So I currently work in the fashion industry and once or twice a year my company will lay people off. Its typically like 10-30 people and they always call them "dead weight". But in reality those people had a job, they were doing it to an extent because those left soak in those positions. Then we hire new people to lessen the work load and the cycle repeats. This is pretty common in my area in this industry. Does teaching as an industry experience this? We dont even have to be in hard economic times and the lay offs happen like clock work. I've been studying like crazy for my middle school science exam expected to test July 29. So as im entering a new profession i was just curious if this was a thing. I know a school can choose to not renew a contract but i was wondering if they only do it based on review or if they do it in mass amounts.
In my experience, this rarely happens on a mass scale, unless there is some sort of budget crisis. This can happen when a tax levy or bond issue or something like that doesn’t pass voters’ approval and/or when teachers unions or associations are demanding more money in the next contract. It doesn’t tend to happen like clockwork, as you described. Rather, it’s only when the financial situation calls for it. Otherwise, school districts tend to hire as many teachers as they can afford and need in order to keep class sizes reasonable and provide proper supports. It’s not about making a profit like it likely is in the fashion industry.
My previous school district announced a massive layoff in May a couple of years ago because we were having a budget issue, about 100 positions did not get re-filled and canceled. New teachers are usually safe from this though because they are dirt cheap.
"Last in, first out" is how it works here. We were not given a lot of money by the state this year, and we had to announce cuts to programs and staff in our school. The program cut had only been around for a year, and the teacher cut had been hired in the summer of 2018. She was the most recently hired in her department. If staff are fired, and a school has no money to fill that vacated position, you might also excpect involuntary transfers to happen. We had three more senior staff in my district involuntarily transferred because they had to soak positions that were left unfilled. Anything is possible in terms of cuts. Plus, if there is a budget crisis, you can also expect less money for supplies. This year I had to make the choice between buying my students' school supplies or getting them educational games. As I am used to having to create my own games from teaching overseas, and my students often start the year with no personal supplies, I offered to buy my students' school supplies with the money my school gave me.
In my district the person with the lowest evauation score is out unless that teacher has tenure. If the teacher has tenure they would get first consideration to interview for a position at schools that have need. But there is no guarantee that the teacher will get a position. Tenure laws changed a few years back. It takes five years to get tenure and the last two years a teacher has to rate the two highest levels on the evauation rubric. The only time there is mass layoff is when there is a budget crisis or when the state takes over. When the state takes over they layoff everyone employed in the building.
This may be true on paper, however, I have seen school districts/school admin found ways to make your life so difficult that you don't want to stay lol.
That is very true. I have seen really good teachers given bad evaluations because admin doesn't want them around. I have also seen admin refuse to hire someone who already works for the district for a position they need filled because they already have someone in mind. This year, three people got involuntarily transferred and were told they could not apply for any of the other open positions in their department. They were not even allowed to apply for positions outside their department for which they qualified. It just depends on administration and the rules they follow.
This does happen in some places, but not where I work. We can never find enough people to fill all our open positions. Hard to do though when the pay is so low and administration is so unsupportive.
For more expensive teachers, they usually get assigned more duties and have to sponsor clubs/organizations without additional incentive due to budget constrant, same with class coverage. It is perfectly legal.
It is perfectly legal. Some schools will say they are very community-oriented and they will have clauses in their teacher contracts that state you have to stay after for x number of after school events. Plus, certain schools have a culture of helping out, and it is expected of all teachers to help out. Other schools also ask you how much you have volunteered and helped out your school and community before you get tenure. I have seen it and don't mind helping out. Not so much nepotism as these three teachers work in very high needs fields, and it is difficult for us to replace teachers when they leave. I am thinking admin just doesn't want them to leave their department because they don't want the hassle of hiring new staff. They got pidgeon-holed into one field, I believe.
You have to do it if it is "assigned" by the administration. "Performs all other duties and responsibilities as assigned."
How is that legal exactly when their contract probably stipulates that teachers who take on extra duties and clubs are to receive stipends? That is the case in ALL public schools in my area. (How do I know this? Because I routinely visit the district website of various school districts and keep folders of all of their salary and contract information for certificated teachers.)
In my district, only some after school clubs and activities are paid. Others are on a volunteer basis. No on is forced to be a volunteer for clubs. Our contract and job description is very general and somewhat vague as far as when we are required to put in extra time after school hours. I don’t know the exact wording, but it doesn’t put a strict limit on the amount of time or number of events we are expected to attend. We are expected to attend meetings and events if they apply to our position and sometimes even if they don’t. There isn’t any extra pay for this, and it is required.
This would never happen in a state with a strong union.... Class coverage, yes, forcing you to sponsor a club/organization, not happening.
Okay, so in general it seems like something has to happen like budget cuts etc. to warrant a lay off. My company is a huge profit company and they like o stay "lean". So, even if one person is barely able to do 3 peoples job our company would rather keep it that way than hire someone to help relieve that employee. But that is the way of my industry. Glad to know teaching isn't quite like that.
It sounds like a very old management technique to keep everyone on their toes. My dad was a chemist for Proctor and Gamble's research lab a long time ago. I remember him telling me 1x about how the labs would fire something like 10- 20% of the employees each year calling them "dead weight." I have never seen schools work that way. If someone doesn't work out, they just do not get tenure. I have seen transfers happen against the teacher's will even when they have tenure if a big problem happened. I worked in a nonunion state for a long time when our school needed to restructure due to new schools built. That time they announced that the people with the lowest evaluations had to transfer. That struck me as a really nasty way to do it. Also, I had always thought evaluations were private by law. I understand why the admin may have wanted to keep certain teachers and seen others as expendable, but it struck me as a really mean thing to make public. I think good teachers improve with time like a fine wine. If new teachers show they are learning, progressing, and can get along with people, there is no benefit in getting rid of them and starting all over again with the unknown.
Its weird...since i posted this more has happened. 1) more trickle firings and let gos. 2)weird but true, no more hot water in the bathroom 3) we use to get freebies once a month like breakfast,cupcakes, happy hours etc. All those we have noticed havent happened in awhile. 4) we are selling a warehouse that was never supposed to be sold. The stock is also being condesnsed to be sold to jobbers. 5) lots of closed door upper management meetings. Our numbers have been down since 2016 6) rumours are goung around there will not be bonuses this year or a christmas party
With all of that happening, I think I'd be updating my resume! I have worked under different management systems where Christmas parties and bonuses were given and not given. I have been in schools that had perks like breakfasts, luncheons, and really nice gift bags were given several times a year. Then I have been in a school where there were zero perks like that. I have never worked anywhere that they turned the hot water off. That is definitely weird. I think I'd get out before it all implodes.
