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Schools

All over, no one to take apple

It's a teacher's market as schools compete to fill 143 vacancies, which will soon require substitutes.

By REBECCA CATALANELLO
Published August 4, 2005

Parents packed parking lots Wednesday, shuffling kids into schools to meet their new teachers for the first time.

In some instances, though, there weren't any new teachers to meet.

Just days before classes start, 143 teaching positions still are unfilled in Pasco County schools. Educators are calling this one of the most devastating teacher shortages in recent memory.

"This has been a very difficult year," said Judith Kistler, director of Human Resources for the district.

Pasco is struggling to find enough teachers simply to keep up with the projected influx of 3,500 new students. Add in a wave of baby boom retirements and a state-mandated law to reduce class sizes by lowering student-teacher ratios and the result is a lot of principals competing to find employees.

Special education and speech teachers have long been in demand. This year, however, the need has spread to include language arts and even music teachers.

"We just keep our fingers crossed and do a lot of praying that the right person is going to come in," said Carole Geibel, principal at Cypress Elementary, where two positions remained open Wednesday.

It really is a teacher's market. While school districts are searching to find qualified people to fill the available slots, top candidates have many more options today than in the past.

Kathryn Rushe, principal at 1,100-student Trinity Elementary in New Port Richey, said she had job candidates this summer who were able to pick between as many five offers.

"There's always competition for the best," said Rushe. While Rushe said she filled all 17 of her vacancies this summer, enough students registered at the school Wednesday that she would need at least one more teacher when school starts - if not more.

Vacancies make up about 3 percent of the 4,362 instructional positions in Pasco County. Of those, 19 percent are in east side schools, 61 percent west side schools and 20 percent from central Pasco.

Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said she hopes most of the slots will be filled by the time the bell rings for the start of school Monday. Human Resources employees have been working nights and weekends to try to process applicants and new hires.

And if they aren't filled, those classes will be staffed with substitutes.

"Recruitment is going to be a major issue for Human Resources this year," Fiorentino said.

In addition to trying to keep a competitive starting salary for teachers, district leaders are trying to find new ways to lure potential hires. Traditionally, administrators trek to New York and Ohio to scour for candidates. Now, assistant superintendent Sandy Ramos said, they want to bulk up those efforts, adding other states to the list.

Also, administrators are on the prowl for professionals seeking a midlife career change. Applicants with bachelor's degrees from noneducation backgrounds can get teacher certification by taking a test and completing additional training. About half the new teachers attending orientation last week said they were coming into teaching as a second career, Fiorentino said.

"We have many more folks coming to us from nontraditional careers," Ramos said.

One side effect of the baby boom retirements is that the work force is being overtaken by more inexperienced teachers. About 47 percent of Pasco's teachers today have less than five years classroom experience, Ramos said.

Besides finding qualified teachers, districts like Pasco face a huge challenge when it comes to retaining them. Nationally, about 50 percent of teachers report leaving the profession within five years.

Fiorentino and Ramos said they plan to bulk up mentoring and training opportunities for the new hires, while also exploring how best to keep an increasingly mobile work force.

"You need a lot more than enthusiasm to be a successful teacher," Ramos said. "But that sure is a great start."

There are 4,362 teaching positions in Pasco County schools. Of today's 143 vacancies, 19 percent are in east side schools, 61 percent west side schools and 20 percent from central Pasco. Here's how they break down:

Special education 34

Elementary basic 20

Speech 15

Language arts 10

Reading 11

Math 6

Social studies 6

Science 7

Music 5

Dropout prevention 5

PE/personal fitness 4

Instructional technology 4

Behavioral specialist 3

Guidance counselor 3

GED 2

Instructional trainer 1

Spanish 1

Junior ROTC 1

Health 1

Head Start 1

Family & consumer science 1

Developmental teacher 1

Career/critical thinking 1

Source: Pasco County School District

[Last modified August 4, 2005, 01:18:01]