Is the job application process in K-12 too much of a barrier? (county, public schools)
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Private industry does it all the time.
And applications have a question about that with yes/no checkbox.
And being certified by the state means you already jumped through many of those hoops already...like criminal background check.
Baltimore County Public Schools:
Daughter 2 student taught Spring 2011, background check, fingerprints, etc. required in late 2010, again, even though she'd been in a lab school practice teaching, after the background check, fingerprints, etc. for a year prior.
Offered position in July 2011 in a high school. Background check, fingerprints, etc. again required.
That's Maryland.
I applied for job in PA, Dean of Students, and, although I hit all the marks and was a paper finalist, I was disqualified because my fingerprints were two weeks out of date upon receipt of application.
Baltimore County Public Schools:
Daughter 2 student taught Spring 2011, background check, fingerprints, etc. required in late 2010, again, even though she'd been in a lab school practice teaching, after the background check, fingerprints, etc. for a year prior.
Offered position in July 2011 in a high school. Background check, fingerprints, etc. again required.
That's Maryland.
I applied for job in PA, Dean of Students, and, although I hit all the marks and was a paper finalist, I was disqualified because my fingerprints were two weeks out of date upon receipt of application.
My parents were both educators who retired before most of this came about, but issues with teachers were pretty rare too. They happened but much less than today. They would support clearances required today if they were still living.
However; the fingerprints being out of date? That sounds really crazy, as prints don't change. I guess there could be some issue with a person killing a teacher and assuming his/her identity? Such things happen, as I've seen on Forensic Files a few times. But they could simply ask for updated prints. That would be courteous if you were in the running.
I agree too, that all the hoops would be frustrating for what teachers are paid. But many professions are having more hoops. Many routine office jobs are much harder to get without a college degree. I discovered that when I worked offices in the 80's and 90's. My bad that I didn't get a degree, but their bad that it was necessary for some fairly low paying jobs. An inlaw years ago rose fairly high in a corporate job in spite of only having high school. He did do professional courses with his company and did quite well. Nearly unheard of today.
I will start by saying I am an IT professional, not a teacher. I have applied for jobs in K-12 schools a handful times, but I never got any of them. Here are the steps I had to take:
Schedule a time to visit a police station and have my fingerprints taken(At my own expense!), this earns you a Criminal Record History card that must be renewed after five years.
Submit Criminal Record History card, three signed letters of recommendation, resume, cover letter, long-form application, and sealed transcripts from every school I have ever attended.
Most of the schools I've applied for required all of this for all support positions, like IT, admin, and food service. Most of the time, they pay much less than equivalent positions in the private sector.
I don't think the average person is going to jump through all these hoops when they could make more money at a grocery store.
My parents were both educators who retired before most of this came about, but issues with teachers were pretty rare too. They happened but much less than today. They would support clearances required today if they were still living.
However; the fingerprints being out of date? That sounds really crazy, as prints don't change. I guess there could be some issue with a person killing a teacher and assuming his/her identity? Such things happen, as I've seen on Forensic Files a few times. But they could simply ask for updated prints. That would be courteous if you were in the running.
I agree too, that all the hoops would be frustrating for what teachers are paid. But many professions are having more hoops. Many routine office jobs are much harder to get without a college degree. I discovered that when I worked offices in the 80's and 90's. My bad that I didn't get a degree, but their bad that it was necessary for some fairly low paying jobs. An inlaw years ago rose fairly high in a corporate job in spite of only having high school. He did do professional courses with his company and did quite well. Nearly unheard of today.
Incidents happened, and I really don't think the frequency has changed, just the 24 hour news cycle and the laws. Used to be a teacher fooling around with a student ended up with the teacher getting kicked upstairs. The running joke for years in the system where I worked was to just date a student and you became an Assistant Principal. I graduated from high school fifty years ago and can think of at least a half dozen instances without straining in my small, rural high school from then. Both male and female teachers.
The school system where I live had a situation where a teacher messed around with a member of the youth choir at his church. Got kicked out of the church but became a subject area supervisor with the school system.
The rec letters are bs. 200 school districts in AZ, alone... How many times are you going to bother people? Anyone can get a letter...would be quite difficult to scam a fingerprint check.
No, and I don't care how the private sector operates.
And you are retired for some time and nothing has changed since.
If the administration of education doesn't keep up with the current times for employees then schools should not be crying about how no one is applying.
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