Wabash Valley College and Wabash General Hospital Host Annual Health Professionals Day

On Friday, February 21st, Wabash Valley College welcomed over 500 high school students from the area to the Brubeck Theatre for its Annual Health Professionals Day. The event gave students a unique opportunity to explore careers in the medical field, engage with healthcare professionals, and gain hands-on experience.

A major highlight of the day was the live surgical demonstration, featuring a cadaver limb provided by Arthrex. Many students described it as an eye-opening experience that deepened their interest in medicine. One student remarked, “I thought it was going to be more of a fake surgery, not a real leg!” Others said that seeing a real procedure up close was “incredible” and “something they will never forget.”

In addition to the surgery, students had the chance to interact with cadavers in the lab, which proved to be another favorite experience. One participant shared, “I saw a cadaver for the first time, and it was really cool that we were allowed to touch them.” Others found it especially beneficial to learn about anatomy in such a hands-on way.

The event also featured breakout sessions covering various medical fields, including emergency services, laboratory work, respiratory therapy, rehabilitation services, athletic training and sports medicine, surgery, nursing, and radiology. Many students appreciated the opportunity to engage directly with professionals, ask questions, and explore different career paths. One student reflected, “Hearing from real healthcare workers and being able to ask questions about their experiences was so helpful.” Another said, “The emergency services session was amazing—I really liked seeing a real-life scenario play out.”

Wabash Valley College President and IECC Vice-Chancellor of Student Affairs Dr. Matthew Fowler emphasized the event’s impact, stating, “What an opportunity students had to see and hear firsthand from leading professionals in the healthcare field today at Health Professionals Day. It’s certainly a blessing to partner with Wabash General Hospital to strengthen our community in this way.”

Dr. Justin Miller, Orthopedic Surgeon at Wabash General Hospital, echoed the importance of exposing students to the medical profession: “I didn’t know anybody who was an orthopedic surgeon or had gone to medical school when I was their age. I didn’t even know what questions to ask. I love having the opportunity to give students tips and tricks that I wish I had known at their stage in the game.”

Heather Greenwood, Director of the Southeast Illinois Area Health Education Center at Wabash General Hospital, highlighted the event’s significance: “We had students from two hours away. There’s nothing like this in the state of Illinois, and the fact that we can invite students from as close as five minutes away or as far as two hours away to fill the campus is a truly unique opportunity that not many high school students across America have. It’s a diamond in the rough, and for it to happen in a small town like Mount Carmel—it’s really amazing.”

Thanks to the collaboration between Wabash Valley College, Wabash General Hospital, Southeast Illinois AHEC, and support from professionals across the IECC district, this year’s Health Professionals Day was a resounding success. Students left the event inspired, informed, and eager to pursue careers in the healthcare industry.

Don’t count on a four-leaf clover ​ to keep you safe this St. Patrick’s Day

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police and local law enforcement remind you to plan ahead for a sober ride home before partaking in any St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. When you know how you’ll get home after the revelry ends, you – and those around you – are more likely to end the night safely with your luck intact.

“Don’t push your luck this St. Patrick’s Day by driving impaired,” said Stephane B. Seck-Birhame, IDOT’s bureau chief of Safety Programs and Engineering. “Plan ahead for a safe celebration and don’t let anyone get behind the wheel if they’ve been drinking or using drugs. Take their keys away and make sure they have a safe ride home. It might be the difference between a memorable celebration or a tragedy that could have easily been avoided by making the right choice.”

Through March 18, ISP and local law enforcement will be conducting various enforcement operations, including roadside safety checks, seat belt enforcement zones and dedicated patrols. These efforts will focus on enforcing DUI laws, seat belt compliance, speeding, distracted driving and other traffic safety violations.

“St. Patrick's Day is considered one of the top drinking holidays,” said ISP Division of Patrol Col. Chris Owen. “It is also a time when we see a higher number of drunk and impaired drivers. ISP troopers will be actively patrolling for intoxicated drivers, so make sure you have a plan to get home safely if you drink, or your luck could run out."

Follow these simple steps to enjoy a safe St. Patrick’s Day.

If you are hosting a party:

• Remember, you can be held liable and prosecuted if someone you served is involved in an impaired driving crash.

• Make sure all your guests designate their sober drivers in advance or help arrange ride sharing with other sober drivers.

