(CAPITOL CITY NOW) – At least one program is showing results in attempting to ease Illinois’ teacher shortage.

Kirsten Parr, director of standards and instruction for the Illinois State Board of Education, says the second year of the Illinois Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program has borne fruit.

“The program really allows districts to address the unique root causes of teacher shortages, including compensation, lack of qualified candidates, and competition,” said Parr. “The most common investments include: developing staff credentials, providing professional learning, offering compensation for new and returning teachers, and investing in recruitment practices.

“Districts are hiring, retaining, and upskilling more educators than ever,” said Parr. “This program has resulted in more than 12,000 new hires, 15,000 educators retained, and 2,300 educators earning licensure or endorsement.”

Parr says the 170 participating districts account for about half the public school students in Illinois.

The report attempts to refute any notion that the success in the understaffed districts is coming at the expense of the less needy districts in Illinois. The districts not participating in the program are growing their faculty numbers, too.