No tenure yet. 3 years at one place, then 1 year at another, and now 3rd year of my 3rd teaching job.
No. To my knowledge it's all about the budget and the actual position eliminated, not trying to be sneaky to get rid of someone
Absolutely, if it is a desperately needed area. Any district can, for a multitude of reasons, find themselves in a bind for this teacher or that. Social Studies teachers, around here, are a dime a dozen, but if the school is less desirable, perhaps the pay less than stellar, and maybe a couple of retirements or people moving to better jobs happen in quick succession, they might actually desperately need a SS teacher, so the new teacher, who teaches SS, becomes highly valued for the present, and is fairly secure.
I guess i'm lucky to be working in a school where as long as enrollment is up their will never be layoffs. Districts are banging down our door to get their kids in here. There are just not enough special education schools around so there's a waiting list a mile long. In any case there are only about 5 teachers here that have seniority over me so I'm pretty safe in that regard also.
I wonder about myself though, teaching in rural Idaho. This is a state where I’m told there is no seniority. I’m a second year teacher in a core subject (ELA) in what is technically deemed a “high needs area”. I’ve been told I that during the pullbacks in 08-09, they frozen pay, which I would be totally ok with. I’m also certified in history, so maybe I could pull double duty if need be.
I know that many of us are concerned right now with what the future will look like. Yes, there will some districts that will lose some staff while the financial fallout gets cleaned up, but I don't think it will be a reason to clear the teachers out and start over. During the recession in the 2008-2010 time frame, many teacher unions volunteered to take a pay cut, and a pay freeze the following year, because everyone was hurting. We don't know how this will play out, nor do we truly know what our timeline is going to be. Trying to get a job elsewhere right now probably wouldn't work, so, just like every one else who is unsure of what the future will look like for this year, we wait. States will have varied plans - how hard each state was hit will definitely impact how it plays out. I'm in the East, and my state, and those around me, have been hit hard. There is great uncertainty, only mitigated by the fact that most of the states have teacher's unions. You will make yourself crazy running "what if" scenarios in your head, so the best thing you can do is use free time to find some PD to work on, which is a positive to come out of being at home. It will also help with boredom. Let me wish you the best, and encourage you to find something positive to do besides worry about something you can't control. Many are in the same predicament, but I do believe we will survive.
I agree. I think there are a lot of unknowns. The difficult part for me is that I gave up my job and am returning home (California), so job searching during this time is very scary. Having said that, jobs continue to be posted online for teachers in California, so that's encouraging.
