Oregon school teachers (Bend, Redmond: fingerprints, teaching jobs, school districts)

[bubblebee]

My husband and I are considering a move to Oregon. I have been an elementary school teacher in Idaho for the past couple of years. I am trying to find out what it is like to be a teacher in Oregon. What are the pros and cons? How do the health benefits and salary compare to that of other states? How has the recent economy affected education in the state as a whole?

Thank you!

[Silverfall]

Teachers are fairly well paid here in comparison to other states. Teacher Salaries By State | Average Salaries For Teachers | Beginning Salaries For Teachers | Teacher Raises | TeacherPortal.com

I'm not a teacher here, but we have a couple from Bend that participate on this forum. You might want to use the search function to type in teachers in Oregon and see what threads come up. You can sent a direct message to any of the participants on the forum.

[skinem]

Odds are you will be paid considerably better than in Idaho. I'm out of ed now after 25 years (I could retire after 25 years in the state I was in), and have taught in 4 states including Oregon. Oregon's benefits were great...their retirement was top notch, but during the '90s they began different tiers with newer people not receiving quite as generous retirement benefits.

Benefits and pay can vary widely from district to district.

Every state I taught in did something better than any other state I've worked in. A couple of things that Oregon in general seemed to excel at were staff development and really working to meet the needs of individual students...not a "one size fits all" education.

Of course, your mileage may vary.

[Brenda-by-the-sea]

It's difficult to make a sweeping generalization about the whole state. Salaries range from quite good in the large cities of the Willamette Valley to 1980's-level on the coast and in more rural areas. PERS is essentially the same throughout the state and is a good deal for those who got in at Tier 1. Whether it will still be solvent when you retire is another question.

The main problem at present, though, is the high number of qualified Oregon teaching applicants seeking positions in relationship to the very low incidence of vacancy. If you can land a .2 FTE job as a new-to-the-district job applicant, that would be considered good fortune under the current circumstances.

[skinem]

One thing that may increase your odds of getting a job is to consider some of the extremely rural districts in sagebrush or wheat country in eastern Oregon. Some (not all) of those districts have a tough time attracting teachers due to the isolation, relatively low pay, the fact that you may have to have 5 or 6 different preps and for what many consider "ugly" countryside. Also, some of them have high turnover due to that same reason. Due to teaching jobs getting harder to find today, competition for these jobs has probably increased as well.
But, it can get you in the state!
(And yes, Tier 1 is nice!)

[delta07]

Originally Posted by bubblebee

My husband and I are considering a move to Oregon. I have been an elementary school teacher in Idaho for the past couple of years. I am trying to find out what it is like to be a teacher in Oregon. What are the pros and cons? How do the health benefits and salary compare to that of other states? How has the recent economy affected education in the state as a whole?

Thank you!

I don't have experience teaching in Oregon, but I do have my Oregon teaching license. I taught elementary school in Colorado, and when looking into the pay scale for the Bend-LaPine and Redmond school districts, I was pleased at the possible pay increase I would experience. However, the recent economy is probably the biggest reason I haven't taught in Oregon. There are no jobs! I can barely get any substitute positions and I am required to have a teaching license, not just a substitute license.

I would say that before you make the move, you should apply for your Oregon license, as many school districts won't even consider your application until you have the license in your possession. I also agree with skinem, that you may have better luck if you look into extremely rural areas of Oregon. Good luck!

[tomb_45662]

I might move to Oregon for a position where I would have wed. and thur. off. Weird schedule I know, anyways does anyone know what the requirements are for a substitute teaching license in Oregon? I was a sub here in Ohio for three different school districts.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by tomb_45662

I might move to Oregon for a position where I would have wed. and thur. off. Weird schedule I know, anyways does anyone know what the requirements are for a substitute teaching license in Oregon? I was a sub here in Ohio for three different school districts.

It might depend on the district you work for. I know here in Central Oregon we have Educational Service Districts, which manage the substitute services for several school districts, rather than the actual district managing themselves. Anyways, in order to substitute in our districts, you have to have a full teaching license (ie Bachelor's degree in Education or equivalent). It's quite a process to go through, IMO. I would check with the state dept. of edu. to see what the requirements are for the area you plan to live.

[tomb_45662]

Originally Posted by delta07

It might depend on the district you work for. I know here in Central Oregon we have Educational Service Districts, which manage the substitute services for several school districts, rather than the actual district managing themselves. Anyways, in order to substitute in our districts, you have to have a full teaching license (ie Bachelor's degree in Education or equivalent). It's quite a process to go through, IMO. I would check with the state dept. of edu. to see what the requirements are for the area you plan to live.

Thanks for the heads up Delta. It's different here in Ohio: Bachelors in anything, BCI State and Federal, fingerprints, get a TB test and you're in like flyn. I'll look at the districts in the area if I end up getting the job.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by tomb_45662

Thanks for the heads up Delta. It's different here in Ohio: Bachelors in anything, BCI State and Federal, fingerprints, get a TB test and you're in like flyn. I'll look at the districts in the area if I end up getting the job.

I know what you mean. It was that way in Colorado too, and even then, in certain districts just about anyone could get an emergency sub license. Not so, at least here in the High Desert Educational Services District! I've spent well over $500 getting my full teaching license, with no intent (at least at this point) of ever going back to full-time teaching. If you are just looking for something to give you a few extra bucks, you might consider a part-time job elsewhere. Definitely look into it though.