Albert “Al” Llorens, president of the Illinois Educational Association and a former Thornridge High School teacher and coach of more than 30 years, has died.
The IEA in a news release Friday said Llorens will be remembered for his kindness, empathy and dedication to the state union that represents 135,000 prekindergarten through 12th grade instructors outside of Chicago. He was elected IEA president in 2023 having been an IEA member since 1985 and the union’s vice president and secretary/treasurer.
Llorens died Thursday at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, according to the IEA. He was 73.
IGov. JB Pritzker in the IEA news release said Llorens both as a teacher and IEA president was focused on empowering the next generation and investing in union members.
“He molded the minds of countless students and leaves behind a more equitable, supportive and enriching education system,” Pritzker said. “May his memory be a blessing to us all.”
As IEA president, Llorens told the Daily Southtown in March 2023 that he aimed to address effects of the nationwide teacher shortage in Illinois and ensure students receive an equitable, well-rounded education.
“We need to make sure we are attracting and retaining new teachers at a higher rate,” he said.
Llorens wrote an essay in June 2024 in the Chicago Tribune regarding a bill, later signed into law, requiring the Illinois State Board of Education develop guidance for school bus safety procedures as well as re-engagement of students who are suspended, expelled or returning from an alternative school setting.
Llorens said the bill addressed unintended consequences of legislation that limited or prohibited certain types of student discipline, and it represented a “monumental step toward addressing challenges surrounding student discipline and educator safety.”
“For far too long, our educators have been navigating an environment in which inconsistent policies and lack of support have left them vulnerable and undervalued,” Llorens wrote. “We need to make sure we create school environments that are safe and healthy for all students and staff.”
He said it was important to use both de-escalation strategies and restorative practices when working with students.
“Consequences and boundaries are a critical life lesson students need to learn so they can be responsible and respectful members of society,” he wrote.
Dan Montgomery, president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers, said in a statement Llorens “led with compassion and an unwavering commitment to making Illinois schools their very best.”
“The leaders, members and staff of the IFT stand with our IEA siblings today. We will continue our shared fight for strong public education and powerful unions, because that is what Al would do,” Montgomery said.
Llorens also was on the National Education Association board for two terms, where current NEA President Becky Pringle said Llorens was “a tireless advocate for racial and social justice, always working to ensure that every student, no matter their background, had access to the opportunities they deserved.”
IEA Vice President Karl Goeke will step in as the union’s president for the rest of Llorens’ term, which is expires in July 2026, the IEA said. The IEA board of directors will then vote on a member to become its vice president.
Before taking a leave of absence from Thornton Township High School District 205 in 2011 to focus on union work, Llorens taught math at Dolton’s Thornridge High School for 33 years and coached girls track and cross country. He previously taught fourth grade phonics and middle school reading in Champaign and math and science in Kankakee and Chicago, according to the IEA.
Llorens was raised in the Southwest Side’s Englewood neighborhood and attended Chicago Public Schools before earning a bachelor’s degree in math education from the University of Illinois in Champaign and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from National Louis University.
He married his wife, Wanda, in 2018 and was father to three children and two stepchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending, the IEA said, and the union will share more details when available.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com