Teachers report for school year prep tomorrow in Jacksonville school district 117.
Students’ first day of classes will be Thursday.
Jacksonville school district superintendent Steve Ptacek says the staffing level is in pretty good shape for the 2026-27 school year.
He says the teacher shortage in this area seems to be improving.
Ptacek credits the better pay here in district 117.
Tim Roberts takes over as Jacksonville Middle School principal, and Jean Heil is the new principal at Lincoln Grade School.
Ptacek says beyond that, there are no major changes this year.
He is still looking for bus drivers.
The shortage hasn’t been as high as it has been in the past, but he says the district can use more drivers.
This will be the first full year for a cell phone ban for Jacksonville High School students.