Galesburg Reporter

State Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) is shedding light on the state's teacher shortage.

“Illinois has been facing a shortage of teachers for several years, and the problem is getting worse,” Tracy said in her Senate Week in Review for Jan. 17-21. “A new driver of the crisis has been educator burnout due to COVID-19 related issues.”

According to a study by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, 49% of responding superintendents said that COVID-19 has increased teacher turnover in their schools. In addition, 88% of school districts reported a teacher shortage, with more than 77 percent reporting that the problem is getting worse.

According to the study, 96% of the superintendents surveyed said they are having difficulty  finding substitutes, leading to more than 400 classes being cancelled and more than 300 being held online due to an inability to find qualified instructors.

More than 2,000 teaching positions are now reported to be either unfilled or filled by someone not qualified, and the ongoing shortage marks the fifth straight year for Illinois with some predicting it will continue to grow over at least the next two academic years.

Chicago Public School officials have taken to paying substitutes more in hopes of being able to fill more openings.

With the state having recently received over $7 billion in federal COVID relief funding to help safeguard the education system, IARSS President Mark Klaisner warns money alone probably won’t get the job done.

“COVID has made it so difficult that money is not the issue or the discussion,” he said. “It’s much more about trying to find quality people to provide a worthwhile education for kids.”