District 204 officials warn 'we've never faced anything like' teacher hiring crunch

Saying a "storm is coming," Indian Prairie Unit District 204 officials warned the school board about a hiring crunch that's bad now and could worsen in the future.

With at least 118 teacher retirements coming in the next three years and a decreasing number of candidates completing the certification process, administrators are working to develop strategies to avoid possible staffing shortages.

Louis Lee, assistant superintendent for human resources, and Carey Beth Harry, director of human resources, spoke this week about hiring and retention initiatives, including the Grow Your Own Teachers program that begins developing potential teachers while they're high school students.

But the next few years still could be challenging, Lee said.

"This current job market is entirely unique," Lee said during Monday's school board meeting. "We've never faced anything like it in recent history."

The administrators said that while full-time teaching positions were filled this school year, the district is struggling with hiring for other positions such as teaching assistants, psychologists, nurses, speech and language pathologists, and occupational therapists.

Lee also pointed to two surveys indicating the level of reluctance among parents to encourage their kids to be teachers. In one, 62% of parents said they don't want their children to pursue teaching.

The district usually experiences 30 to 50 teacher retirements each year. According to Lee, there will be 53 at the end of this year and 48 in 2024. Seventeen are scheduled for the year after that, but more are expected.

"I think that there's a lot of work in front of us with the aging of our staff and the number of people going into the teaching profession," said board President Laurie Donahue.

Three students participating in the Grow Your Own Teachers program told board members about their desire to teach someday in District 204.

"This program has introduced me to a new perspective of what being a teacher is really like," said Neuqua Valley student Maya Raczyk. "I've gotten to experience many different classrooms and teaching styles, which I hope to bring with me as I become a teacher in the future."