• Serve plenty of food and non-alcoholic beverages.

• Keep information on cabs and ride-sharing services handy. Take keys away from anyone who is thinking of driving impaired.

If you are attending a party:

• Designate your sober driver before the party begins and give that person your car keys.

• Ask a sober friend or family member for a ride, call a cab, take public transportation, use a ride-sharing service or stay where you are until you are sober.

• Never let a friend leave your sight if you think they are about to drive impaired.

• Always buckle up – it is your best defense against an impaired driver.

The St. Patrick’s Day “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “Click It or Ticket” campaigns are made possible through federal funds administered by IDOT and coincide with the comprehensive “It’s Not a Game” multimedia campaign.

Outdoor weather siren update

The Gibson County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management Agency of Gibson County want to make citizens of the Gibson County aware that three of the county’s outdoor weather sirens are not in proper working order.  These sirens are on the South, East, and West sides of Princeton.  Gibson County EMA Director Stephanie McKinney has been in contact with the county’s contracted company that services and maintains the sirens with the issues. 
 
The Sheriff’s Office as well as the county EMA encourage citizens to have at least two other sources to obtain weather alerts beside the weather sirens.  Cell phones, weather radios, television, and traditional radio are all great resources in obtaining weather related alerts.  Citizens are cautioned not to rely on the outdoor weather sirens as they designed to be heard outdoors, and you may not be able to hear the siren indoors or while asleep.
 
Finally the Indiana Department of Homeland Security has these Tornado Safety Tips:
 

• Identify safe places to shelter. For optimal protection, choose basements, storm cellars and inner rooms away from doors, windows and outer walls.

• If you live in a mobile or manufactured home, identify an alternative shelter such as a single-family home, designated tornado shelter or building built with reinforced concrete. Also, find the best route to this shelter and practice how long it takes to get there.

• During tornado warnings, move to the lowest level of a sturdy building. It is best to go to a basement, safe room or storm cellar. If unavailable, use an interior room or hallway without windows.

• Stay out of damaged buildings until they have been inspected and cleared by a building official.

 
As always be mindful of continuing changes in the weather.

If you notice that a siren did not go off in your area please contact the Gibson County Emergency Management Agency Office or the Gibson County Commissioner's Office.  

Anti-bullying legislation filed in Springfield

Concerns by a parent in State Representative CD Davidsmeyer’s district has resulted in the Jacksonville Republican filing legislation that amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning bullying prevention, it provides that “policy on bullying” means a bullying prevention policy that is age and developmentally appropriate.

Davidsmeyer explained to colleagues in committee that his amendment to the bill clarifies that what they are teaching on bullying must be age appropriate and not the policy itself being age appropriate.

CD DAVIDESMEYER ON ANTI-BULLYING BILL

Illinois law requires each school district, charter school and non-public, non-sectarian elementary school to create, maintain, and implement a policy on bullying, which must be filed with the State Board of Education. House Bill 1411 now moves on to the full House of Representatives for debate.

Evansville Parents Arrested for Neglect after Traffic Stop on I-69

Gibson County – Wednesday night, March 12, at approximately 9:18 p.m., Trooper Hurley stopped the driver of a Chevrolet Impala on I-69 near the SR 168 exit for not having a front bumper and for a defective taillight. When Trooper Hurley approached the vehicle, he detected an odor of burnt cannabis and observed a glass smoking device containing suspected marijuana on the center console. The driver was identified as Trinity Duncan, 21, of Evansville. She also displayed signs of impairment. The passenger was identified as her boyfriend, Christopher Conlee, 23, of Evansville. Trooper Hurley also observed their two small children in the rear passenger seat. A loaded pistol with a 30-round magazine was also located on the floor in the rear passenger area. Further investigation concluded that Duncan was intoxicated. Duncan and Conlee were both transported to the Gibson County Jail where they are currently being held on bond. The Indiana Department of Child Services took custody of the two children. Toxicology is pending.

