Rockford Sun

The Illinois Schools Report Card indicates that 89.3% of teachers remain in schools through Winnebago County year to year, based on the 2023 three-year average, according to the Illinois State Board of Education report.

The Illinois State Board of Education records data concerning faculty salary, retention, and attendance because maintaining a stable faculty makes for a better environment for teachers and students, furthering student success, according to the report.

There were 2,747 full-time faculty members in Winnebago County, with a student-teacher ratio of 16-to-1. Data shows that 42,873 students were welcomed at the 77 schools in the county.

The average salary for teachers within the county is around $66,000, ranking it 10th out of 102 counties in the state for pay. About 71.1% of teachers in the county were absent 10 days or fewer in 2023, compared to the statewide average of 64.4%.

Salaries vary depending on the school and district, as well as the teacher's level of experience and education, according to the report. The U.S. Department of Education considers teacher attendance a "leading indicator" of how well students perform. When a high rate of teachers is absent more than 10 days, data shows students perform worse.

In 2023, Illinois registered a teacher retention rate of around 90%. Yet, around 91% of superintendents reported having a 'serious' problem teacher shortage problem. In total, almost 4,100 teaching positions remained vacant by the end of the year.

“They’re putting a substitute in there, that’s somebody with a four-year degree that’s not in teaching. They’re using a retired teacher…or worse than that, they’re canceling the class, putting the kids in other classrooms, putting them in study hall, but those are strategies we have to use if there’s no qualified teacher,” said Beth Crider, regional superintendent of Peoria County Regional Office of Education #48.

To address the issue, Governor J.B. Pritzker proposed a three-year, $70 million program aimed at hiring and retaining qualified educators in the state.

Year	Teacher retention rate	Avg Salary
2023	89.3%	$66,000
2022	84.9%	$64,000
2021	83.9%	$62,000