A representative from State Senate President John Cullerton's office told Progress Illinois this afternoon that the various stakeholders who have been negotiating a major education bill in Springfield have come to agreement, and that the bill could move swiftly through the Senate after its introduction tomorrow morning. "This is considered an agreed bill," Cullerton spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon said on behalf of State Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood), who has been leading the education talks. Progress Illinois has requests for comment in with educators' unions, and will update the site if we hear back. A press conference is scheduled for noon tomorrow, Phelon said.

The Tribune reported earlier this afternoon that bill drafters in Springfield have already started writing the legislation. The bill comes out of talks Lightford held with education unions, the business-backed group Stand For Children, and others. A key pivot point in the talks concerned the right for educators to strike following a contract impasse. From the Tribune's story:

Lightford said they reached two separate sets of regulations regarding school strikes, one for Chicago and another for the suburbs and Downstate. Both would require several steps, including airing out their sides before an arbitrator, before moving forward with a strike, she said.

The bill will apparently require 75 percent of Chicago teachers to vote affirmatively to go on strike, raising the threshold from the majority that's currently required; downstate and suburban teachers would only need the majority. Changes are also afoot with regards to teacher evaluations, tenure, and the length of the school day and year. Stay tuned.

(UPDATE 4:51 p.m.): The Illinois Federation of Teachers, the Chicago Teachers Union, and Illinois Education Association just released a joint statement supportive of the bill -- SB 7, by the way -- that Lightford is drafting. Here it is in its entirety:

We are proud that bold reforms we supported are a part of this bill. From day one, our organizations came to the table and advocated for changes that put Illinois kids first and ensured our teachers can do what they do best: teach. S.B. 7 is an historic piece of legislation that exists today because of everyone's commitment to putting politics aside and doing what's in the best interest of our kids. We want the best teachers with the most experience teaching our kids. We are proud that we were successful in making sure experience and performance are respected. We have made the process for teacher dismissal more efficient and fair. We protected a teacher's right to due process and made certain there will be more accountability for everyone involved in the education of our students. Sen. Kimberly Lightford's leadership throughout this process is to be commended, and we wholeheartedly support the passage of S.B. 7. This is proof education employee unions can and should be leaders in reform.