ILLINOIS (WAND) - Central Illinois students interested in education careers may benefit from nearly $2 million in Education Career Pathway Grants.
Gov. JB Pritzker's administration announced the Career and Technical Education (CTE) grants, totaling $1,995,275, will go to 11 regional entities. The goal is to recruit and support future educators at 62 Illinois high schools and vocational centers.
According to a press release from the governor's office, students in CTE Education Career Pathways will get a head start on preparing for teaching with chances for hands-on learning, dual credit, credentials and mentorship. The Pritzker administration said CTE programs prepare students for education careers and the pursuit of post-secondary opportunities by developing their technical and employability skills while also working to strengthen their core academic abilities.
Pritzker' increased state funding for CTE for the first time in five years with his fiscal year 2020 budget. His FY 2021 budget includes the same higher level of funding, the release said.
Illinois is currently dealing with a shortage of teachers. Emily Fox of the Illinois State Board of Education explained the state's school year 2020 Unfilled Positions Report found there are about 4,800 unfilled positions across the state. About 40 percent of those are teaching positions.
Students aren't always interested in teaching as a career path, however. A 2018 ACT survey found only 5 percent of test takers indicated they had an interest in the teaching profession.
The governor's office said research found students could change their minds if they have "an early experience in teaching and direct paths into the profession." Local pathways may be important, as state leaders said fifty percent of Illinois teachers teach in the same county where they graduated from high school.
Pritzker highlighted why he believes this program is so important for increasing the educator workforce.
“Every student in Illinois, no matter where they live or the color of their skin or their family’s income level deserves access to a high-quality education and teachers who understand their life experiences," said Pritzker. "That’s why my fiscal year 2020 budget included an increase in state funding for career and technical education to recruit and train more teachers, the first increase Illinois has seen in five years. Especially now as kids across the state are increasingly relying on remote learning to achieve their education goals, equipping teachers with the tools and skills they need to be successful is more important than ever.”
“We have seen significant outcomes from school districts already implementing Education Career Pathways. We are excited to support the growth of this successful model across the state, especially in regions with the highest demand for teachers and in the greatest need for additional resources,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala. “I personally found my way into teaching after having early experiences in the classroom as a teenager. I fell in love with teaching after experiencing the magic firsthand and having access to the kind of mentorship, encouragement, and hands-on learning that Education Career Pathways provide.”
Grants are going to community colleges and Education for Employment (EFE) systems. Illinois has 58 of those systems, and state leaders said they provide leadership for Illinois' CTE program areas, including education.
In central Illinois, EFE System No. 330 is receiving an $85,450 cut of the funding. It includes Mahomet-Seymour High School, Heritage High School, Monticello High School, Rantoul Township High School, St. Joseph-Ogden High School, Tuscola High School, Urbana High School, Central High School and Gibson City Melvin Sibley High School.
Richland Community College will claim $78,970 to support education career pathways at Eisenhower High School and MacArthur High School in Decatur.
A full chart of the EFE systems and schools that are receiving grant money is below:
