Carbondale Reporter

On April 6, 2025, the Twitter account of Murphysboro High School shared a post mentioning data pertinent to education salaries and statistics in Illinois. The social media activity continues through April 8, focusing on various educational data points and issues prevalent within the state's school system.

On April 6, Murphysboro High School tweeted, "According to the Illinois Report Card, the average state teacher salary in 2023 was $73,916, and the state average Administrative Salary was $116,908. The average student-to-administrative ratio is 141:1, and the average student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1. 58% of teachers in Illinois have a master's degree or higher." This highlights the staffing structure and salary information within Illinois schools.

On April 7, a tweet followed, "According to the Educator Shortage Survey, there are a reported 3,694 teacher positions filled by alternative measures -- substitutes, retired educators, combining classrooms, and increasing class sizes. According to the Unfilled Positions data collection, 4,096 teaching positions were unfilled for SY24 at a vacancy rate of 3.0%. 91% of school leaders indicated a minor, serious, or severe problem with teacher shortages. There were shortages within 62% of education agencies based on the survey findings (617 of 996)." This tweet addresses the ongoing teacher shortage struggles faced within the state.

On April 8, the conversation was expanded to the local district context, "The Murphysboro Community Unit School District 186 represents Jackson County. Carruthers Elementary School, General John A. Logan Attendance Centre, McElvain School, Murphysboro High School, and Murphysboro Middle School are all represented in this school district." This provides a closer look at the schools within District 186 and their demographic makeup.