LM Jan 2024

Teacher Shortage

Part 2

Five Major Issues That Continue to Hamper Teacher Recruitment

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By Ralph Grimm, IASA Field Services Director and Dr. James Rosborg, Retired Illinois Superintendent and Director of the Master’s in Education Program at McKendree University

It’s no secret that Illinois’ public education system continues to be hampered by a statewide teacher shortage. Earlier this year, the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS) survey on the teacher shortage was released to school districts statewide, and results show 79 percent of schools have a teacher shortage with 93 percent of districts saying the shortage is just as bad or worse than last school year. Without question, more needs to be done to tackle current issues such as pay, working conditions, lack of support, bureaucratic red tape and being overregulated. For this article, we have listed 5 major issues in the forefront that are needed to assist in the overall teacher shortage.

Retirement Age Problem There is a great need to roll back the 67-age retirement requirement for Tier II and Tier III teachers (hired after 2011) to more of a national standard. Teachers in Tier I can retire at age 55. This must be part of the solution to end the teacher shortage and have better retention of current teachers. The energy level needed to instruct today’s students is huge. The fact remains that the paradigm shifts needed in education over the next 25 years and beyond will need educators with greater levels of willingness than a 67-year-old administrator, teacher, bus driver paraprofessional, etc. We suggest 62 for one that has achieved the number of required work years. At face value, are we really enticing and retaining the 22-year-old by telling them they will not see the light at the end of the tunnel until age 67?

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10 LM January 2024