IEA study: Nearly 3 of 5 teachers weigh leaving classroom

(The Center Square) – Former Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey is sounding the alarm about a new Illinois Education Association survey that finds almost three out of every five state educators concede they have envisioned themselves walking away from the classroom.

In a poll conducted earlier this summer from a pool of 500 active IEA members, researchers found 59% of teachers, professors in higher education and support staff all admit that they have harbored such thoughts.

“This data should set off massive alarm bells for parents, students and community members. We are in a dire situation with teacher and support staff shortages,” IEA President Al Llorens said. “We know districts cannot attract and retain enough talented adults to work with our students.”

Bailey said the study results are “a shame.”

“What’s going on is government has far too much involvement in our schools,” Bailey told The Center Square. “We’re not allowing our children to think on their own anymore. They’re losing interest. Therefore the teachers are missing the value and the love of teaching.”

Bailey argued in some ways its advocacy groups like IEA that have become a big part of the problem.

“They’re the ones that continually go to government and make demands and tell them what they need, especially at the hand of J.B. Pritzker,” he said. “Here in Illinois, we give the teachers’ unions whatever they want. We’re failing our children. We’re teaching them to memorize just so they can take a state test and the state can get more money to build gymnasiums and soccer fields and football fields instead of classrooms.”

With more than 4,000 teaching positions across the state being unfilled as recently as the 2023-24 school year, Bailey, who challenged Pritzker as the GOP nominee in 2022, said it’s clear what needs to happen.

“It’s time for government to get out of education and let the local school boards decide how they want their children educated,” he said. “That’s the only process that will work and that’s how this was set up in the very beginning.”

While still in Springfield, Bailey filed legislation designed to address the state’s growing teacher shortage by eliminating the requirement that teachers pass the controversial edTPA test, which he’s long argued falls short of being the best indicator of future success as a teacher.

As part of the IEA survey, researchers found the top three reasons more educators were thinking of walking away are not earning enough money, lack of respect for the profession, and increasing workload.

“Just think about that for a second. Would you want to pour your heart and soul into a job where you’re not appreciated and constantly being asked to do more for less money? Probably not,” Llorens said.