Teaching positions scarce
By Nyshicka Jordan
Staff Reporter

Student teachers searching for teaching positions will have the same opportunity as in previous years to find employment despite state budget cuts, area school districts officials said Monday.

However, officials said it is expected that student teachers may have more difficulty being placed in their preferred school.

Terry Buckner, assistant director of professional and administrative staffing for the Fort Worth ISD, said TCU students who student teach in the district are usually given a little push when applying to work in Fort Worth schools.

Jason Seals, a master’s of education student, said he would like to stay in the Fort Worth area to teach.

“It’s not that I am worried about finding a job, I’m worried about finding one where I want it to be,” Seals said.

However, Buckner said, student teachers were told they should also look in various districts for positions because fewer teachers in FWISD are resigning and retiring this year due to the economy.

“The competition will be stiffer,” Buckner said.

Hiring in FWISD will decrease by about 60 percent from 2001, according to numbers provided by Buckner.

She said during that year, 1,000 positions were available. Only 800 positions were available were available in summer 2002, she said.

She said there will be a surplus of 160 positions so that teachers will not lose their jobs.

After those teachers are placed, it is anticipated that another 300 to 400 positions will be available, Buckner said.

Mark Thomas, a communications officer with the Birdville ISD, said Birdville is looking at a $7 million shortfall in state funding for the 2003-2004 school year. He said there is a hiring freeze on new hires, but that teachers have to be hired to fill any available positions.

“If we need to hire a third grade teacher we will hire a third grade teacher,” Thomas said. “We’ll hire as we need to, it’s just that some (other staff) positions may not be replaced.”

Mark White, human resource coordinator with Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD, said there is no hiring freeze at H-E-B, but that the district will also hire teachers as needed.

White said it is not known yet how many teaching positions will be available and that Texas teachers have 45 days prior to the start of classes to resign. He said hiring is affected by leaves and student enrollment.

He said there are about 20,000 students in the district and that number is expected to slightly increase.

Some student teachers said they are worried about possibly competing with teachers who have more experience. But White said there is not necessarily a hierarchy when it comes to hiring.

“We just look at the best person,” White said. “Experience is one factor, but it is not the only factor.”

Still, some students said they are not as concerned with job placement because of the subjects they plan to teach are usually harder to fill.

Kerry Dean, a master’s of education student, said he plans to only interview in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. He said he is less concerned about being placed locally because he will teach math and economics and that there is usually a demand for math teachers.

“I’ll be shocked if I don’t get a job offer somewhere in this area,” Dean said.

He said he will be certified in both subjects and will have earned a master’s degree and that makes him more confident in his job search.

n.d.jordan@tcu.edu