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A methodological weakness of recent studies on teacher shortages is the degree to which respondents in these surveys were removed from the school environment, and consequently from science and mathematics teacher hiring. An attempt was made to resolve this problem by assessing Illinois public school principals (grades 6 to 12) on science and mathematics teacher demand in their schools. A questionnaire (designed specifically for this purpose) was used to ask principals (N=413) to predict their schools' future demand for science and mathematics teachers given their knowledge of local population trends, and anticipated teacher retirement and resignations. Questionnaires were returned by 228 principals, a 55 percent return rate. This paper reports findings collected from 32 southern Illinois principals relative to the anticipated level of science teacher demand in southern Illinois through the 1985-86 to 1990-91 school years. Projections for 1985-86 indicate a need for 10 full time junior high school teachers, 10 quarter-time physics teachers, and 10 quarter time earth science/geology teachers; an adequate supply of chemistry teachers; and an oversupply of biology teachers. Projections for 1990-91 show essentially no demand for science teachers in southern Illinois. (JN)