Teachers Ponder Job Prospects as Districts Come Recruiting
Teachers who have been uprooted from their districts by Hurricane Katrina are facing a bewildering job market, waiting to hear when their schools will reopen as they ponder resettling to accept offers from far-flung locations.
Some educators are accepting temporary positions close to home that offer little long-term security. But teachers who are able to move are being courted by districts with long-standing need for personnel.
In many cases, the hiring has raised questions about pensions, tenure, insurance, and logistical issues. Some short-staffed districts were making significant accommodations last week for displaced teachers, including granting them tenure and transferring their pensions. Arthur Levine, the president of Teachers College, Columbia University, said that Louisiana districts, which pay relatively low salaries, might have a hard time luring back departed teachers who earn more elsewhere.
This article, written by Bess Keller and Joetta Sack, appeared in the September 28th, 2005 publication of Education Week.
Published Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2005