Friday, January 19, 2018
Volume 144 No. 7
Single Copy Cost 50¢
EDUCATION
Teacher shortages being felt in area schools Regional superintendents release survey; fewer applicants seek open positions BY DAVE COOK news@tonicanews.com TONICA — Illinois is losing more residents than anywhere else in the nation as families leave each year for more prosperous and better-run states. This exodus is resulting in a lack of educated and qualified job applicants, and schools in particular are feeling the effects.
The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS) has been warning the state about this issue for years, and they’ve recently released the results of a teacher shortage survey of more than 500 school districts. “If Illinois needs a wake-up call that we must do better to show our youth why teaching is such an important career, our
hope is this survey can provide the catalyst for real solutions,” Mark Jontry, president of the IARSS, said. “We’re committed to working with policymakers in Springfield and our districts around the state to support young teachers and help develop the leaders of our next generation,” Jontry said. He said the trends are troubling. The survey shows 78 percent of the districts identified a problem with shortages, and 89 percent of central Illinois school districts noted they’ve begun to
see significantly fewer qualified applicants for open positions. Additionally, more than half the state’s schools have been struggling with substitute teacher shortages, and only five percent reported no problems. More than 70 districts reported programs or classes have been canceled because of the teacher shortage, and some have converted to online instruction. Most schools reported having to shift teachers to other classrooms to cover absences or having to redistribute their students. Some administrators
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have also had to begin teaching in place of absent teachers. Locally, Tonica Superintendent Chuck Schneider reported Tonica Grade School began the year with its rosters filled with appropriately certified teachers. “Last year, this was not the case. We had three positions filled with temporary substitute teachers to start the year and then filled the positions,” he said. The time taken to fill those positions was longer than usual
See TEACHERS, Page 3
TONICA
Three sewer rate hikes coming; first on next billing cycle BY ZACHARY J. PRATT news@tonicanews.com
Tonica News photo/Dave Cook
Lostant’s Corbin Shaver drives the ball past a Dalzell defender during the matchup against the Dalzell Indians, which gave the Comets a welcome 49-17 victory on Jan. 9.
OGLESBY
Facing the challenges together IVCC and the U of I Extension will partner for the 2018 Farm Outlook and Ag Leasing Seminar BY DAVE COOK news@tonicanews.com OGLESBY —With ice and snow still covering the Illinois Valley, spring planting may not be at the front of our thoughts,
Vol. 144 No. 7 One Section - 12 Pages
but being aware of 2018’s upcoming agricultural challenges and program developments is necessary if farmers wish to have a successful year. With that in mind, the
University of Illinois (U of I) Extension, which serves Bureau, LaSalle, Marshall and Putnam counties, is inviting farmland owners, operators and others in the agricultural industry to attend an upcoming seminar at Illinois Valley Community College on Jan. 25. The seminar will provide in-depth and unbiased, research-based
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information regarding the economic agricultural outlook for 2018 and current ag leasing options. The program will be presented by Gary Schnitkey, a U of I professor of agricultural and consumer economics and Extension specialist. “Landlords on Class A, top-producing soils are going to more cash-rent leases with very little
See SEMINAR, Page 3
TONICA — Tonica has set the details for its USDA-mandated sewer rate increase, which must reach its target of a basic rate of $40.86 for 1,800 gallons within a year. The first increase, expected to be ready for the next billing cycle, will bring the basic rate of $12.61 to $18.32. There are two increases set to follow: one that will bring the basic rate of $18.32 up to $27.24, then one that will bring it to the final rate of $40.86. Because of the required timeline, the rate increases will occur in quick succession, roughly every four months, in order to fit in three increases by the required date. “We’re going to have to do them pretty quick,” Village President Kevin Sluder said. “We have to do that final payment a year after the sewer is online.” Despite the condensed time frame, the jumps in rate should still be less jarring than if the village had thrown the whole increase on at once, which was an option. “Your bill is going to go up roughly $30 in total at the end of this,” Sluder said.
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This rate includes the USDA-mandated items, such as short-lived assets, which will fund the replacement of system parts when needed, and the debt service charge, which is how the USDA loan is to be paid back. Another consideration was whether the village should add a capital projects fee on top of everything, which would be used for major work on the system not supported by the short-lived assets charge. However, the village opted not to add the additional fee at this time. Changes can still be made later, such as adding in the capital projects fee or adding a slight percentage increase overall, but the required $40.86 is locked in place. “Take a look at how the numbers turn out in a year,” Village Engineer Jack Kusek said, regarding the potential of making changes. He added that these results should be looked at annually, or at least biannually. Sluder said that Tonica used to receive these payments bi-monthly, but had switched to monthly because these changes were coming up. The idea was that making it every month would help people budget.
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