UIS hopes to tackle shortage of school administrators

NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) – Illinois State University hopes to address the shortage of school administrators in Illinois school systems.

The UIS is compensating the tuition fees of 20 candidates for the main preparation for the spring semester 2023.

Accepted students will receive a $2,000 scholarship per semester for up to four semesters of study in the program. The main preparation is a master’s level program within the Department of Education and Foundation Administration at UIS.

Applicants to the program must have at least 2 years of teaching experience to be accepted.

Department of Education and Foundations Administration Chairman Lenford Sutton said many local districts fear losing trustees as people retire or leave the profession.

“As of 2014, 75% of our students graduating from this principal preparation program are now working principals, so our partnerships with our local people are really strong and it helps with succession planning,” said Sutton.

In addition to supporting students, the department will cover the costs for districts to hire substitute teachers to free up primary applicants to complete internships at P-12 schools. This is necessary because most students in the program are classroom teachers.