Philly teacher-vacancy rate hits an 8-year high
The September teacher-vacancy rate in the School District of Philadelphia is at its highest level in eight years, according to figures the district provided to the Daily News.
The September teacher-vacancy rate in the School District of Philadelphia is at its highest level in eight years, according to figures the district provided to the
Daily News
.
As of yesterday, 169 certified teachers were still needed to fill vacancies in the city's public- school classrooms, three weeks after classes began for 165,000 children.
The majority of the vacancies, 123, are for core classroom subjects, and the rest are for instructional-support teachers, according to the district's numbers.
Just half of the vacancies are expected to be filled by the end of December, said Fernando Gallard, a district spokesman, who declined to elaborate on the teacher shortage.
The district had 161 vacancies at this time last year, and 62 vacancies two years ago. The last time September vacancies topped the current number was in September 2000, when 180 teachers were needed, according to the district's numbers.
The shortage is the result of uncertainty around the recently expired teachers' union contract, said Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.
More teachers retire and resign in contract years due to uncertainty over pay and benefits, said Jordan, who estimated that about 700 teachers have departed this year compared with about 350 in typical years.
"We're competing with these suburban districts for teachers," said Jordan, who called the number of vacancies disappointing.
"After all, we have classrooms with children sitting in them who deserve to have highly qualified teachers in front of them for the entire year," Jordan said.
"When a school does not have its full complement of teachers at the beginning of the year, it really sets a different tone in the effort to move that school forward."
The contract for the 16,000-member PFT expired Aug. 31 and has since been extended to Oct. 31. District Superintendent Arlene Ackerman said she offered the PFT a 3 percent raise in a one-year contract, which would be followed by a multiyear agreement.
"We were never offered that. . . . What I will say is, if you look at cost-of-living increases, [3 percent] is below that," said Jordan, who noted that state senators and representatives this spring gave themselves 3.8 percent raises.
"Three percent is not allowing my members to keep up with the cost of living, let alone compete with suburban districts," he said.
District officials said more is behind the vacancies than what they described as a 5 percent increase in resignations and retirements.
Also to blame, they said, is a national shortage of music teachers and, within the district, a shortage of educators who teach math, science, Spanish and special education.
Andrew Rosen, the district's interim senior vice president of human resources, said that since Sept. 2 - two days before schools reopened for the year - 54 teachers have resigned or retired.
Rosen disputed Jordan's contention that the situation had resulted from contract uncertainty.
"This is a phenomenon that has happened every year, even when we do have a contract," Rosen said.
"We are working hard every day to hire new teachers. We brought in new teachers today."
Rosen said classes without permanent teachers are being handled by substitutes, 75 percent of whom are certified or have worked as long-term substitutes.
