MARION – No school district in Illinois is immune from the teacher shortage that is affecting schools throughout the state, according to Regional Office of Education #21 Superintendent Lorie LeQuatte.

The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS) recently released its annual survey on the teacher shortage crisis. The report chronicles the responses of school administrators across nearly 700 school districts statewide to questions on the extent and severity of the teacher shortage in Illinois schools.

“The findings of this survey confirm there is an ongoing teacher shortage crisis in Illinois schools which continues to put more pressure on school districts to fill those gaps,” said LeQuatte. “The survey also identifies some solutions I believe need to be implemented in order to address the challenges we face as a result of the teacher shortage.”

LeQuatte said the local numbers for ROE 21 administrators reveal that the vast majority of school officials say they have a teacher shortage problem. Specifically:

• 80% say they have a teacher shortage problem.
• 90% say the shortage is as bad as or worse than last school year.
• 94% say they have the same or fewer applicants for open positions as last school year.
• 78% recommend offering additional compensation for staff in high-need subject areas or schools.
• 85% says they have a substitute teacher shortage crisis.
• 60% believe their district is adequately staffed under the state’s evidence-based funding (EBF) formula.

“If 80 percent of local administrators say there is a teacher shortage problem, then clearly we have a big problem on our hands,” LeQuatte said. “Our focus must be on developing long-term solutions to the crisis.”

The IARSS survey also asked about possible solutions to the teacher shortage crisis and found broad support locally for several common-sense solutions. Specifically:

• 78% recommend increasing funding for Teachers Retirement System.
• 72% recommend offering additional scholarships and waivers to teaching candidates.
• 89% say increasing the number of days retired teachers can substitute without affecting retirement helped with recruitment/retention.
• 84% say increasing substitute teachers’ days to 120 per year helped with recruitment/retention.
• 75% say supporting high school students pursuing education degree through dual credit courses helped with recruitment/retention.
• 75% say partnering with a college/university for undergrads pursuing education degrees helped with recruitment/retention.

The state currently has two provisions in place that have made it possible for schools to provide educators in each classroom. One creates a short-term substitute license for candidates with a college degree or completion of 60 semester hours of higher education coursework. The other allows retired educators to serve as substitute teachers for up to 700 hours in a given school year. These provisions are due to expire this calendar year unless legislation is passed to extend the provisions.

“Taking these simple steps can help alleviate the teacher shortage problem without increasing the cost of education,” LeQuatte said.

Currently, there are more than 3,600 vacant positions posted on the IASA Illinois Education Job Bank, and 49 of those jobs are in Franklin, Johnson, Massac, and Williamson counties. More specifically, of those 49 job openings, 26 are unfilled educator positions.

“We definitely want lawmakers to take action toward addressing the teacher shortage crisis; however, we are going to do all we can at the local level to develop new strategies to lessen the burden on our school districts,” said LeQuatte. “One such strategy is to offer training opportunities for licensed teachers, substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, and school bus drivers. We also encourage local high school students to pursue a degree in education. That includes working with area community colleges and universities to create new pathways to make it easier for incoming students to start the process while still in high school by offering educator prep programs and dual credit courses.”   

Please visit our website at www.roe21.org to see a full list of trainings we offer each month. If you find yourself interested in a rewarding career in education, please contact our office at 618-998-1283.