other legislation in Springfield that will impact schools will be the teacher minimum salary and minimum wage hike. Nettles has indicated that won't impact Clinton schools that greatly but says those are mandates that continue to take away local control from school boards.