PEORIA, Ill. — A new state report shows Illinois added more teachers in the past year than it did the prior five years combined.
Preliminary data included in a report from the Illinois State Board of Education shows the state added roughly 5,700 teachers in the last year.
The data collection also reportedly showed that the statewide teacher vacancy rate has reached a low point of 1.5 percent statewide.
Peoria County Schools Superintendent Beth Crider says she was surprised to see the positive news on the teacher staffing front. “We’ve been struggling for the past few years and we have been trying to piece together full staff.”
“It is nice to see some positive news,” she said.
At the same time, Crider says there remains an issue of keeping people in the teaching profession for the longer term.
She says plenty of newer teachers in the Peoria area end up leaving the profession after less than five years and that will remain a challenge.
The report shows right now, there are roughly 80 different teacher and school support staff openings in the Peoria area.
Statewide, Illinois schools still have more than 2,100 unfilled teaching positions.
