Peoria Standard

State Sen. Jil Tracy used her Senate Week in Review feature on her web page to shed light on the   statewide teacher shortage.

Tracy posted the results of a study by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools that said 885 superintendents reported having teacher shortages, with more than three out of every four of them (77%) saying that the problem is getting worse. Ninety-six percent of all superintendents said they are having difficulty finding substitutes, leading to more than 400 classes being cancelled and more than 300 being moved online.

Upwards of 2,000 teaching positions are now categorized as unfilled or filled by someone not qualified, with the ongoing shortage marking the fifth straight year the state has suffered under such conditions, and with some projecting the pattern will continue at least over the next two academic years.

Chicago Public School officials are paying substitutes more in hopes of being able to staff more spots.

With the state having recently received $7 billion in federal COVID relief funding to help school systems, IARSS President Mark Klaisner warns money alone almost certainly 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.”