Teacher Absenteeism High In La Grange District

LA GRANGE, IL – A La Grange district had the highest teacher absenteeism rate among surveyed area school systems.

By contrast, another La Grange district had an unusually low rate.

According to the Illinois Report Card, 48 percent of La Grange District 105's teachers were absent at least 10 days last school year. That's similar to the rate in recent years.

Last year's rate was the worst among 14 area districts that Patch checked.

In response to Patch's inquiry, District 105 Superintendent Brian Ganan said his district would check on how the statistics should be reported to the state.

Meanwhile, La Grange School District 102 reported that just half a percent of its nearly 240 teachers missed at least 10 days of work.

In 2023-24, the district said none of its teachers were absent for at least 10 days. Yet in the two years before that, about 40 percent of teachers were absent 10 days or more.

Asked about the low rates over the last couple of years, Covino said he was not immediately aware of any changes in the district's recording or reporting systems. He said he would check with the human resources department to see if it had any more information.

Last school year, Lyons Township High School and La Grange Highlands District 106 had rates of 30 percent and 25 percent, respectively, of teachers who missed at least 10 days.

Under state law, the rate excludes 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 days or more, 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, 2024-2025