By Cynthia Grau/WJEZ News

The state has heard about having teacher and staffing shortages for awhile, but students are graduating with their teaching degrees at record levels, especially at nearby Illinois State University.

Mark Jontry, Regional Superintendent of Schools for Livingston, McLean, Logan and Dewitt counties, explained they found, during a recent survey, that while the state is graduating teachers, the shortage seems to be affecting downstate schools.

“For whatever reason, we seem to be producing enough teachers, according to data from the State Board of Higher Ed. But, I think what we’re finding is that since many of those candidates come from the northeast quadrant of the state, a lot of them want to go back and teach where they grew up for a variety of reasons. So that is leading to a shortage in the rest of the state in many positions we are struggling to fill. So, we’ve got to look at some ideas and hopefully some solutions to fill that gap,” Jontry said.

Jontry was a guest on a recent community forum, which can be found at wjez.com.