Illinois Governor JB Pritzker was at a high school in Elgin on Friday – Streamwood High School in particular – and highlighted the state’s proposed Teacher Pipeline Grant Program.
The program – designed to direct $70 million each year over the next three – will be aimed at getting the 170 most needy Illinois school district the help of which they desperately require at this juncture.
Governor Pritzker and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton each respectively made note of the importance of teachers, education, and the innovations that their administration looks to execute properly.
The governor said, “When it comes to our kids, we can always do more. And when that comes to our schools, that means not just more funding, but more resources — and most crucially, more educators; all across the nation, school districts are fighting the impact of teacher shortages — as education professionals struggle to weigh their passion for their classrooms with their own mental, financial, and personal wellbeing. So as part of my education investment plan, I’m proposing an additional $70 million annually specifically targeted at addressing teacher shortages.”
and the Lt. governor reiterated these feelings and ideas. “From the cradle to college, we put children first in Illinois. That is why our state is investing in plans that will address the teacher shortage by supporting our most strained and understaffed districts, so our children and their teachers can thrive together in the classroom. We recognize how valuable educators are to the future of our state, and this initiative uplifts their needs to do the critical work of raising up the next generation.”
Meanwhile, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders noted that “The best investment we can make in our schools is in our teachers. The experience of teaching is incredible. It’s not teaching itself that’s causing a teacher shortage; it is the systemic inequities present in our most under-resourced districts. The Teacher Pipeline Grant Program provides these districts with the resources they need to solve local challenges to recruitment and retention and remove barriers preventing aspiring educators from pursuing the calling to teach.”
