September 28, 2020 – The COVID-19 pandemic is causing more challenges for Illinois public schools. Dr. Mark Klaisner, president of the Illinois Association of Regional School Superintendents, said Illinois was facing a teacher shortage before the pandemic began. The COVID-19 crisis has only made it worse. Superintendents tell Klaisner that 25% of the teachers at a typical Illinois school have medical conditions or at-risk family members, so they are not able to teach in-person classes while the pandemic is a threat. That means that superintendents have been forced to rely on more remote learning, whether they like it or not.
Prior to the pandemic, fellow teachers could help if another teacher had to miss a few days by combining classes, having workarounds, or by having a substitute. Social distancing is now required in small classes and the most efficient thing a teacher can do is to have students stay home and work remotely. The majority of substitute teachers are not trained for remote learning.
The Illinois Board of Education is dealing with the shortage by considering a new program that would attract people from the business world towards the teaching profession. The board will review a proposal in October that would give qualified people with bachelor’s degrees a master teacher mentor and a “learner’s permit to teach.” If adopted, the new teacher recruits could be hired as teachers later this fall and begin teaching in classrooms as early as January. New teachers would be required to pass a core competency test and continue to take education classes in order to fulfill the standard teaching license requirements.
