I don't think there's a ton of opposition to the concept of reducing salaries for many or most public employees, including teachers. I think the concern with Walker's tactics is that he is stripping the unions of their ability to collectively bargain on any of the issues cba's typically address, other than pay. I'm not really sure how he is doing this, but that is how it is being reported - that the teachers' union (for example) can no longer bargain over things like sick pay, hours, vacation discipline, promotions, etc. That seems strange to me, even as a critic of the teachers union. Its also a concern that he has completely exempted the police and firefighters unions, claiming they have special status relating to public security. In Milwaukee, both of these unions were big Walker supporters last November, although I know that was not necessarily true across the state.
Agree with everything you've said.
With Madison schools closing today (40% of teachers called in sick), expect to see many teachers and students at the capital today, haven't seen any news footage yet. It's interesting to see the public employee vs. private employee sentiment that is going on in the state. A couple months back there were a couple of articles in local papers pointing out the public employee benefit/pay packages and how they compare to private employees and it was slanted towards: the private employees are taking pay cuts and have to pay for benefits so the public should too. Will be interesting to see if this bill gets passed and if so, what ramifications there will be for those approving it. Many angry people in Wisconsin today.
Pathetic.They should be fired.
Yea, "We're here for the kids" is a load of
So who are you gonna replace them with if you fire them?
I suggest you have a clue before you post something like that.
http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/2010...s-sorely-tested
Mallory Spaeth didn't have to think twice about accepting a temporary, part-time teaching job at Longfellow Elementary School in Sheboygan this fall, despite a more than hourlong commute from her West Bend apartment.
In many ways, the drive was a small price to pay to land steady work in a profession that has become increasingly hard to break into.
"I would have worked anywhere I could find a job," said Spaeth, 23, whose third-grade position became full time in October. "I was not out there to be picky about things."
Throughout Wisconsin, state and local budget cuts have left school districts strapped for cash and with little choice but to thin their ranks.
As a result, teachers — who've typically been insulated from past recessions — are facing their worst job market in decades. Worse yet, the situation isn't expected to improve any time soon, based on a just-completed budget cycle that showed more cuts will likely be needed again next year at many large school districts.
Applications soar
"We haven't seen anything like this for the past 25 years," said Mehraban Khodavandi, professor of education at Lakeland College and chair of the school's education division. "Almost every major school district in the state has either laid off teachers in the last two years, or not replaced those who left."
In Sheboygan, which typically has a dozen or more teacher openings every year, cuts were so severe Spaeth was the only new teacher the district hired this year, the lowest number in at least three decades, according to Al Calabresa, the district's assistant superintendent of human resources and administrative services.
Meanwhile, competition was intense for the few job openings at other area schools, with school districts in Plymouth, Random Lake, Sheboygan Falls, Kohler and Cedar Grove-Belgium reporting applications for many open positions doubled or even tripled heading into this school year.
The Plymouth Joint School District received more than 300 applications for the three elementary teaching positions it filled this fall — one was part time — or about double the number in a normal year.
While in Random Lake, district officials had more than 250 people to choose from when they filled three openings at the district's elementary school. In the past, those openings might have attracted 80 or so in a good year.
Even less popular positions are drawing relatively high numbers of applicants.
In the Sheboygan Falls School District, a technical education position that attracted six applicants seven years ago saw 22 this year, while a middle-school position in Random Lake that typically draws no more than 40 applicants had about 100.
Some specialty areas, such as special education, remain hard to fill, school officials said, but it's the exact opposite for traditional teaching jobs.
"When a school puts out an ad for a teacher, the numbers that apply are just huge," said Steve Shaw, Cedar Grove-Belgium School District superintendent. "It's pretty tough out there."
The applicant pools include a diverse mix of recent graduates, experienced teachers who were recently laid off and even a substantial number of out-of-state candidates. The upside for school districts is the quality of candidates is exceedingly high.
