PEORIA, Ill. – It might be an understatement, but teachers in Peoria County are in short supply.
But the same can be said state-wide. A new report indicates in Illinois, 88% of district report a shortage of teachers, and 96% report a shortage of substitute teachers. In Peoria County, 100% of schools report those shortages.
“We have fewer students coming out of universities that want to be teachers. So, we have fewer people going in to the field,” said Peoria County Regional Superintendent of Schools Beth Crider, who believes that’s coupled with “this newer phenomenon of the retention of teachers — people staying in the field.”
Crider says low pay, low morale, low respect from members of the public, and other things are all contributing to a problem also seen in other fields.
The region that includes Peoria County is seeing the problem hit especially hard.
“West Central Illinois administrators are reporting the highest need of teachers for classrooms, substitute teachers, and all of the support positions — bus drivers, cafeteria workers. If there’s a position in a school building, we need it all,” said Crider.
Crider says teaching degrees need to be made more affordable, and for people with degrees to make getting a teaching certificate more accessible, among other things.
CLICK HERE to read the full teacher shortage report and recommendations (.pdf format).
