Sixty percent of Illinois school districts outside the City of Chicago say they're having a tough time filling teaching positions.
A survey at the beginning of the academic year commissioned by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of School also found over 75-percent of districts are seeing fewer qualified candidates than in years past.
Matt Donkin is the regional superintendent of schools for Franklin, Williamson, Johnson and Massac counties and a vice president of the statewide association. He says southern Illinois faces shortages in some critical areas.
"We see shortages in math and science, and special ed. and other specialties. We have a hard time as we talk about career and technical education, and a lot of people in this area would say those are some of the courses we need again. But, now you have to find the people qualified to do them, not just the class time, but the people that can meet the qualifications to do them."
Donkin says the results of the survey will be distributed through the proper channels to find a solution to the problem.
"Now, we work through the Illinois Board of Education, our legislators, and work with the other groups, the superintendents, the principals, the unions, others, to figure out how to attract and keep people in the field and get them licensed. So, that we have high quality teachers, but also give us the flexibility we need to put quality people in the classrooms."
Donkin says some of the reasons for the shortage are tougher state requirements, increased public scrutiny of teachers and Illinois' financial problems.
The complete results of the survey are online at iarss.org.
