Welcome
It’s that time of year again! Public schools throughout North Carolina are preparing for the start of the school year, and many are still seeking qualified candidates to fill vacant teaching, support, and administrative positions. So, how does the public school job market look this year? Read this week’s CommenTerry to find out.
Bulletin Board
- 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!
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- 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 will 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.
CommenTerry
As of this morning, the North Carolina Public Schools Application System (NCPSAS) listed over 1,300 traditional public school job openings. (Charter school jobs are not posted on the site.) Approximately 775 of the vacancies were licensed teaching positions.
The following is a more specific breakdown of the vacancies:
- 961 Licensed positions (includes teachers, principals, counselors, media supervisors, social workers, and speech language pathologists)
- 360 Classified positions (includes instructional assistants, office support, custodians, food service personnel, and maintenance staff)
- Ten substitute and 32 bus driver positions
As I have pointed out in the past, NCPSAS is not a real-time computer system. Job postings on the website are maintained by local school districts, so districts have already filled some of the vacancies listed on the site. It is also possible that some districts have openings that have not yet been added to the NCPSAS.
Moreover, districts may choose to post only a portion of their available positions, which may account for why there are few substitute and bus driver vacancies listed. School district officials know that it is unnecessary to launch a statewide search to find qualified individuals to fill these positions.
The state application system does not include every public school district in the state. The two largest systems in North Carolina, the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), maintain their own job listing and application systems. Today, WCPSS listed 199 positions available for licensed teachers, while the CMS had 163 instructional vacancies listed on their job board website.
At this point, it is impossible to tell whether districts will have a net increase or decrease in staff. Several factors — including student enrollment, the allocation of local and federal education dollars, and programmatic decisions — play a role. As such, be skeptical of Chicken Littles, and their enablers in the media, who predict mass layoffs and unprecedented teacher turnover.
Facts and Stats
The Alamance-Burlington Schools is looking for a graduation coach. According to the job description, they’ll spend 80% of their time at Ray Street Academy, 30% of their time at Alamance-Burlington Middle College, and 20% of their time at Hawfields Middle School.
Education Acronym of the Week
NCPSAS — North Carolina Public Schools Application System
Quote of the Week
"There are employment opportunities in NC public schools from the coast to the mountains!" — Work 4 NC Schoolswebsite
