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I'm a teacher in Massachusetts - thinking about a move to Charlotte.
From other posts I've read here, it doesn't seem like the Meck school system gets superb ratings - why is that??
Charlotte teachers - what do you like about the school system? What do you dislike? What is most challenging about your job?
How difficult is it for out of state teachers to get a job in the school system?
What is typical for a contract (sick days, personal days, health insurance options... )?
About the school systems -
What are average class sizes/work conditions...??
What neighboring counties do you think have good schools? (specifics?)
Teachers are being laid off consistently. Schools are being closed. The work conditions appear to be deplorable.
I am not a teacher, but, I have great empathy for the teachers in our school system. This is a time of great upheaval and uncertainty in our system.
I doubt that the job prospects are very good since there are so many unemployed teachers now. Even in neighbouring counties, (whose fiscal health is not any better than Mecklenburg's) would be questionable since there is so much upheaval here. (the teachers would migrate there)
You would do good to follow the news and see what is going on before making any kind of decisions.
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Most of the school systems are county-wide. Watch their websites. Union county, Cabarras County, Lincoln County, Gaston County, Cleveland County. There might be a 2nd system in Cabarrus County. There are 2 systems in Iredell County. Those are in NC.
You couldn't pick a worse time to try to get a teaching job in the state of NC. The state has hit the education funding cliff this year and the deepest cuts in history are coming.
You couldn't pick a worse time to try to get a teaching job in the state of NC. The state has hit the education funding cliff this year and the deepest cuts in history are coming.
You are right. My wife and I have a total of over 50 years of service in CMS and have never seen so many very good experienced,tenured teachers suddenly be fired like they were no better than cafeteria workers. Many have masters degrees too. I cant understand why people up north look at the map and see charlotte and then think its a mecca to give them something they want.....sorry full up .I even hear they plan to start firing bus drivers soon. Teachers coming to charloote wanting to teach may check out the pre school day care centers. if they want to practice teaching here......pays starts at about 5 bucks an hour.
If you come this way, avoid CMS for all the reasons listed and then some. Charter Schools, however, are popular and growing in this region and there are some very, very good one. Consider that path.
Charlotte, like the city of Boston, has good schools and bad schools. Over the past decade or so, there has been a huge exodus to private schools which you might also want to consider as a career change. There are some excellent schools in the area. Some are being closed. The ones being closed are the ones with very poor academic performance where the parents are not part of the students education. These schools tried making classroom population very small so that enhanced learning might occur. It made no difference. Naturally, these schools are the ones being closed and unfortunately, these students will be forced upon higher performing schools. Naturally, there are exceptions, but this is the general situation.
Mecklenburg is a huge school district. Iredell, Cabarrus, Union, and York Counties are counties with excellent schools in their districts. They are reasonable commutes from the Charlotte area. You may want to make contact with their district offices. Schools in south Charlotte and the Lake Norman area are very good and should be considered.
An old friend teaches in Salem, Mass. and has taught in other schools in the Boston area. It isn't much different here. The pay is about the same. I am not familiar with retirement income, etc. There is more of a demand for science and math teachers than social studies teachers, so if you do have certification in math or science, you will get a job eventually, depending on your experience, etc.
I have noticed that there are habitual pessimists on this thread. Take them with a grain of salt and use common sense and do some research on your own. Good luck. There are options here despite talks of massive lay offs that end up being mostly talk.
Native Chief: Just an update: Most teachers today need a master's degree to be competitive. Specialization is the major consideration in acquiring a teaching position. Just being certified doesn't guarantee a job. Your comparison of teachers to kitchen workers in school was a bit demeaning for kitchen workers, they are important too. And, the minimum wage in North Carolina s $7.25 per hour. The only people that make $5. per hour are waiters and illegal immigrants.
Last edited by newcomerfromuk; 01-02-2011 at 07:43 AM..
I cant understand why people up north look at the map and see charlotte and then think its a mecca to give them something they want.....sorry full up .
If the teachers' unions in NY are so good I can not help but wonder why so many teachers from the Northeast and Ohio want to get here, unless it is because unions won't allow many to be fired, keeping new teachers from getting their foot in the door.
Teachers coming to charloote wanting to teach may check out the pre school day care centers. if they want to practice teaching here......pays starts at about 5 bucks an hour.
I know you meant this as an exaggeration, but I'd just like to point out that it's a huge one. I used to work in the field, and still have several friends in it, and it pays quite well here. I made more than some CMS teachers I know, and had full benefits as well. While I didn't have summers off, we did have spring break and two full weeks at Christmas, paid. There were several certified teachers working there, even a couple with masters degrees.
Depending on your teaching/certification area (mine is early childhood), you can find a preschool with several pre-k or transitional kindergarten classes and have just as fulfilling and profitable a job as you would in the public schools.
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