Welcome
The mainstream media is reporting that the Houston Independent School District will hold a job fair in Raleigh later this week. The folks from Houston promise on-the-spot hiring and a starting salary of $46,805. But North Carolina teachers who are tempted to find fame and fortune in the Wild West should do their homework first.
Bulletin Board
- Learn. The John Locke Foundation and Carolina Journal provide unsurpassed research, analysis, reporting, and opinion on North Carolina’s most important and talked about issues. Sign up for a Key Account to receive daily updates from our staff.
- Attend. A list of upcoming events sponsored by the John Locke Foundation can be found at the bottom of this newsletter, as well as here. We look forward to seeing you!
- Share. The North Carolina History Project seeks contributors to the North Carolina History Project Encyclopedia. Please contact Dr. Troy Kickler for additional information.
- Discuss. I would like to invite all readers to submit brief announcements, personal insights, anecdotes, concerns, and observations about the state of education in North Carolina. I may publish selected submissions in future editions of the newsletter. Requests for anonymity will be honored. For additional information or to send a submission, email Terry at [email protected].
- Revisit. We have archived all research newsletters on our website. Access the archive here.
- Donate. If you find this newsletter mildly informative or entertaining, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to the John Locke Foundation. The John Locke Foundation is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that does not accept nor seek government funding. It relies solely on the generous support of individuals, corporations, small businesses, and foundations.
CommenTerry
Houston Independent School District (HISD) Superintendent Terry Grier knows where to find good teachers.
After all, Grier is no stranger to North Carolina — he is the former superintendent of Guilford County Schools. So, nobody should be surprised that Grier is trying to lure teachers from the Triangle to HISD, a district that has close to 60,000 more students than the largest district in North Carolina, Wake County Schools. If you think the Wake County Schools bureaucracy is bad, you ain’t seen anything yet. Last year, only half of the over 22,000 HISD staff were teachers.
But that is the least of their concerns. During the 2012-13 school year, HISD teacher turnover was nearly 19 percent, and it has increased 5.6 percent over the last five years (See Facts and Stats below). Moreover, the HISD turnover rate was 3.4 percent higher than the Texas state average last year. In other words, the district’s extremely high turnover rate has forced them to be more aggressive in recruiting teachers. Raleigh is one among many recruiting trips coordinated by HISD human resources staff.
(Just in case you were wondering, North Carolina’s teacher turnover rate was 14.3 percent or one percentage point lower than the Texas state average last year. Wake County’s 12.1 percent turnover rate wasn’t even in the same ballpark as HISD’s.)
According to the most current HISD job listing, HISD has a need for teachers in specific areas — math, science, special education, and English as a Second Language (ESL). Of the district’s 387 openings, over 200 were centered on these four areas. There were 44 mathematics vacancies, 49 science openings, 53 special education jobs, and 60 ESL/bilingual specialist vacancies. In other words, teachers in these areas will receive offers at the job fair. I suspect that high school English and social studies teachers will not.
North Carolina teachers are free to accept the jobs that fulfill their career aspirations and best meet the needs of their families. It is wrong to assume, however, that the "grass is greener" in Houston or in any school district that happens to pay teachers more.
Facts and Stats
Teacher turnover and student per teacher rates, 2008 — 2013
|
Year |
Teacher turnover rate (Houston ISD) |
Teacher turnover rate (Texas state average) |
Number of students per teacher (Houston ISD) |
Number of students per teacher (Texas state average) |
|
2012-2013 |
18.7% |
15.3% |
18.5 |
15.5 |
|
2011-2012 |
17.2% |
12.6% |
18.5 |
15.4 |
|
2010-2011 |
12.4% |
11.9% |
17.2 |
14.7 |
|
2009-2010 |
11.1% |
11.8% |
16.7 |
14.5 |
|
2008-2009 |
12.9% |
14.7% |
16.6 |
14.4 |
Source: Texas Academic Performance Report, 2008-09 through 2012-13
Acronym of the Week
HISD — Houston Independent School District
Quote of the Week
"Houston Independent School District (HISD) is looking for teachers ready to make an impact in Houston, Texas classrooms and is hosting a job fair for North Carolina Teachers in Raleigh, NC. HISD will be diligently searching for effective teachers to join our team for the 2014-2015 school year (with a starting salary of $46,805.)."
— NC- Houston ISD Teacher Job Fair Registration 2014 website
You can unsubscribe to this and all future e-mails from the John Locke Foundation by clicking the "Manage Subscriptions" button at the top of this newsletter.
