skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Post-presidential debate poll shows a shift in WI; Teamsters won't endorse in presidential race after releasing internal polling showing most members support Trump; IL energy jobs growth is strong but lacks female workers; Pregnant, Black Coloradans twice as likely to die than the overall population.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Illinois Schools Report Ongoing Teacher Shortage

play audio
Play

Tuesday, October 18, 2022   

School districts nationwide are struggling to meet student needs with a teacher shortage made worse by COVID. The Illinois State Board of Education reports there were more than 5,200 teacher and support personnel job vacancies as of Oct. 1.

Economists point to the gap between what teachers are paid compared with their peers who have similar education. Economic Policy Institute said in 1979, teachers made 7% less than those peers, but this year, the pay gap has grown to 23%, a record high.

Heidi Shierholz, president of the Economic Policy Institute, citing 300,000 public education vacancies nationwide, said the issue boils down to two factors.

"What's happening is that it's becoming more and more difficult to find teachers and other education personnel who will take those jobs under current working conditions and at current wages," Shierholz said.

According to the National Education Association, Illinois teacher pay ranked relatively high at 12th in the nation in the last school year - but since 2011, that pay has declined by more than 9% in constant dollar terms.

In addition to schools having to do more work with fewer people, teacher turnover is expensive, the Learning Policy Institute reported recruitment, hiring and training are estimated to cost between $9,000 and $21,000 per teacher.

The American Federation of Teachers released a report in July, outlining policies to fix the teacher shortage. The recommendations include reducing the focus on standardized testing, reducing paperwork, lowering class size and providing living wages for teachers and paraprofessionals.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said while the profession was never especially well paid, the joys of teaching once outweighed the negatives.

"What we used to have is a lot more intrinsic joy about teaching and learning," Weingarten said, "and a lot of that changed in the No Child Left Behind, 'no test was bad' kind of process that made us fixating on tests as opposed to fixating on children."

The state Legislature has made some changes in an effort to address the teacher shortage in Illinois. In 2022 the Legislature reduced the cost of renewing an expired teaching license from $500 to $50, as well as lowering the minimum age of paraprofessionals in K-8 classrooms from 19 to 18.

Disclosure: The American Federation of Teachers contributes to our fund for reporting on Education, Health Issues, Livable Wages/Working Families, and Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021