Arrested and Charges:

• Trinity Duncan, 21, Evansville

1. Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated with a Passenger Less than 18 years of age, Level 6 Felony

2. Neglect of a Dependent, Level 6 Felony

3. Possession of Marijuana, Class B Misdemeanor

4. Possession of Paraphernalia, Class C Misdemeanor

• Christopher Conlee, 23, Evansville

1. Neglect of a Dependent, Level 6 Felony

2. Possession of Marijuana, Class B Misdemeanor

3. Possession of Paraphernalia, Class C Misdemeanor

Arresting Officer: Trooper Tanner Hurley, Indiana State Police

Assisting Officers: Trooper Cummings and Trooper Kincaid

Semi driver arrested for OWI

On March 12, 2025, at 3:38 p.m. Gibson County Central Dispatch received a 911 report of a Semi facing eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 64 near the 29 mile marker. Deputy Eric Powell was dispatched to the scene and upon arriving he found a Blue Freightliner Semi with a box trailer attached sitting partially in the fast lane of travel of westbound traffic.  Haubstadt Fire and an ambulance were also dispatched to the scene to treat a possible patient and to assist in removing oil and debris from the roadway.  Deputies with the Gibson County Sheriff’s Office and Haubstadt Police Department assisted in traffic control during the investigation of this incident. 
 
While investigating this incident Deputy Powell located the driver 55 year old Shawn Kemble of North Richland Hills, Texas.  While speaking with Mr. Kemble Deputy Powell detected clues that the driver was under the influence of an unknown intoxicant.  At that point Deputy Powell and Indiana State Trooper Tanner Hurley began a DUI investigation.  At the conclusion of the investigation Mr. Kemble was placed into custody and transported to the Gibson County Jail where he was charged with Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated. 
 
Also assisting in this investigation were Deputy Wes Baumgart and Haubstadt Officer Bryan Munnier. 
 
Preliminary findings on scene indicate that Mr. Kemble’s Freightliner struck the Interstate 64 Bridge over Interstate 69 on the north side of the roadway.  The semi continued down the concrete bridge where it then crossed the median and came to rest partially in the westbound lane. 
 
 
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Illinois schools turn to retirees, substitutes, outsourcing & state grants to combat prolonged teacher shortage

Annual educators’ survey showed lack of applicants, salary issues and poor working conditions among main causes
By Jessie Nguyen, Jordan Owens and Medill Illinois News Bureau

SPRINGFIELD – From hiring retired educators to adjusting class offerings, Illinois schools are relying on a variety of short-term, innovative measures to cope with a prolonged and critical statewide teacher shortage. 

The most recent survey of education leaders from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, or IARSS, shows overall shortage percentages similar to pre-pandemic levels, yet school districts are still struggling to ease less-than-optimal student-teacher ratios. 

“For our school districts throughout the state, (the teacher shortage) is not universally created everywhere. It looks different in every place, but I think everybody believes – or at least feels like – it's a challenge,” said Gary Tipsord, IARSS Executive Director. “So let's accept that as a reality, and then that will allow us to best solve this sustainably.”.

This is the eighth year the IARSS has partnered with Goshen Consulting to produce the report.

Of more than 750 schools surveyed this year, 87% said they have a “minor, serious or very serious (shortage) problem.” The report also found that 91% of schools said they struggle to hire substitute teachers, while 65% said more than half of teacher candidates don’t have the proper credentials for the teaching positions they’re applying to.

“I think the biggest impact that (the shortage) has is on teacher morale. If there aren’t enough people to do all of the jobs, then those of us who are committed and dedicated to what we do automatically do more,” said Gretchen Weiss, a special education teacher at Macomb Middle School in West Central Illinois. 

Illinois had roughly 140,000 teachers for the 2023-2024 school year, according to a report by the Illinois State Board of Education. This number has grown every year since the implementation of Evidence-Based Funding, or EBF, in 2018. The student-teacher ratio was 17:1 in 2024 at both the elementary and high school levels, a steady decrease from roughly 19:1 in 2016.

The IARSS 2024-25 teacher shortage survey found that while alternative teaching methods helped districts see an increase in the number of educators, the shortage persists due to a lack of new teachers entering the profession.

School leaders surveyed said a limited applicant pool, compensation issues and “poor working conditions” are among the main causes of the shortage, though Tipsord said the term “working conditions” is broad and its meaning can vary from one respondent to another.

“When people talk about working conditions … that potentially means something different to every teacher or every district or every building,” Tipsord said. “I don’t know that we’re in a good space to truly understand that yet, and I think that’s the place where we need to continue to dig.”

