Peoria Public Schools Board President Dan Adler said the district should offer financial incentives to attract more experienced teachers to work in schools south of War Memorial Drive.
Adler said his recent look at teacher data shows the most seasoned educators are heavily concentrated in the wealthier, northern half of Peoria. He said it's time to address that disparity.
"There's a lot of struggles with trying to shift the concentration of your staff. None of which I deemed a reason not to do it. Because not doing anything to upend a problem is to say that the status quo is absolutely the best that we can do, and I know that isn't," he said.
Superintendent Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat said she's in talks with the Peoria Federation of Teachers to implement a one-year, one-school pilot program.
"I don't think we'll have that much to lose. Because obviously you don't want that mass exodus, right? Robbing Peter to pay Paul, that sort of thinking," she said. "But with the approach and the other pieces that we're talking with PFT about, I think we'll be able to pull something together."
Adler presented his compiled research to other board members at Monday's school board meeting.
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