Schools could be starting the year short a few math and science teachers and in the future probably will have to try some new things to bring in hard-to-find teachers.
'We're going to have to get to the point where we're looking at market demand,' William Harrison, interim superintendent for the Alamance-Burlington School System, told the Board of Education this week.
'But the bottom line is we can't find math and science teachers, and they're in great demand, so we're going to have to do something and it's probably going to have to be something that's significant.'
According to the U.S. Department of Education, there is a statewide shortage of special education, math and science teachers.
The district will not look for additional pay for math and science teachers this year. Harrison told the board he thought it was something the board and ABSS administration should work out as the district's new strategic plan is fleshed out.
THE DISTRICT WAS going into the last week before school starts short 10 math and five science teachers in middle and high schools, Kent Byrd, executive director of secondary school leadership, told the Times-News.
It is not unusual to scramble for math, science and special-education teachers at the end of the summer, Dawn Madren, ABSS' executive director of human resources, said in an interview. But there are more vacancies to fill this year than in past years.
Harrison told the board the district would have to look at how and where it recruits.
Madren said the district could contact qualified candidates on the N.C. Department of Public Instruction's website rather than waiting for them to contact local principals - the usual procedure - as well as look at some national websites and contact some candidates who attended recruitment fairs but did not apply.
'We're optimistic about our chances considering all the work that's going on,' Byrd said. 'But it's hard to predict if we'll get them filled by day one.'
In the meantime, schools will have to make do with the staff they have and substitutes, and have academic coaches and department chairs creating lesson plans while they wait for new teachers. In some cases principals could make classes bigger.
'It's a headache right now,' Byrd said, 'but our principals have a plan B.'
PAYING TEACHERS in high-demand subjects more than others are paid is an idea that is getting traction around the country, and Gov. Pat McCrory has advocated it.
Harrison told the board he did not think one teacher was more valuable than another just because of the subject taught, but the district had to find a way to fill its vacancies, especially since the schools with the greatest need had the hardest time getting teachers.
'Our students who are facing the greatest challenges are housed in schools where we are having a hard time finding math and science teachers,' Harrison said, 'So were going to have to come up with something as part of this [strategic] plan.'
Board member Patsy Simpson said she had seen that herself.
'I have kids at Graham High School,' Simpson said, 'and I know that math department has turned over just about every single teacher in the past two or three years.'
Board member Steve Van Pelt said recruiting was going to remain difficult with enrollment in university education programs across the state declining and the elimination of the state's Teaching Fellows program.
ABSS equation for math and science teachers not adding up
Schools could be starting the year short a few math and science teachers and in the future probably will have to try some new things to bring in hard-to-find teachers.
'We're going to have to get to the point where we're looking at market demand,' William Harrison, interim superintendent for the Alamance-Burlington School System, told the Board of Education this week.
'But the bottom line is we can't find math and science teachers, and they're in great demand, so we're going to have to do something and it's probably going to have to be something that's significant.'
According to the U.S. Department of Education, there is a statewide shortage of special education, math and science teachers.
The district will not look for additional pay for math and science teachers this year. Harrison told the board he thought it was something the board and ABSS administration should work out as the district's new strategic plan is fleshed out.
THE DISTRICT WAS going into the last week before school starts short 10 math and five science teachers in middle and high schools, Kent Byrd, executive director of secondary school leadership, told the Times-News.
It is not unusual to scramble for math, science and special-education teachers at the end of the summer, Dawn Madren, ABSS' executive director of human resources, said in an interview. But there are more vacancies to fill this year than in past years.
Harrison told the board the district would have to look at how and where it recruits.
Madren said the district could contact qualified candidates on the N.C. Department of Public Instruction's website rather than waiting for them to contact local principals - the usual procedure - as well as look at some national websites and contact some candidates who attended recruitment fairs but did not apply.
'We're optimistic about our chances considering all the work that's going on,' Byrd said. 'But it's hard to predict if we'll get them filled by day one.'
In the meantime, schools will have to make do with the staff they have and substitutes, and have academic coaches and department chairs creating lesson plans while they wait for new teachers. In some cases principals could make classes bigger.
'It's a headache right now,' Byrd said, 'but our principals have a plan B.'
PAYING TEACHERS in high-demand subjects more than others are paid is an idea that is getting traction around the country, and Gov. Pat McCrory has advocated it.
Harrison told the board he did not think one teacher was more valuable than another just because of the subject taught, but the district had to find a way to fill its vacancies, especially since the schools with the greatest need had the hardest time getting teachers.
'Our students who are facing the greatest challenges are housed in schools where we are having a hard time finding math and science teachers,' Harrison said, 'So were going to have to come up with something as part of this [strategic] plan.'
Board member Patsy Simpson said she had seen that herself.
'I have kids at Graham High School,' Simpson said, 'and I know that math department has turned over just about every single teacher in the past two or three years.'
Board member Steve Van Pelt said recruiting was going to remain difficult with enrollment in university education programs across the state declining and the elimination of the state's Teaching Fellows program.
Entities 0 Name: Harrison Count: 8 1 Name: ABSS Count: 5 2 Name: Byrd Count: 4 3 Name: Dawn Madren Count: 2 4 Name: U.S. Department of Education Count: 2 5 Name: William Harrison Count: 2 6 Name: Kent Byrd Count: 2 7 Name: N.C. Department of Public Instruction Count: 2 8 Name: Patsy Simpson Count: 2 9 Name: Board of Education Count: 2 10 Name: Madren Count: 2 11 Name: Steve Van Pelt Count: 2 12 Name: Times-News Count: 2 13 Name: Pat McCrory Count: 2 14 Name: Simpson Count: 2 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1BDFVlT Title: 6 Tools for Teachers Description: Technology has changed a lot about the way we live and work, but one area stands out as an exception: education. Many teachers still have to use the same tools-blackboards, textbooks, overhead projectors-that their own teachers used decades ago. That's beginning to change.
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