Pasadena, CA, July 27, 2010 – The latest news in school teachers’ firings has come from Washington DC, where Chancellor Michelle Rhee has fired 241 teachers and put on notice another 737 teachers and other school staff for low performance.
Last week, the Chicago Public Schools let go of 400 teachers and another 200 school staff. Portland Public Schools is also laying off 120 teachers. In California, some school districts are trying to raise money to cover their operating costs by reducing electives and other programs that are not considered part of the core curriculum.
School districts claim that the teachers being let go are underperformers. But often it is the newest teachers who have to be let go when the school district faces budget cuts. The reason is because of the way teachers unions and state laws regarding schools are set up. Teachers end up getting rewarded for their seniority and rarely for their performance.
Against this backdrop, EducationCrossing CEO, A. Harrison Barnes offers new teachers encouragement in their job hunt. “Right now school districts are doing last minute hiring all over the country. The best places are rural schools where teacher turnover is high. If you enjoy the small town lifestyle, then you should certainly look into it.” Barnes’s job aggregator website has been able to list over 4,000 teaching jobs this month.