Pandemic

In 2020, Illinois schools, like others across the country, were hit with temporary school closures due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

Rachael Mahmood, a teacher at Georgetown Elementary School in Aurora and the 2024 Illinois Teacher of the Year, noted that students and teachers alike struggled with the effects of an upsurge in online learning.

“I missed my students being in the classroom, and I missed all the community of a classroom, so I was ready to return,” Mahmood said. 

In the 2020-2021 academic year, administrators saw a spike in unfilled positions or low-quality hires. Budget and health concerns due to the pandemic in school districts caused a decrease in the number of educators working in K-12 schools. Though the shortage seemed to improve the following year, it has proved to be a continuing issue with shortages rising between 2022-2024. 

Because of the pandemic, school districts in the state are working to return shortage rates back to pre-pandemic levels. In 2018, 85% of education leaders reported “a major or a minor issue” in filling teaching positions. This number grew by 3% in 2019. 

To help relieve issues caused by the pandemic, schools across the country received an infusion of federal money called Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds.

Illinois saw this money distributed in three rounds over the last five years through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act; the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act; and the American Rescue Plan (ARP ESSER). About $7.7 million of the $8 million funds were spent, with final ESSER dollars being allocated to schools in September of this school year. 

“I think what is going to be very interesting is after this year, all those ESSER dollars will have expired unless they get an extension through March of 2026,” said Tipsord. “But as those have expired, what's the landscape? And will data next year - raw data next year – look worse?”

Alternative measures

About 3,864 positions are left unfilled this school year at a vacancy rate of 2.8%, a decrease from 4,096 positions last year, or 3%. 

For the 2024-2025 school year, Illinois schools filled 6,117 teaching positions with innovative alternative measures like using retired teachers, going virtual, modifying class offerings and utilizing third-party vendors to find educators. Many of those positions were in areas such as bilingual or special education, early childhood and elementary education.

At Macomb Middle School, these measures include having two Leading, Educating and Partnering in Schools, or LEAP, advocates and a “paperwork day” for special education teachers. 

LEAP advocates are the school’s support staff who help with school attendance, academics and student well-being, according to the Macomb Regional Office of Education’s website. A paperwork day is when teachers take time off from school to complete an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) outlining the special education students’ academic goals and deficits for the school year.

Weiss said in addition to teaching, she also writes IEPs for 14 of her students. 

“The district hires a sub for me, and I find a quiet workspace in the building, and I can work on paperwork,” Weiss said. “That speaks to my district’s commitment to work-life balance… That’s something that my district does very well in terms of taking care to make sure that teachers have the support they need.”

This year, school districts hired about 1440 substitute teachers, including some retired teachers. To accommodate those retirees, many downstate school districts increased the number of days retired educators can work as substitutes without affecting their retirement benefits. Of the schools surveyed, 86% said this measure helped with the shortage.

“We do have one retiree that's helping us with a math vacancy right now,” said Travis. “She just retired, and she signed up right away to be a substitute. We reached out to her, and she said, ‘Absolutely,’ because she's familiar with the curriculum and the students.”

Policy recommendations

Increasing state funding for K-12 schools, investing in teacher and school leadership and helping support staff become educators are some of the recommendations school leaders mentioned in the survey as possible ways to ease the shortage crisis. 

Fifty-nine percent of school leaders said EBF money allowed districts to add additional staff, while others said the teacher vacancy grants and career and technical education pathway grants can also help ease the crisis. 

EBF is a school funding formula lawmakers adopted in 2017 that seeks to reduce funding gaps in the state by sending more resources to the most underfunded districts. CTE programs prepare students for high-skill, in-demand occupations like engineering or culinary arts.

 In his February State of the State address, Gov. JB Pritzker reiterated Illinois’ ongoing support for K-12 education funding, including a $350 million increase in EBF and a $1.3 million increase in CTE programs. This brings the total EBF funds to $8.9 billion since the program was enacted in 2017.

Pritzker also proposed continued funding of $45 million for the Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program.

“We are recipients of the teacher vacancy program. I should say that has helped us retain teachers because we were able to offer some signing bonuses for hard-to-fill positions,” said LaTesh Travis, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources at Berkeley School District 87.

Launched in the 2023-2024 academic year, the teacher vacancy grant allowed districts to fill educator positions and offer money for education training. For the Berkeley School District, Travis says they were able to offer signing bonuses for math, special education and bilingual teachers. 

