Educators Called To Action
As educators, we felt called to this profession. We love learning and wish to spend our lives in academia spreading the joy and power of scholastics. However, in a revolutionary action, teachers across the nation are leaving their calling. Illinois educators are a part of this movement as well. According to the Illinois Report Card, in the 2023-2024 school year, the state of Illinois employed around 137,212 educators. The state currently sits at an 89.3% retention rate, which is down a bit from the 2022-2023 school year. Affecting this is the fact that 4.8% of teachers in high-poverty schools have a short-term or provisional license. That, in essence, lowers that 89.3% almost another 5% for filled positions. When taking a deeper look at the numbers, that means that districts were seeking to fill 15.5% of their teaching positions last year. To add illumination, there were around 8,852 available teaching positions in our state when we run the numbers. As scholars, it is important to take a deeper look at why this dissatisfaction exists so that we can advocate for ourselves and our contemporaries.
Let’s take a look at why this dissatisfaction exists. A 2017 report from Learning Policy Institute lists “dissatisfied with the administration,” “too many intrusions on teaching time,” “lack of influence over school policies and practices,” and “not enough opportunities for leadership or professional advancement”. This study suggests that the main cause of educator dissatisfaction lies in the administration and the structure of command and advancement. In addition to this, teachers are not being paid salaries that keep up with inflation, and are not often offered benefit packages that meet their personal needs. This comes as a slap in the face for the great efforts that are being put forth to meet the ever-changing demands of the current academic climate. This makes it difficult for educators to afford to pay the student loans that they incurred to achieve their current positions or to meet their family’s needs. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker attempted to alleviate some of these issues in two plans. First, he enacted a plan to steadily increase starting teacher pay across the state to $40,000 a year starting in 2019 and completing in 2024. This would help attract educators to rural school districts who cannot afford to pay higher salaries; some of them still had starting base salaries of $10,000 a year. The trouble is that this does not benefit most other school districts or educators with seniority. In addition, it is not really competitive with larger districts, especially metropolitan ones, nor is it competitive with other occupations with the same amount of education. It does not even keep up with inflation. So, while it seems like a tiny step forward for rural districts, it does not even put a ripple in the pool. More policies are needed to bring about a renaissance in the education field in Illinois.
In Governor Pritzker’s second policy, he sought to attract and retain quality educators. In 2023, he proposed a pilot program that would start in 2024 and progress over three years. This plan would infuse $70 million into the state’s education budgets for school districts to help attract and retain teachers. The districts could use it creatively as they saw fit to help their ambitions come to fruition for the shape of their local schools. This legislation is titled “The Teacher Pipeline Grant Program”, and it identifies 170 schools across the state that are most at risk. This grant seeks to bring a better teacher-to-student ratio to 870,000 students across the state. This all sounds well and good; however, there are two main issues with this policy. It seems to be helping smaller districts, but other districts are still struggling. In addition, the grant funds are sometimes used to attract unconventional hires. These unconventional hires aid the school in the short term, but lead to the further de-skilling of educators. Teachers are being de-skilled because struggling districts are hiring students, issuing emergency teaching licenses, and allowing teachers to teach subjects for which they are not qualified. While both of these policies are helpful to some degree, and Pritzker’s efforts are commendable, it is simply not addressing the main issues or solving problems for individual educators or the field. The state needs new legislation to resolve the plague that is ailing the leadership and educators of our state.
The government of the nation and the state of Illinois have historically undervalued educators. Teachers make every other profession possible and deserve the privileges that other occupations enjoy. This history of undervaluing educators cannot continue. It is not enough to just walk away; we must unite and make our voices heard. I strongly encourage you to send a letter or make a call to your senator and the office of J.B. Pritzker. The educators of Illinois deserve a brighter tomorrow. But, so do the students that we serve. By hoisting our banners, we not only stand up for ourselves and each other, but for the needs of our students.
The Office of J.B. Pritzker
https://gov.illinois.gov/contact-us/contact-the-governor.html
Sources:
Dunklau, S. (2019b, August 22). “Pritzker signs plan to raise minimum teacher salary to 40k.” NPRIllinois, August 22, 2019,www.nprillinois.org/statehouse/2019-08-22/pritzker
-signs-plan-to-raise-minimum-teacher-salary-to-40k
Illinois Report Card released with 2023-24 data. IASB. (n.d.). www.iasb.com/news-listing/2024/october-2024-news/illinois-report-card-released-with-2023-24-data/
LeBlanc, Debbie, and Lisa Caputo Love. “Teacher Leadership Summit Structures Facilitate Teacher Retention.” Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, vol. 90, no. 5, May 2024, pp. 25–30. EBSCOhost,research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=0dc95b9e-2c82-3c4d-a96a-3ce8b9b4f8d8.
Wright, Anna M. “Historical View of Accountability and Teacher Labor.” Communication Education, vol. 69, no. 1, Jan. 2020, pp. 105–18. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.uis.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/03634523.2019.1679381.
