Illinois doesn’t just have a teacher shortage, House lawmakers are learning about the need for other school personnel as well.
Based on testimony at a House Committee Hearing on the topic, schools are short social workers, psychologists, counselors and nurses. Many of the issues are the same among the professions. Tom Tebbe with the Illinois Association of School Social Workers discussed some of the problems.
“A preponderance of Caucasian social workers serving a diverse student population. Graduates who don’t want to work in rural areas. The lack of financial support for minority candidates. A low pass rate for the educators license test and a need for more Spanish speaking social workers.”
There’s also a shortage of school nurses, whose role has changed over the years says the University of Chicago Professor Eileen Moss.
“You may know a friend or relative who’s child has diabetes, asthma, life threatening allergies, seizure disorders or other chronic health conditions. Maybe you know a child who is fed with a feeding tube, needs catherization to empty their bladder or breathes threw a tracheotomy and needs a ventilator. These are students in our schools that need a nurse everyday.”
Reasons for the shortages vary but include the cost of getting a degree, too much paperwork on the job, low job satisfaction and resistance to working in certain geographic areas.
Solutions proposed include scholarships and loan forgiveness programs for those committing to work in rural and low-income areas, paid internships and recruiting high schoolers to pursue a career in one of the various fields.
