By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois has a teacher shortage, and the Illinois State Board of Education is trying to stop it with a report called Teach Illinois.
The Joyce Foundation helped put it together, and that group’s Stephanie Banchero told the Illinois State Board of Education Tuesday afternoon Illinois must attract and retain better teachers.
“I think it’s especially important, these policies, for kids in urban areas, kids in urban areas, (English Language Learners), special ed kids – that’s where we are suffering the most,” Banchero said, “and I think these policies are directed at that.”
Jason Helfer, the board’s executive director of teaching and learning, says the feedback he’s heard is: we need more mentoring.
“If we want to retain teachers in the classroom, there needs to be a robust support system,” he said, “and it can’t be just, here’s twenty dollars for beer and pizza, which was my induction mentoring program — which I appreciated, it was helpful to me,” he added with a laugh.
And board chairman James Meeks had one suggestion: “combat pay” for positions which are in “challenged” areas. The answer was that the unions are unlikely to agree to it, and at least one board member did not appreciate Meeks’ choice of words.
