Scenario in Illinois: Teacher is going into their 3rd year at school A. It is August 2nd, school starts August 22. School B had a retirement happen late, and now have a job open. School B is in your home town, and pays 10k more. You get an offer to teach at school B, but when you tell school A (current school), they say they will try to suspend your certificate for giving them the notice within 30 days of school starting. Anybody have any idea if the State would approve the suspension, or would the state bypass school A's request to prevent the teacher from leaving for another school based on the teacher getting better pay, and living in the town of their new potential school? Any help would be nice, or any past situations would be great.
I haven't heard of that happening, but I have heard of the school holding the teacher 30 days after school starting until a replacement is hired. I guess it depends on how your contract is worded, though.
Never heard of such a thing. Our state law currently says you have to notify them before 45 days before instruction starts and if you don't, then they don't HAVE to let you out of your contract. But I've never heard of the state agency getting involved. Do you have a union or a professional organization? I would call them.
Chicago works on a whole scenario of it's own I believe. But with us after May 15 you have to get principal approval on intra district transfers. If I were you, I'd go to your local ISBE office and get something in writing.
From what I have been told, it looks like the district can file for my certification to be suspended if I choose to try to leave my job for another teaching job in another district with less than 30 days of school starting. It looks like the state would have to approve their request, or deny their request to suspend my certificate. I was hoping someone has come across this to see if the state has done this in the past. With all the stuff the state is dealing with, I can't imagine this would be a big priority and they would want their lawyers having to deal with something this minor. But never know!
I am not in Illinois.Several years ago. I was hired by a school less than 5 minutes from my home. It was in June and I had signed my contract the end of April at a school that was over an hour away. Usually in my area the superintendent will release you from your contract and let you go. This superintendent wouldn't let me go so I had to return to the school farther away or lose my certificate. After that year, the school that was close had another opening but passed me by. I was very upset by this set of circumstances! Currently I am satisfied in the district I work in.
As frustrating as that sounds, I have heard of this.... sorry. Be careful. I have no idea if it would actually happen or not of course, but I have heard it from other teachers as a real possibility in our dear state.
Is School A far from School B... where, say, it would be impossible to drive from Point B to Point A every day? I'm just thinking that if you said you were moving back to B for economic/financial reasons, the state might not be able to suspend your certificate. I was able to get out of a contract that way without losing my certification.
Sounds like a pretty big gamble to me. Do you really want to roll those dice? This could potentially end your teaching career or at least suspend it. And then where would you be?
In my district unless I am released from my contract by them I have to give 60 days notice. I know people who have come back in Sept to work 20-30 days (or whatever needed) and then go to their new district. I don't know what would happen if the person had not been released from our contract and then didn't show for enough days to give the 60 days notice. But bottom line seems to be, if you're under contract, you're under contract and have to abide by it. Makes it tough to switch schools unless you get an offer by June, but so it goes.
Moreover, if School A is 60 miles from School B and a teacher leaves School A traveling toward School B at 60 mph and another teacher leaves School B traveling toward School B at 40 mph how far would the teacher from Achool B have to drive before she meets up with the teacher from School A?
It would happen in Nebraska. Sadly. This is one of the most annoying aspects of the field of education. Name another profession that essentially kills your prospects for advancement for an entire year, at which point the other job won't exist. Its not like we have a teacher shortage now.
I'm not familiar with this ruling. I thought you could just quit and the go to the new school. I would call the Illinois board of ed to see what the specifics on these are. I know that I worked at a charter school once (in Illinois) where I only needed to give a two week notice to leave according to the contract I signed. Does your current contract say anything about leaving?
It's very very demeaning. It will not only kill your chances for a year, but possibly kill your entire career. It's absolutely not right. I don't want to hear about the district needing time to find another teacher and doing what's best for the kids. If they can replace brain surgeons in 2 weeks they can replace teachers. My top priority is my own child. People should have a right to work closer to home and work for more money if they so desire.
I wrote this about teacher contracts a few years back. I've always held that a large amount of the disrespect we get from our employers comes from the fact that they know that it's virtually impossible for any of us to leave once the school year starts - or even during the summer beforehand. Think about it. How much of a game-changer would it be if any of us could walk into the principals office and simply leave after giving two weeks notice? Current economic conditions notwithstanding, in the private sector, they know that if a valued employee leaves, chances are that replacing him or her will be expensive. Management always has that hanging over their heads.
Why don't you talk to the new principal and see what he suggests. Maybe you can work in the old district for 2 weeks or so to fulfill the 30 day requirement. That would stop them from taking your license and you still get to leave.
Here is the law that they are going by: Sec. 24‑14. Termination of contractual continued service by teacher. A teacher who has entered into contractual continued service may resign at any time by obtaining concurrence of the board or by serving at least 30 days' written notice upon the secretary of the board. However, no teacher may resign during the school term, without the concurrence of the board, in order to accept another teaching assignment. Any teacher terminating said service not in accordance with this Section is guilty of unprofessional conduct and liable to suspension of certificate for a period not to exceed 1 year, as provided in Section 21‑23. (Source: P.A. 85‑256.) "A teacher who has entered into contractual continued service may resign at any time by obtaining concurrence of the board or by serving at least 30 days' written notice upon the secretary of the board" This is basically saying a tenured teacher has to have approval of the current school board, or give 30 days written notice to resign w/ out any issues. I am non-tenured, so I would fall into this category below. "However, no teacher may resign during the school term..." Based on this part of the written law, wouldn't "the school term" be considered the first day of school and beyond of this coming school year? Not the days leading up to the first day of school? It would have to fall under the 180 days I would be required to be at school to fulfill "the school term" part of the law. So, if I'm correct, a non-tenured teacher can resign without punishment as long as they resign before the 1st day they would be required to be at school for the upcoming year.
I suggest showing your contract to an attorney who has experience in school law. Isn't it ironic that as a non-tenured teacher, you can be released without cause or explanation, but when you want to be released, you're "hog-tied" by a contract?
Based on how the law is written, do you agree with my statements and the definition of "school term"? I am supposed to be getting a call back from our union representative, and have a buddy that is a lawyer, and will see if he agrees with what is written.
We don't actually sign ours for the following year until after school starts... because it's the salary agreement/number of sick days you have banked letter. When I first started, there was an addendum clause that I think said something like we owed them money if we were to sign and then take a job elsewhere. But that only applies to first year hires in the district.
I don't see how keeping a teacher in a position against his/her will to be productive for the school. I hope you get to take the position that works best for you without any harm.
