Many area schools are feeling the effects of the same problem: a teacher shortage. At Galesburg’s latest school board meeting, Superintendent John Asplund and administrators talked about possibly raising the pay rate for substitute teachers to help incentivize the job even more.
“There used to be a lot of teacher applicants. There weren’t necessarily all the jobs for all the applicants, so you could hire a lot of young teachers to be subs. It was kind of like a farm system for you where you could watch them teach, and if they turned out to be really good subs, then you would consider them first for teaching openings. Well now, you don’t have multiple applicants for jobs, so there also isn’t that pool of young people that are looking to become teachers that didn’t find permanent positions,” he said.
Asplund says that retired teachers also have a harder time obtaining a substitute license due to new classes and certifications they must attend or obtain.
The school board also approved a donation agreement with G&M Distributors, F&M Bank, and Yemm Chevrolet. The donation will help pay for the new scoreboard at John Thiel Gymnasium. Overall, things are moving smoothly for Asplund and District 205 during his first year with the District, according to him.
“We have a fantastic group of teachers and administrators and support staff here that have definitely made my transition as easy as can be,” Asplund said.
To find out more about the latest at Galesburg schools, log on to galesburg205.org.
written by Jackson Kane
