High Teacher Absenteeism In La Grange District

LA GRANGE, IL – La Grange School District 102's teacher absence rate was higher than the state average and fifth highest among 30 area districts, state figures show.

Last school year, 46 percent of District 102's teachers were absent at least 10 days, compared with 34 percent statewide, according to the Illinois Report Card website.

Patch reviewed the rates in 30 area districts. District 102's rate was behind Lombard District 44, which was 48 percent, and three districts that tied at 47 percent – Hinsdale High School District 86, Darien District 61 and Mannheim District 83.

In the two previous school years – 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 – La Grange District 102 reported that no teachers were absent for at least 10 days. In 2018-2019, the last full school year before the pandemic, 16 percent of District 102 teachers were gone for at least 10 days.

District 102 Superintendent Kyle Schumacher, who is retiring at the end of the school year, did not return Patch's message for comment from earlier this week.

Under state law, the rate does not include absences for professional development, leave under the Family Medical Leave Act, long-term disability or parental leave.

The U.S. Department of Education sees teacher attendance as a leading indicator of student achievement. Teachers with regular attendance provide continuity of instruction and attention to individual students, according to the Illinois Report Card.

"The National Bureau of Economic Research has shown that when teachers are absent for 10 or more days, student outcomes decrease significantly," the report card said. "Teacher absence results in loss of instruction time for students, as well as financial concerns to the district when substitutes must be employed."

Source: Illinois Report Card, 2021-2022