With the teacher shortage hitting Illinois pretty hard, one area school district has a full staff to start the new year.
United District #304 was able to fill all their vacant positions, and according to Superintendent Jeff Whitsitt, they had to get a little creative to get that feat accomplished.
“Totally staffed and totally certified in our staffing,” Whitsitt tells WGIL. “We got a little creative, we had a science position posted for more than a year that we couldn’t fill. So this year we posted it as an Ag/Science [position] and we were able to find an ag teacher that had science certification and we’ve expanded both programs a little bit because of it.”
Whitsitt said it has become increasingly difficult to find applicants for vacancies.
He said for a position he filled this year, a Physical Education teacher, he would have posted it and had a stack of applicants, quote, “as high as my hip.”
Some new positions that the district opened and filled this year are already showing signs of success.
Whitsitt says that he’s seeing the benefits of these newly added instructional coach positions in district buildings.
“One of the things we’ve never really done well is give our teachers time to do those things and to really expand what it is they’re trying to get done. And by hiring these single positions in each of our buildings – we’re already two weeks in – and we’re already seeing the benefits of that and seeing some exciting things.”
He says that the coaches have several different technology and methodology skills to assist teachers with helping develop curriculum and ways of teaching.
Whitsitt adds that he’s seeing some innovation in the classrooms, thanks to the assistance of these instructional coaches.
