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The Teacher Vacancy Grant is part of a pilot program aimed at addressing chronic shortages by providing the state's most understaffed districts with resources to attract, hire, support, and retain teachers. The grant allows districts maximum flexibility to use allocated funds in innovative, creative, and evidenced-based ways, such as signing bonuses, housing stipends, down-payment assistance, or loan repayments; to pay tuition and fees or provide residencies or apprenticeships; and to sustain employment of current teachers by providing materials, supplies, coaching, and school culture supports.

Districts in Evidence-Based Funding Tiers 1, 2, 3 (as calculated for fiscal year 2023) have been identified for eligibility. Districts in Tier 4 are ineligible for this program as are the 352 districts that reported having no unfilled teaching positions at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year. One hundred seventy districts have been identified as eligible to receive awards based on the highest counts of unfilled teaching (not administrative or school support) positions and to ensure that 60% (102) of awards go to rural districts and 40% (68) of awards go to urban districts. The 60/40 split is aligned to the composition of all Tier 1, 2, and 3 districts in the state. National Center for Education Statistics locale classifications were used to determine which districts were rural and which were urban.

Data Dashboard – Vacancy Information and Impacts

Click here to view the Educator Supply and Demand data

Teacher Vacancy Grant Summit

The Teacher Vacancy Grant Summit took place on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, in Bloomington, IL at the ISU Bone Student Center. The event’s objective was to support grantees in addressing local teacher shortages.

Attendees engaged in collaborative sessions to discuss strategies for filling teacher vacancies, reviewed data from the Year 1 evaluation report, and learned about the grant’s role within broader teacher shortage initiatives from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Participants showcased the successes of their strategies and began developing one-pagers to communicate the impact of Teacher Vacancy Grant funding. Additionally, they explored sustainable, long-term approaches for their district's teacher vacancy initiatives, through considering how to blend and braid funding streams to support future programming.

Please see the materials below for additional support and information.

Summit Schedule
9:00 - 9:15 a.m. Welcome Remarks  ​(slides 1-4)
9:15 - 9:50 a.m. Teacher Vacancy Grant Research Summary  ​(slides 5-6; IWERC PresentationPDF Document)
9:50 - 10:00 a.m. Unconference: Setting the Stage  ​(slides 7-10)
10:00 - 10:45 a.m. Framing the Teacher Vacancy Grant within ISBEs Larger Teacher Shortage Strategy ​​ (slides 11-35)
10:45 - 11:00 a.m. Break
11:00 - 12:00 p.m.  Communicating the Impact of Your Teacher Vacancy Grant  ​(slides 37-55) One-pager templateWord Document
12:00 - 12:45 p.m. Working Lunch
12:45 - 1:30 p.m. ​ Gallery Walk  ​(slides 57-59)
1:30 - 2:30 p.m. ​​ Unconference: Topic-Focused Tabletop Conversations  ​(slides 60-64)
2:30 - 2:45 p.m. Break
2:45 - 3:30 p.m.  Sustaining Teacher Vacancy Grant Strategies  ​(slides 67-104)
3:30 - 4:30 p.m. ISBE Office Hours and Optional Work Time  ​(slides 105-107)
4:30 p.m.​ Closing Remarks​ (Please complete the Exit Survey here​)​

Early Results of Year 1 Funding

We are pleased to announce that the first year of Teacher Vacancy Grant has led to 5,400 new hires and retention of 11,000 educators!  The Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (I​WERC) recently released early results from a $45 million state investment that show improved recruitment and retention in the state’s most understaffed school districts.

“It’s a great time to be a teacher in Illinois," said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders. "The funds provided by the state’s Teacher Vacancy Grants are empowering school districts to provide new financial incentives, special pipeline programs, and other supports to recruit and retain teachers. Illinois is leading the way in investing in education, making our state the best place for educators to build their careers.”

See latest news.

ISBE partnered with IWERC to evaluate the grant program and release two studies:

FY25 Information

Eligible districtsPDF Document have received direct communication from the Illinois State Board of Education.

An information webinar was held on June 26, 2024.

Strategy Briefs

Teacher Vacancies Grant Memos

Additional Opportunities

Community of Practice

This Community of Practice serves as a collaborative platform where passionate educators like yourself can come together to share insights, strategies, and lessons learned from your experiences implementing the Teacher Vacancy Grant. By joining forces, we aim to cultivate a supportive environment where innovative ideas flourish and where we collectively address challenges faced in tackling teacher vacancies.