Though the state has pledged its support for education funding over the past couple of years, some say there is still room for improvement.

“We understand that this budget, although compassionate, still has a long way to go when it comes to really being able to close gaps. Illinois has committed to education, and I think that has to be part of (the budget) as well,” said Jelani Saadiq, director of government relations with Advance Illinois, a nonprofit agency that promotes public education in Illinois.

Aside from funding, the report proposed more support for shortage research — to better understand what is working to ease shortages — and the implementation of Illinois Vision 2030, a five-year policy framework for state legislators and education officials to better support K-12 public education. 

One of the framework’s focuses is on attracting and retaining high-quality educators through marketing campaigns, strengthening educator pathway programs and improving educators’ experience. Vision 2030 also advocates for grow-your-own programs that encourage local high school students to consider careers in education.

Mahmood said one other way to keep teachers in the workforce is through leadership, though balancing a professional’s “natural desire” to be promoted and their sense of duty can be challenging. 

“Every teacher is a leader — they lead classrooms, they’re in charge of little people and they’re making all these decisions as a leader. But are we treating them as leaders?” Mahmood said. “Teaching is the only job where going up means going out of the classroom, and we need great teachers to choose to stay in the classroom.”

Jessie Nguyen is a graduate student in journalism with Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, and a fellow in its Medill Illinois News Bureau working in partnership with Capitol News Illinois.

Jordan G. Owens is a graduate student in journalism with Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, and a fellow in its Medill Illinois News Bureau working in partnership with Capitol News Illinois.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

Educators say low pay hinders teacher recruitment, retention efforts

‘Poor Working Conditions’ also cited as deterring new hires: 2024-25 teacher shortage report

By Jordan G. Owens and Medill Illinois News Bureau

SPRINGFIELD – Increased pay for educators, better school conditions, mentoring and mental health support are key factors cited by educators that could help alleviate the critical ongoing teacher shortage in Illinois. 

“Poor Working Conditions” are among the top three causes of the shortage, according to the 2024-2025 Illinois Educator Shortage Survey released Monday by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, or IARSS. Limited applicants and issues related to salary and benefits are the other two.

Educators cited pay as one of those working conditions and argued that part of the solution must be to provide higher teacher salaries. The top three desired solutions cited in the survey were improved state and federal support, providing incentives to educators and improving recruitment.

“All teachers across the state feel under-compensated, and that is a real point of pain,” said Dr. Rachel Mahmood, 2024 Illinois Teacher of the Year and an educator at Georgetown Elementary School in Aurora. “If you can afford to pay more, you're going to draw people towards your districts.”

LaTesh Travis, assistant superintendent for human resources in Berkeley School District 87, highlights the competitive labor market in hiring teachers and how low pay leads to more teachers leaving or not wanting to work in lower-income and rural areas. 

To have a more equal distribution of educators across the state, Travis said, Illinois would need to raise the minimum income for all teachers to $55,000, because it is a main factor deterring people from the education field.

“I would like to see teacher salaries have a minimum base increase,” Travis said. “How schools are funded is based on where you're located, and some of us in the lower socioeconomic communities, we can't pay what others pay.”

Last month, Gov. JB Pritzker proposed a new budget for the upcoming fiscal year that would increase K-12 funding by $300 million and boost higher education funding by 3%  but would keep funding flat for the Early Childhood Block Grant program. The governor and lawmakers have to agree on a spending plan by the end of May.

The authors of the Illinois Educator Shortage Survey concede the term “poor working conditions” is hard to define and, thus, hard to solve.

“I think the area that's interesting is when people talk about working conditions, and we even talked about this a little bit last year, that potentially means something different to every teacher or to every district or to every (school) building,” said Gary Tipsord, executive director of IARSS. “I don't know that we're in a good space to truly understand that yet, and I think that's the place where we do need to continue to dig.” 

Hoping to help improve teachers' working conditions, Mahmood focuses on necessary discussions about why people came into the education field. 

For example, Mahmood highlighted World Cafés, an inclusive dialog model that creates ideas and plans to enhance schools, as a tool she learned from working in the Indian Prairie Community Unit School District to format these discussions. 