"It's a more challenging hiring process because you have so many people to look through, but it's provided us the opportunity to look at more diverse and experienced candidates," said Martin Lexmond, superintendent of the Kohler School District, where 119 people applied for a kindergarten position posted in August.
Many teachers, few jobs
Five years ago, Amanda Roethle had no problem landing interviews after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and eventually got a job in the Clintonville Public School District.
But then the economy tanked, and Roethle, who had little seniority, was told her job was no longer secure.
Fearing that her position would be cut, she began searching for a new position and started reading the minutes from school board meetings to see when teachers in other districts were retiring, but found most weren't begin replaced. Jobs she did apply to were ultra-competitive, including one in suburban Milwaukee that had more than 400 applicants.
"I was so discouraged, I started looking at things I could do besides teaching," said Roethle, 27, who after three years of searching, finally landed a new job teaching psychology this fall at Sheboygan Falls High School.
The market is even more daunting for college graduates looking for their first teaching position.
Tom Malmstadt, Random Lake School District superintendent, said many job candidates he sees are recent graduates who've been on the job market for several years.
"There are people who graduated three years ago who haven't been able to find full-time positions, and they're subbing or taking half-time jobs," he said. "It's the same number of teachers coming out of college, but there are fewer positions."
At Lakeland, the poor job market hasn't caused a notable decline in enrollment in the school's popular teacher education program, which had 232 students last year, nor has it caused an enrollment drop in similar programs at other colleges, according to Khodavandi.
Thus, there's an uninterrupted flow of new graduates entering a job market marked by job cuts and large numbers of older teachers who've deferred their retirements until the economy improves.
"It's a double whammy for young teachers," Khodavandi said.
Jocelyn Jackett, 22, who'll graduate from Lakeland this month with a bachelor's degree in early-middle childhood education, plans to work at a day care facility and to substitute teach to make ends meet.
"I need to remain optimistic and hopefully the economy turns around," she said.
Her classmate, Sarah Hoffman, 22, who's also graduating this month with a degree in early-middle childhood education, said she plans to substitute teach, work in child care and volunteer at area schools.
"You do it because you love the kids. So you have to stay involved with students," she said. "If you love what you're doing, a job will open up, but your heart has to be in it."
'No reason to panic'
As discouraging as the job market can be, Khodavandi said the situation is temporary and young people shouldn't be scared away from the profession.
The job market could improve somewhat next year in Sheboygan, where the school district this month announced that it will offer early retirement packages to its 130 teachers ages 55 or older with at least 10 years experience in the district.
The move will help the district address a projected $4.4 million budget deficit for 2011-12 and it could help ease the logjam of young teachers waiting for positions to open there.
Otherwise, Khodavandi expects the job market for teachers begin recovering in the next couple of years.
"There's no reason to panic," Khodavandi said. "Kids need to be patient and persistent and something will come up. If the economy picks up in the next two or three years, things will get better."
The choice is up to the unions in NJ - it's going to be a choice most states force at some point because they won't have a choice if they are anywhere near as screwed up as we were for the past 20 years.
The choice is up to the unions in NJ - it's going to be a choice most states force at some point because they won't have a choice if they are anywhere near as screwed up as we were for the past 20 years.
We've basically got one class of people being asked to forgo their retirement to finance the retirement of another class. That won't fly.
We've basically got one class of people being asked to forgo their retirement to finance the retirement of another class. That won't fly.
Agree with everything you've said. With Madison schools closing today (40% of teachers called in sick), expect to see many teachers and students at the capital today, haven't seen any news footage yet. It's interesting to see the public employee vs. private employee sentiment that is going on in the state. A couple months back there were a couple of articles in local papers pointing out the public employee benefit/pay packages and how they compare to private employees and it was slanted towards: the private employees are taking pay cuts and have to pay for benefits so the public should too. Will be interesting to see if this bill gets passed and if so, what ramifications there will be for those approving it. Many angry people in Wisconsin today.