Here's what you can expect from our Teacher Vacancy Grant Community of Practice:

  • Shared Learning: Engage in open discussions to exchange successful strategies and innovative approaches that have proven effective in addressing teacher vacancies in your local context.
  • Peer Support: Benefit from the collective wisdom of fellow grantees who understand the unique challenges and opportunities of the Teacher Vacancy Grant program.
  • Professional Growth: Collaborate with educators from diverse backgrounds to expand your knowledge and skills in addressing teacher shortages and improving educational outcomes.
  • Resource Sharing: Access valuable resources, tools, and best practices to enhance your implementation efforts and maximize the impact of the grant.
  • Networking Opportunities: Forge meaningful connections with like-minded educators who are committed to making a difference in their communities through the Teacher Vacancy Grant initiative.

We believe that together, we can create a vibrant Community of Practice that empowers educators to thrive and inspire positive change in the education landscape.

​We look forward to your active participation and invaluable contributions to our shared mission of addressing teacher vacancies in Illinois and fostering excellence in education.

Beginning in January - time cadence to be determined.​​

Teacher Vacancy Grant | Office Hours

Office Hours have concluded at this time and will continue in 2025. Check back for dates soon!

Frequently Asked Questions

Application Process

  1. Will districts need to apply?

    Districts will need to complete a formula grant application in the ISBE electronic Grants Management System (eGMS). The application will be streamlined – the main components will be the district’s plans for the funds and proposed budget. Applications that have all the required components, are aligned to the purpose of the program, and contain allowable expenses will be approved. Applications will not be compared to one another as in a competitive grant, but rather will be evaluated against the standards/expectations for the program.

  2. How will districts apply?

    Districts eligible for a grant will have to apply for their funding through eGMS.

  3. What will the application entail?

    Districts will be required to explain the causes of the teacher staffing challenges in the district, submit a detailed budget to ISBE outlining the planned use of funds to address those staffing challenges, agree to grant-specific terms, and share how the programming will be sustained beyond the term of the grant.

  4. Can a district refuse/reject funds?

    Yes. Please send an email to teachervacancygrant@isbe.net indicating that you wish to refuse to participate.

  5. When is the last date for applications to be accepted?

    Please submit applications by Oct. 1, 2024.

  6. What can districts use the money for?

    Districts can use the money to meet local needs and challenges pertaining to teacher recruitment and retention. Districts have flexibility over how they spend the funds, but ISBE will issue guidance to support districts with evidence-based ideas, such as:

    • Financial incentives to immediately impact recruitment/hiring (e.g., signing bonuses, housing stipends and/or down payment assistance, loan repayment).
    • Programs and incentives to strengthen pipelines (tuition and e.g., fees, licensure fees to support employee advancement, partnerships to develop strategic pathways [such as residencies, apprenticeships]) .
    • Investments to sustain teachers and reduce attrition (e.g., instructional materials and supplies, instructional coaching, school culture supports).
  7. What specific guidance will ISBE be giving to districts for the use of this grant money?

    Districts have flexibility over how they spend the funds, but ISBE will issue guidance to support districts with evidence-based ideas, technical assistance, consulting, and communities of practice to support those receiving funds. In reviewing applications, ISBE will look for alignment of the proposed solutions/expenditures to the suspected root causes of shortages in that district and consistency with evidence-based practices. ISBE staff will be holding office hours for grantees to attend as they wish to go over specific items or answer broad questions. These office hours will be held from 10-11 a.m. on Tuesdays via Microsoft Teams. The link and specific dates can be found under the Teacher Vacancy Grant | Office Hours dropdown on the ISBE Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program webpage.

  8. Are there resources to help guide me on how to best spend our awarded dollars?

    Yes! The grant team put together a series of strategy briefs that summarize a variety of solutions that may be beneficial to districts across the state. The information can be found under the Strategy Briefs dropdown on the ISBE Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program webpage. Additionally, the ISBE team will continue to host Communities of Practice, which will start back up in October.

  9. If I have questions, is there someone I can contact?

    Yes! Our grant managers will be responding to emails as well as hosting office hours. Please email teachervacancygrant@isbe.net or consider attending office hours if they are convenient to your schedule. Office hours are posted on the ISBE Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program webpage.

Overview

  1. What is the goal of the grant?

    The Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program is aimed at addressing chronic shortages by providing the state’s most understaffed districts with resources to attract, hire, support, and retain teachers. The grant will allow districts maximum flexibility to use allocated funds in innovative, creative, and evidenced-based ways such as signing bonuses, housing stipends, down-payment assistance, or loan repayments; paying tuition and fees or providing residencies or apprenticeships; and sustaining current teachers by providing materials, supplies, coaching, and school culture supports.