“The end goal of that is not only mutual empathy and understanding of each other's stories and working on the culture and climate of our schools, it's also showing teachers the role they have in shaping a school’s culture of belonging, with the ultimate outcome of teachers feeling validated and valued in their fields,” Mahmood said.

As teacher of the year, Mahmood focuses on raising retention rates by showing the importance of sharing the stories of teachers across the state.

“Part of retaining educators is understanding why they came into the field and honoring their purpose and their mission for becoming a teacher. Making sure that they feel satisfied,” Mahmood said. 

Those surveyed say other initiatives that need to be taken on a statewide level are supporting and speaking about increased stress in educators and their mental health, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Robin Steans, president of Advance Illinois, an advocacy group focused on public education, says more mentorship opportunities for new teachers and education leaders would also help with teacher retention. 

“This is a tight budget year, so (the Teacher Mentoring and Induction Program is) one of the programs that has been slated not to make that transition,” Steans said. “I think that is problematic because we lose a lot of teachers in those first three years, and Teacher Mentoring and Induction has a real impact on that. It really increases the retention rate, and that is absolutely critical.”

It is essential to retain teachers and add more to the workforce to keep up with the growing number of students in K-12 grade levels. Survey respondents cited improving recruitment, providing incentives and more support for staff as the top three strategies to combat the shortage. 

In her role for the Berkeley School District, Travis travels to universities in the state to recruit graduating college students to teach in the district. 

“When I go to the career fairs, that's an indicator for me of how many people are going into education,” said Travis. 

She notes it is especially hard to find and recruit specialized teachers for students. 

“There is a huge shortage in special education, bilingual education, math teachers and science teachers. I truly believe, over the years, special education is leading the pack,” said Travis. 

With special education having the most unfilled positions of all specializations in teaching, according to the shortage survey, school districts are specifically feeling the effects of the shortage the most through this avenue. This academic year, 1,215 of these positions were left unfilled.

This upcoming academic year, the Berkeley district is looking to introduce and bring in a cohort of special education teachers to help fill the vacancies in their schools. So far, 10 teachers looking for licensure endorsements have signed up. 

Other strategies Travis says would help with recruitment include reaching out to middle and high school students through future teacher programs.

“I just hope that we can inspire and encourage more people to become teachers,” said Travis. “We have to partner (with schools) more and make a connection, helping the pipeline start early.”

With what is expected of teachers and the added tasks due to the shortage, Mahmood says the time and effort that goes into teaching sometimes go unnoticed. To recruit and improve working conditions, she emphasizes the importance of going into schools to ask what educators require to feel supported and acknowledging their reasons for coming into the field. 

“Educators' stories of why they came into teaching is super important,” Mahmood said. “I think that teachers that have a strong ‘why’ story, it grounds them through the tough years and the great years.”

Jordan G. Owens is a graduate student in journalism with Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, and a fellow in its Medill Illinois News Bureau working in partnership with Capitol News Illinois.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

Republican bills aim to assist Illinois in its battle against fentanyl

The bills have attracted bipartisan support

By JADE AUBREY
Capitol News Illinois
jaubrey@capitolnewsillinois.com 

Illinois Republican senators have filed bills that would combat the state’s fentanyl crisis and further punish major possessors of the drug.

One bill would reclassify a fentanyl overdose as a “poison,” while another would consider major fentanyl possessors a threat to public safety.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois experienced 3,261 fatal opioid-related drug overdoses in 2022, and 2,855 in 2023.

“There's not one simple area that it affects. It's everyone,” Sen. Sally Turner, R-Beason, said. “If you don't know someone that's been tainted with fentanyl, you will.”

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says fentanyl accounts for a major portion of all fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the U.S. 

It’s usually added to other types of drugs to increase potency, making the laced- drug cheaper, more powerful, addictive and dangerous.

“A packet of sugar that you get at the restaurant, that's about 2 milligrams,” Turner said. “If you compare that to 2 milligrams of fentanyl, that little packet could kill 500 people. So think about that. That's how important this is.”

Turner and Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, announced their sponsorship of the four fentanyl-related bills during a news conference with McLean County Coroner Kathleen Yoder in the Statehouse.

“The vast majority of time in these deaths, fentanyl is not something someone chooses to use intentionally,” Rezin said. “It's something they take when it's laced in other pills or products. Families are losing loved ones, not because of addiction, because they are unknowingly being poisoned right now.”

