Waiting for the Ice to Melt

A month before I was scheduled to graduate with my Master's degree in Secondary English from Brooklyn College, I received a notification from the NYC Department of Education; it was a long and lengthy piece that stipulated some of the changes that would take effect, such as the following: 'Due to budget constraints, the NYC Department of Education (NYC DOE) schools are currently restricted in new teacher hires' In short, it would be next to impossible to secure a teaching position. I had a feeling that something like this would happen; months earlier while seated in the teacher's lounge on a break from substitute teaching, I overheard some talk about budget cuts; many teachers were concerned that they would be losing their jobs. "I think they should just enact a hiring freeze," one senior teacher added, and all eyes turned to me, knowing that I would be actively looking for a position upon receiving my teacher's certification and degree.

I thought I was safe; after all, I made what I thought was a smart move by applying to Archdiocese of New York Catholic schools. I also researched some charter and independent schools that would be unaffected by a city hiring freeze; yet even though I dug deep; I came back with empty hands. Apparently, I wasn't the only one with this idea, and the few vacancies in these schools were swiftly taken by more experienced professionals who had recently moved to the city. Maybe the hiring freeze will thaw, I kept telling myself. Throughout the summer it did, but only for Math, Science and Special Education teachers, as there are fewer teachers of the sciences in the ATR pool than humanities teachers. However, I have noticed an increased interest in these subject areas, and it's easy to see why (and I regret not choosing Special Education as my focus when I applied to graduate school).

What are the origins of the NYC DOE hiring freeze? Over the past few years, thousands of teachers in the city schools had lost their jobs, mostly to school closings and budget cuts. These teachers, known as excessed staff, were placed in the ATR (Absent Teacher Reserve) pool to serve as substitute teachers while receiving their regular salary and benefits. Some had grown used to the lifestyle; since they were getting paid they saw little incentive to return to the classroom, as one excessed teacher stated to the NY Daily News, "I'm happy now [in the absent teacher reserve\]. I don't have to prep, I don't have to grade tests, I don't have my own class. I don't really have to do anything."

Others in the ATR actively sought positions in other schools, competing with newer teachers for vacancies that had opened up. Many principals had come to favor the new candidates, which had left some excessed staff in the same position. Between the indifferent and the unlucky teachers in the excessed pool, the costs began to escalate, and over the past two years, it cost the city $81 million to keep these excessed teachers on the payroll. The teacher's union, the UFT, which had fought for the excessed staff to receive their salary and benefits, now wanted those teachers to receive hiring priority. Voila! The hiring freeze came into effect, and newer teachers were faced with standing in line behind over 1,100 excessed staff.

The hiring freeze makes sense; after all, the Department of Education cannot continue to pay the salaries of teachers who are not currently in a classroom. Imagine being laid off from a job, but continue to receive full salary and benefits while your old job recruits new graduates.

Despite the hiring freeze, I still researched schools and sent out over 50 resumes. I live by a famous quote of Winston Churchill's, and one by which I'm sure many of you are familiar with: I will "never, never, never, never give up." I hope the thousands of teachers who are affected by the hiring freeze share my sentiment, because I know that there will come a time when we get our chance to create and inspire our own classroom. I also have hope that there will be an abundant number of positions as more schools are set to open for the 2010 school year, but for the meanwhile, I will have to stick with substitute teaching.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/05/11/2009-05-11_the_trouble_with_kleins_teacher_hiring_freeze.html

www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/nyregion/11teachers.html