CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- School superintendents from around the state are trying to figure out how to turn around a growing teacher shortage.
A new survey of Illinois school districts found most are continuing to have trouble filling open teaching positions with qualified teachers and even more are having difficulty hiring substitute teachers.
It's been a problem for years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic started.
The latest Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools survey was conducted in early October and included responses from 591 of the state’s 853 districts. Of those responding, 77 percent said they’re having a tough time filling vacant teacher positions; while 93 percent said it’s even harder to find substitute teachers.
Some of the superintendents said they get around the problem by canceling the offering of some classes or switching them to online formats, as well as filling critical positions with teachers who are not fully qualified to teach in a particular grade level or subject area.
Of the districts that responded to the survey reported a combined total of 938 open teaching positions – 17 percent of the 5,414 positions that districts were looking to fill – were either unfilled or filled by someone who was not certified in that grade level or subject area.
The largest number of open positions was in special education at all grade levels, with 195 positions either vacant or filled by an unqualified teacher. In terms of percentages, though, computer science teachers were also hard to come by, with 41 percent of the open computer science positions were either vacant or filled by an unqualified teacher.
Additionally, districts also reported having trouble filling elementary education, math, physical education, and science positions.
The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools cites a couple of reasons, including more seasoned teachers retiring, and not enough people deciding teaching is attractive enough given the cost of getting a college degree versus how much teachers are paid.