Rezin championed Senate Bill 1283, which would change the official language of IDPH for a fentanyl-related death from an “overdose” to a “poisoning.”

“When we treat fentanyl deaths as overdoses, we minimize the impact that this drug has on the victims,” Rezin said. “As legislators, it's our responsibility to ensure that people who die from this poison are recognized as victims, not just another overdose statistic.”

Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, said in an interview he is supportive of Rezin’s bill and is filing and sponsoring a duplicate bill in the House.

“It's clear that fentanyl is poisonous, and people die from it,” he said. “And many times, people that die from the fentanyl overdose, they're not intending to die, but they get a fatal dose, just like a fatal dose of any poison, and therefore it should be registered as a poison.”

Rezin is also pushing Senate Bill 113, which would require someone charged with handling 15 grams or more of substances containing fentanyl to prove that they do not pose a threat to public safety to be granted pretrial release.

“This shifts the burden away from prosecutors and judges and makes clear that the safety of our communities come first,” she said.

Neither of Rezin’s bills have been assigned to a committee, however, Ford said he agreed with Rezin that such people are a threat to public safety and planned to talk with the senators further about the bill. His main concern is if judges can already do this under the Safe-T Act.

Will Narcan continue to be the solution?

Naloxone – often referred to as its brand name, Narcan – is an over-the-counter medication as either a nasal spray or injection, and often is used to reverse opioid overdoses. 

In 2010, Illinois passed the Good Samaritan Law, which allows non-medical personnel to administer Narcan to a person experiencing an opioid or heroin overdose. The law’s enactment led to the creation of the Drug Overdose and Prevention Program, which enabled the Illinois Department of Human Services to provide organizations with Narcan, for free, to be dispersed within communities in the state.

A CDC report from late 2024 disclosed that, like Illinois, fentanyl-related overdose deaths decreased from 2022 to 2023 – the first nation-wide decrease since 2018.

On Thursday, the Pritzker Administration released a statement that reported an 8.3% decrease in total drug overdose deaths in Illinois in 2023. Synthetic opioid-related deaths also dropped by 9.5%.

The statement noted that “several factors likely contributed to this decline, including sustained efforts to increase naloxone distribution throughout the state.”

“What this tells me is that Narcan works and that it saves lives,” Ford said. “That’s why we have to make sure that we do everything we can to get Narcan out there.”

But Turner and Rezin weren’t so optimistic.

“I mean, great, we've had a decrease in fentanyl deaths,” Rezin said. “But considering where we want to, where we need to be, we're nowhere near being able to take a victory lap.”

Yoder, the McLean County coroner, reported that fentanyl has recently been mixed with new substances, like benzodiazepine and xylazine, often called tranq. These are substances that Narcan can’t reverse.

“This sad reality means that Naloxone alone cannot solve this problem,” Yoder said. “We need a holistic approach that includes keeping these dangerous drugs off the street and holding those trafficking these drugs accountable in order to safeguard their unwitting victims.”

Turner agreed.

“Yoder mentioned that now there's different forms of fentanyl that are coming out,” she said. “I think we're going to see more death because of Narcan doesn't work on everything. I think she's told us that maybe we're going to see that in the future.”

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, talks about her fentanyl-related legislation at a news conference in the Capitol. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jade Aubrey)

Rural schools face unique challenges filling positions

Districts finding creative solutions to persistent shortage

By Jessie Nguyen and Medill Illinois News Bureau

SPRINGFIELD – When Gretchen Weiss applied for a teaching position at Macomb Middle School in west-central Illinois more than 20 years ago, the school’s policy was to keep applications on file for only a year due to the large volume of applicants.

That is no longer the case. Now, applications are kept on file indefinitely, Weiss said.

Macomb and other smaller schools in rural Illinois are seeing firsthand the effects of a persistent statewide educator shortage. Though school districts are coping with the crisis through creative alternative measures, teachers and education leaders said they might only work in the short term. 

A recent survey of the state’s educators by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, or IARSS, looks at the impact of the ongoing teacher shortage where 87% of education leaders in the state indicated a “minor, serious or very serious (shortage) problem” for the 2024-25 school year. That includes 83% of districts in west-central Illinois.

