Hundreds of teaching jobs were not filled or had unqualified instructors in 2020 mainly due to COVID-19. | Stock Photo
Hundreds of teaching jobs were not filled or had unqualified instructors in 2020 mainly due to COVID-19. | Stock Photo
As many as 938 teaching positions in Illinois went unfilled or were filled by someone not qualified in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic took a heavy toll on local schools.
An Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents Illinois Educator Shortage (IARSS) study found the combination of coronavirus concerns and new state-mandated personnel requirements left at least one in five school districts that responded to the survey affected.
Researchers noted that in some cases, shortages were so severe upward of 250 classes were canceled. Another 200 were moved online because school administrators could not find educators willing to teach them.
"Districts were trying to meet the needs of physical distancing," Mark Klaisner, IARSS president and executive director of the West40 ISC west of Chicago, said, Patch reported. "But five vacancies in a school of 100 kids and you would have to shut the whole school down."
Alerts Sign-up