The Illinois Senate’s Education Committee advanced a bill that seeks to get retired teachers back into the classroom for longer periods of time amid a statewide teacher shortage. Andrew Hensel has more….
The legislation was filed by state Sen. Napoleon Harris III, D-Dolton, and would allow retired teachers to return to the classroom for 150 days or 750 paid hours.
“This allows retired teachers to return to the classroom for 150 days, which is currently 120 days per school year,” Harris said. If passed into law, “this goes into effect immediately and lasts until June 30th, 2023.”
According to a survey by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools 90% of Illinois schools are currently experiencing staffing shortages.
State Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, commended Harris on his work to address one of the state’s most prevalent issues.
“I appreciate the bill because we hear from teachers about this shortage and this is a big issue,” Rezin said. “I appreciate you working with Illinois Education Association to get this figured out.”
The shortage is starting to have an effect on students in the classroom, according to several lawmakers.
“The ongoing teacher shortage is affecting our children, but allowing retired teachers to bring their expertise back to the classroom for longer would help students thrive,” Harris said.
State Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Hillside, agreed with Harris about that issue.
“We are beginning to hear from school districts that say we need additional teachers to be able to accommodate the in-person school learning,” Lightford said.
Senate Bill 3201 advanced out of the Senate Education Committee and will now head to the Senate floor for further debate.
[This story is from Illinois Radio Network News.]