“Schools and districts that serve more students from low-income households, more bilingual students and more students of color are more likely to be dealing with more significant vacancies. And I think this report is a reminder of that,” said Robin Steans, president of Advance Illinois, an advocacy organization working to promote the Illinois public education system.

At Carbondale High School where roughly half of the student population are minorities, finding teachers who look like the students is part of the challenge.

“Some folks in our building — who work as paraprofessionals and support staff, who want to become teachers, who are more representative of our community and as far as their demographics — are having trouble finding those opportunities, those pipelines into teaching,” said assistant principal Tyler Chance. “Right now, we’re looking at hiring a Spanish teacher, which is hard to find in a rural area.”

Ninety percent of school leaders in rural Illinois reported none or very few applicants for open positions, according to the study, released Monday. Bilingual teachers, English as a Second Language instructors and special education teachers are among the state’s top unfilled positions this year. 

Short-term solutions

Roughly 3,864 positions across Illinois are unfilled this school year, while 6,117 positions were filled through alternative solutions. From hiring retirees to shortening the teacher pathway, Illinois schools are easing the effects of the crisis in their own ways.

A special education reading, language arts and theatre teacher in the Macomb school district, Weiss said she’s thankful to have veteran teachers return to Macomb from retirement to help guide newer teachers.  

“Those teachers know the ins and outs of the district and are really good in their field,” Weiss said. “We’re lucky that those retired teachers act in that capacity… because it’s a tough job and if you don’t have the support, it would be easy to see why someone would be like, ‘I think I’m going to do something else.’”

Speeding up the licensing process is another way Illinois schools are tackling the shortage. Short-term credentials have allowed teachers to teach new subjects and grade levels without having to complete the traditional coursework or earn the Professional Educator License (PEL), a requirement for Illinois teachers, according to the 2023 Teacher Pipeline report by Advance Illinois. 

Though most short-term approvals allow licensed educators to teach in grade levels and subject areas in which they are not yet endorsed, the Content Knowledge Pathway, a new type of short-term approval, allows non-PEL holders to teach for up to three years, the report said. 

For the 2021-22 school year, coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, 1.5 percent of all Illinois teachers held short-term approvals, which might require educators to have a PEL. That’s up from just 0.1 percent in the 2017-18 school year.

But Chance said these alternatives seem like “band aids” when the prolonged teacher shortage needs to be addressed with “longer term care.”

“I think policy-wise, the big rush is to open doors for folks to get into teaching quickly, and that’s one of the doors I stepped through — Teach for America,” Chance said. “But some of it needs to be the long game. We need to make sure that teaching is a valued profession, that it has the community respect it used to have.”

He added, “We need to make sure that we have a diverse teacher workforce … that teachers are paid well and that’s the long game and harder solutions, rather than online programs that people can complete quickly.”

Teaching as “a calling”

Seventeen years ago, in his first year of teaching, Joe Brewer was “coaching every sport full time” on top of making overhead projectors at night due to the lack of technological advancement at his old school in Fulton County. Brewer said it was how teachers like him could make ends meet.

Currently a dean at Beardstown Community Unit School District, Brewer still works additional hours after school, teaching GED courses two nights a week. 

To Brewer, teaching isn’t just about the pay.

“That’s just the water we swim,” he said. “I view (teaching) as a calling, but that’s problematic, because we have to live our life.”

Due to the long hours at work, Brewer jokingly said he raised his two sons through the “Ring camera.”

“Maybe it’s helping me fill a financial gap to make some ends meet, but it does come at a cost of spending that quality time,” he said.

For veteran educators like Brewer, having space to grow professionally is one of the ways school districts can retain educators amidst the shortage. He believes rural areas can offer a sense of community that supports teachers in their profession.

“This is where rural schools can lead the way because our best asset is our social capital — we know everybody,” Brewer said. “We can be really easily connected in our community in a way that we don’t have to hustle.”

Weiss echoed Brewer’s sentiments. 

When she first earned her teaching certificate from Western Illinois University, Weiss had plans to teach in a big city, but now she’s glad she was “willing to give a rural area a shot.”

“Here I am 30 years later,” Weiss said. “This is a place that very quickly feels like home.”

Jessie Nguyen is a graduate student in journalism with Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, and a fellow in its Medill Illinois News Bureau working in partnership with Capitol News Illinois.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.