Macon Reporter

State Rep. Sue Scherer (D-Decatur) is sponsoring legislation geared toward helping educators with the cost of licenses and reimbursement for schooling.

Scherer took to social media to address the issue on Jan. 21 and her plans on how to fix it.

"We must work to remedy the teacher shortage crisis our state continues to face," Scherer wrote in a Facebook post. "I introduced multiple bills this week to address the issue."

The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS) reported that as of fall of 2021 there were 2,040 open teacher positions that were either left unfilled or filled by an underqualified candidate and 77 open administrative positions across the state.

“I just don’t have the feeling that people are completely aware of how very, very serious our teaching shortage is right now” Scherer told The Center Square.

The first of the two bills, titled House Bill 4139, makes changes to the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. The legislation would create a teacher reimbursement grant program. It would pay back public school educators who attended a state college or university over time for eight semesters, or 12 quarters, of tuition and mandatory fees for their professional educator license.

Scherer also sponsored House Bill 4246, which would allow educators to have their lapsed professional educator license reinstated after a payment of $50, a significant cost reduction of the current $500 fine. 

If approved by both the state House and Senate and eventually signed into law, both pieces of legislation would go into effect right away.

The two bills were approved by the Elementary & Secondary Education: Administration, Licensing & Charter Schools Committee on Jan. 19 and have been placed on the calendar for a second reading.