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Jacksonville SD 117 approves multiple personnel actions, cites SPED vacancies and recruitment steps
Summary
The board approved resignations, a termination, hires, promotions, stipends and leaves; administration highlighted a high number of special education vacancies and said incentives and higher pay will be needed to recruit staff.
The Jacksonville School District #117 Board approved a broad slate of personnel actions Dec. 18, including resignations (Robb Rockwell, Jane Gibbons, Debbie Finn), a termination (Donald Hinkle), and multiple hires and reassignments across licensed and classified positions. The board approved long-term substitutes, promotions (Michael Coats to Maintenance Grade 1), and stipends for special education planning periods and extra duties.
Director Kelly Zoellner and Superintendent Steve Ptacek flagged persistent special education staffing shortages and outlined recruitment efforts such as stipends for student teachers and sign-on bonuses. Zoellner described grant-funded stipends for student teachers; Ptacek said, "we will have to pay better than all the other districts" to attract staff and warned that some smaller districts may need to merge to address the teacher shortage.
