This year’s survey found more than 90% of schools responding reported having a “serious” or “very serious” teacher shortage problem.
Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools
Illinois is facing a teacher shortage — and a new survey shows school leaders fear it is getting worse. The survey was conducted last fall, before the highly contagious omicron COVID-19 variant, which poses added challenges to schools as some struggle to keep buildings staffed enough to host in-person classes.
Thousands of teachers miss class time within Illinois each week, and thanks to a shortage of substitute teachers, an average of 600 K-12 classrooms are left without an educator each school day, according to a new statewide study.
