Local News

Manar Addresses Teacher Shortage

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 08:23:05 CST

On Monday, State Senator Andy Manar and members of the Senate Education Committee addressed the statewide teacher shortage at a hearing in Decatur.

According to a press release, teachers around the country often skip over Illinois when they're looking for a job because of low starting salaries, licensure difficulties and lack of mentoring, among other issues.

Senator Manar said that there are empty classrooms across the 48th Senate District because state bureaucracy is getting in the way of making sure teachers are there to fill those jobs. Manar said that information from the hearing will be used to determine whether there are changes that can be made to state law that could reverse the trend, making it easier for teachers to be hired in Illinois.

Numerous education professionals offered testimony at Monday's hearing about reasons for the shortage and possible solutions; such as making it easier for out-of-state professionals to be certified in Illinois, addressing pay disparities, better marketing of the teaching profession to college students, and offering new teachers more professional support and mentoring opportunities.

Those who addressed the committee included representatives from the Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Education Association, National Board Resource Center, and State Board of Education.