A dramatic increase in Illinois teachers retiring in recent months is likely linked to educators stepping away from the classroom because of COVID-19 health and safety concerns, state officials said Friday.
From July through September, 566 teachers from across the state retired, a 45% increase from the same period in 2019, according to Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois data.
“The jump in retirements started in July, closer to the start of the new term, and when retirements traditionally fall off,” agency spokesman Dave Urbanek said.
The surge has continued, even after classes resumed this fall, Urbanek said.
The numbers are typically stable; they ranged between 365 and 397 for the same period in each of the previous five years before shooting up this summer.
While TRS does not record or ask why a member is retiring, Urbanek said anecdotally, “members retiring in July and August have mentioned the reasons they’re retiring this close to the beginning of the school year are related to COVID-19 … either concerns with the virus itself, incompatibility with decisions made by district school boards that employ them or incompatibility with the technology needed for remote learning.”
The exodus of veteran teachers across Illinois arrives at a time when many school districts across the state are already struggling with teacher shortages, said Kathi Griffin, president of the Illinois Education Association said Friday.
“We should be doing everything we can to attract young people to the profession and to ensure experienced educators stay,” Griffin said.
The organization witnessed an increase in teacher retirements among its members in 2020, Griffin said, “especially in the spring, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois.”
“We need to make sure our educators’ voices are heard when discussing learning plans, whether in person, remote or hybrid,” Griffin said. “We need to make sure every student, teacher and staff member has a safe working and learning environment.”
kcullotta@chicagotribune.com
