Writing to say Hello

[csgray]

Be forewarned, this is a very tough time for teachers in Hawaii. Every DOE teacher I know who didn't have tenure did not get rehired for this year, and many part time staff got RIFFed. I know the DOE is continuing to recruit on the mainland, but even science, math and Special Ed. teachers are having a tough time staying employed here if they don't have tenure. Pahoa let go a science teacher, Hilo and Waiakea both let go many teachers, including world languages, science, and advanced placement teachers. These were not dead wood, but excellent teachers who had built amazing programs that were completely eliminated. All of the Educational Assistant positions at my school that were hired this year were filled with experienced licensed teachers from the mainland, instead of the paraprofessionals we usually hire.

Even sub work has gotten hard to come by, partly due to how many former teachers are now on the sub lists, and partly due to teachers using furlough days for appointments instead of sub days. When HCC did the last sub training, they had people wrapped around the block to get one of 27 seats in the class. Try to come prepared with a back up plan if you cannot get a teaching position, and you need to know that many new hires don't get assigned to a school until the second or third week of school. Special Ed. positions often get filled even later due to the way those positions are funded.

Carol