Leslie Blatteau and Iline Tracey: working to keep teachers and fill vacancies.
The New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) are offering teachers a chance to put extra money in their pockets in return for taking extra shifts in the district’s dozens of empty classrooms.
That’s the latest step the district is taking while working creatively to fill empty classrooms amidst a nationwide teacher shortage.
Superintendent Iline Tracey reported Monday night that NHPS has 70 to 80 teacher vacancies to fill as the school year continues.
So far the district has offered educators retention bonuses and established teacher certification partnership programs to help tackle the shortage concerns.
The board also approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the district and the New Haven Federation of Teachers (NHFT) that will compensate teachers who take on a sixth class in their schedules for 20 percent bonuses on top of their salaries.
The extra compensation for those who sign up will come in quarterly installments, on Nov. 10, Feb. 3, April 14, and June 16.
At Monday’s meeting, Board of Education members unanimously approved a personnel report hiring 37 new teachers and 18 paraprofessionals.
But the Monday personnel report also included two teacher retirements, two paraprofessional retirements, one administrative resignation, 46 teacher resignations, and 12 paraprofessional resignations.
“We are closing the gap as quickly as possible,” said Tracey. “As we speak HR [human resources] is still hiring and putting in hires for people coming into New Haven.”
Watch the full meeting above.
NHFT president Leslie Blatteau testified during Monday’s meeting that the MOU will “recognize the significant work that comes from teaching that sixth class and allows us to meet the immediate need of our students.”
Blatteau urged the board to continue to work “creatively and ethically” to retain educators and provide students with high-quality education. She listed next steps as finding funding to offer educators raises along with offering them more respect and trust.
“Without these elements in place, we will continue to see our teachers leave,” she said.
Paraprofessionals Union leader Hyclis Williams agreed with Blatteau during the meeting.
Over the past few months, Blatteau said, she has been told by teachers leaving the district that they’ve received “an offer [they] couldn’t refuse,” or “I’ll be making $20,000 more when I resign” and “I’m 40 years old and I still don’t make over $60,000.”
“The teacher shortage crisis is impacting our entire state, yes. But other districts don’t have vacancies for very long when they can offer our experienced and talented teachers significantly more competitive salaries,” Blatteau said.
She also called for more robust support and resources for students.
“Literacy and math instruction are not our only road to higher test scores. Our world is complicated and beautiful, and our students deserve a wide range of experiences to help them make sense of it,” Blatteau said.
Board member Darnell Goldson requested that administrators return to the board at a future meeting with a financial report of how much the MOU deal will cost the district.
Umm. If you can’t get the little things right, how you gonna get the big ones? The MOU has two significant typos that should have been corrected before either party signed. As it reads now it is nonsensical.