Rockford partnership chips away at teacher shortage

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) – A national teacher shortage is still affecting the stateline, and a local partnership aims to do something about it.

Rockford Public School District 205 began the 2024-2025 academic year with more than 20 openings, some of which have still not been filled. "The nation saw a drastic decline in teachers just because that was such a tough time to go into education," said Bridget French, executive director of college & career readiness for RPS 205.

That is why districts like RPS 205 are getting creative to make becoming a teacher more attractive.

"So, we partner with Rockford University to create a talent pipeline for those going through the education pathway in high school and then continue on to Rockford University," French said.

Under the program, students enroll at Rockford University with discounted tuition. If they land a job at RPS 205, the district will pay for their master's degrees.

"The premise behind it was to grow your own—grown your own educators," said Dr. Kelly Monson, an assistant professor at Rockford University. "Bring them back into the community they come from, also to diversify education."

Monson said a prolonged teacher shortage does one thing. It prevents existing educators from doing their jobs to the best of the abilities.

"Oftentimes educators have to utilize their prep periods to fill those open spaces in different classrooms," she said. "So, yeah, it's really taxing our educators."

Students who are on their way to becoming teachers through the Rockford University Pathway Teaching Program, now in its ninth year, say the experience has allowed them to see the value in teaching in the community where they up.

"I didn't always know that I wanted to be a teacher," said Dayanara Sandoval. "I had that interest, but I also had an interest in criminal justice. It wasn't until I visited Rockford University [did I] see the welcoming community that the education pathway offers."

To qualify for the Pathway teaching program, students must graduate from an RPS 205 high school.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics , the United States lost 8% of its public school teachers between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years. About 16% of those teacher retired. Fifteen percent left the profession for personal reasons like health, pregnancy and to care for family members. Others moved on in search of better pay.