  2. Where can the grant application be accessed?

    When the grant application is open, it will be accessible through IWAS. Login to your administrative IWAS account at this link.

Eligibility

  1. How were districts selected to participate?

    Districts in Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) Tiers 1, 2, 3 (as calculated for fiscal year 2023) were considered for possible award. Districts in Tier 4 were excluded as were the 352 districts that report having no unfilled teaching positions at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year; those districts are ineligible for this program.

    Table 1. Comparison of Districts Receiving and Not Receiving an Award

    Metrics Districts receiving an award Districts not receiving an award
    Total Count of unfilled teaching positions 2,849 662
    Average Count of unfilled teaching positions 16.8 0.65
    Median Count of unfilled teaching positions 5.2 0
    Range of Counts of unfilled teaching positions 2-1,094 0-17
    Average Vacancy Rate for Teachers 6.7% 1.00%
    Median Vacancy Rate for Teachers 4.8% 0%
    Range of Vacancy Rates for Teachers 0.5%-36.5% 0%-25%
    Percent Districts with Chronic Unfilled Teaching Positions 71% 17.50%
  2. Was historical data used to account for districts that have "chronic" shortages?

    Historical data was overlayed and showed that more than 70% of the selected districts have reported vacancies more than three times in the past six years while 17.5% of those not selected have chronic vacancies by the same definition.

  3. Who are the eligible school districts?

    Link to eligible school districts documentPDF Document.

  4. How were the schools selected to reflect both rural and urban districts?

    Initial modeling identified 170 districts – 60% rural and 40% urban. All of them are underfunded districts, with 49% in EBF Tier 1 (most underfunded), 43% in Tier 2, and 8% in Tier 3.

    The 60/40 split is aligned to the composition of all Tier 1, 2, and 3 districts in the state. National Center for Education Statistics locale classifications were used to determine which districts were rural and which were urban.

  5. If funds are appropriated in subsequent fiscal years, will the same set of districts be awarded?

    Yes. The governor’s proposal was for three years of funding to the same set of districts. Future awards are subject to appropriation, but the intention is for three years of funding. We are currently in Year 2 of funding.

Funding Allocation

  1. How will the funding be allocated?

    In order to allocate funding for selected districts with lower counts of unfilled teaching positions, the proposed awards use three different base funding levels determined by the count of reported unfilled teaching positions in each selected district. Selected districts with more than 11 unfilled teaching positions receive a base funding level of $200,000, selected districts with between six and 10 reported unfilled teaching positions receive a base funding level of $125,000, and selected districts with fewer than six unfilled teaching positions receive a base funding level of $75,000.

    In addition to base funding, each selected district receives a variable funding level determined by awarding $8,582.20 per reported unfilled teaching position. The total proposed funding for each selected district is equal to its base funding plus the specific variable funding calculated based on unfilled positions reported by that district. Two examples are shown below.

    Chicago Public Schools reported 1,094 unfilled teaching positions, so that allocation would calculated as follows.

    • $200,000 + ($8,582.20*1094) = $9,588,926.33

    Pleasant Hill CUSD 3 reported 4 unfilled teaching positions, so that allocation would calculated as follows.

    • $75,000 + ($8,582.20*4) = $109,328.80

Use of Funds

Reporting Requirements

  1. What are the reporting requirements?

    Reporting requirements are outlined on pages 266-269 of an Amendment to House Bill 3817PDF Document.

Measurement of Success

  1. How will we learn from this effort? Will there be an evaluation?

    ISBE will report on the program progress as part of the annual budget process and will complete final report for the General Assembly at the end of the three-year pilot.

  2. How will ISBE monitor progress/measure effectiveness?

    The overall success measure for the program is a reduction in unfilled teaching positions. ISBE also will collect leading indicators of success, such as applicants per job posting, numbers of candidates on a strategic pathway to employment as a teacher in the district, and teacher attrition rates.

Miscellaneous

  1. Why (only) 170 districts?

    Eighty percent of current teacher vacancies are in 170 or 20% of school districts and we want to provide sufficient levels of funding to implement effective strategies.

  2. Is this for those currently employed at public schools only or for others as well? Are ECE community-based programs included in this work?

    This program is for public school districts. The state is supporting early childhood education pipeline efforts through the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity Scholarship Program, in which ISBE is a partner.

Print Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program FAQsPDF Document​

Updated June 20, 2024​

FY 24 Information - Archived
​Eligible districtsPDF Document have received direct communication from the Illinois State Board of Education.

An information webinar was held on June 27, 2023. 

* * * This page has been archived. The content on this page may no longer be in effect. * * *

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