[sz89128]

I'm originally from PA and my family is looking into Florida as a possible place to relocate.

I teach in inner city Pittsburgh and have been assaulted by students among other things. My daughter is bullied constantly because she is white. We would like to find a family friendly area for us to settle down in and reside.

We are in our early 30's and our daughter is still in elementary school. I'm a Spanish teacher and would be seeking a position as a Spanish teacher. I am certified K-12 and am looking into an FL teaching license which should not be difficult since I have one from another state.

Any advice? Places to look at? Education and jobs? Florida seems to be the only state that is actively recruiting teachers.

I know this is quite general but I'm trying to narrow things down.

[beachmouse]

The reason why they're actively recruiting teachers is that the state legislature recently passed a bill stating that half your salary every year will be determined by how well your students do on standardized tests. I seriously wouldn't come down here to teach until that all gets sorted out.

[annaegel]

Florida is recruiting teachers??? That really surprises me! I keep hearing that teachers are being laid off, everywhere in Florida.

As far as bullying goes, my daughter has been bullied more down here than in NJ. The kids are just plain mean. I know bullying happens everywhere, but I never had this amount of problems as in NJ. One girl told my daughter she is too nice and she needs to learn to be mean. Great advice.

I have a daughter in middle school and high school. I hear about teachers getting hurt by students and the schools do nothing about it. There was a fight between two 6th graders. A teacher stepped in to seperate them. One of the boys punched the teacher in the face. He was arrested, but was back at school the very next day. We live in a very nice part of Tampa, more of a suburban feel.

Good luck to you.

A friend of mine use to teach kindergarten (same area as where I live). She has bad scoliosis who has been able to put off surgery for many years. She had one boy who was very troubled. He was constantly bullying the other students. One day, my friend had her back to the boy. He came up to her and have her a huge push that knocked her down to the floor. Needless to say, she had to take a month off for disability. The principal refused to do anything or refer him to a more appropriate program. The principal advised her to call the police next time he does that. She decided to go for early retirement instead.

You sure you want to move here? You may be facing similar, if not worse situations. I don't mean to be Debbie downer, but think long and hard before leaving PA.

[MovedfromFL]

Kids are out of control in a LOT of the schools down here. Our local high school has massive teacher turnover, and one teacher was recently body slammed by a 300 lb student (he did not go to jail). He is finally in jail now after raping a girl on the school bus. I had a former high school AP tell me "I don't know how high school teachers get out of bed in the morning. It is BAD."

As a new teacher, you will probably only be able to get a job in the worst schools to begin with. The new "Student Success Act" mandates that all new teachers work on annual contract *forever*. (our version of "tenure" is gone forever)

Your entire first year is probationary, during which time you can be let go for no reason at all (but you can also quit w/o voiding your contract). Benefits are a lot more expensive here than in PA (are handled on a per county basisl; for example, in my district, it would cost $800 a month for family medical and that doesn't include dental, vision, or s/l disability - those are extra). Unions are pretty much powerless here, except maybe down in Broward/ Dade. Pay has been frozen for at least 3 years in my district, and maybe up to 5 - I'm not sure since we moved away but came back)

My SIL lives in PA and based on what she tells me, you are in for a big shock down here.

Teacher pay in FL is now lower than Mississippi.

Under the Student Success Act, your job will depend on if your students pass a subject area test (yet to be developed) and if they show growth on the value added formula adopted by the state (also TBD by June 1st).

The FL budget is about to be passed this week and it cuts education by over 7% (back to level of 2005). My district is considering going to a 4 day school week to save $4 million.

You might want to try the Florida Virtual School because that program is being expanded and is recruiting right now (but I think you need FL certification).

FL does have a class size reduction mandate, but lawmakers are about to (this week for sure) relax the caps, so that foreign language definately does not fall under the caps. (therefore, no limit on how large foreign language classes can be)

Here are two websites with some info:

Teachers.Net - FLORIDA CHATBOARD - Florida teachers, join your fellow teachers on the Florida teacher chatboard. The Teachers.Net Florida website offers Florida teachers a Florida teachers mailring (Florida teachers mail list or Florida listserv) and

Florida education news: Rick Scott's budget, school improvement plans, PTA fundraisers and more | Education articles blog on schools in Florida & Tampa Bay: the Gradebook | tampabay.com & St. Petersburg Times

Based on your certification, I don't think chances are very good right now, esp since the class size caps are being lifted from foreign language classes. Something could come up more at the last minute, which would be late July here since classes begin in early August (at least in my district).

Also, try Teaching Jobs US, Education Jobs, Special Education Teacher Jobs

I just spoke to a woman at the FL division of certification today and she said she has never seen things this bad. I guess we all have to hang in there for now...

[annaegel]

This is the kind of news I keep hearing about in Florida teachers: Teacher layoffs hit Fla. counties (http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/teacher-layoffs-hit-fla.-counties-050611 - broken link)

I don't see anything that says they are hiring. Could it be just in my area? Are other areas actually hiring teachers, not laying off?

[allenk893]

Please consider Texas instead. I do not believe Florida is hiring any teachers. There are however many good schools (better than inner city PA) that are here! Dallas, Austin, Houston, & San Antonio all have a relatively good economy right now. Please look into these cities to teach.

[citizen000483]

allen: Texas has a 28 billion dollar deficit and teachers are getting cut left and right...and the teachers that remain are facing multiple pay reductions...All the school districts in San Antonio are cutting despite what they are saying in public. my school is losing at least 5 teachers and 5 or so paraprofessionals and that is out of around 60 teachers...we have been told we face furloughs, pay cuts, and losing/reduction of stipends....

[xitalianacutiex]

Teachers are being laid off everywhere!!! It's not just Florida... I was laid off in Delaware. Delaware being very small, and with my certification and expertise in Autism, there were no opportunities for me up there. Georgia is bad as well. All over the country districts are having furlough days, pay cuts (I had my pay cut 2.5 percent, down from the original 8 % proposed). Even my teacher friends in NYC public schools were laid off. Unfortunately it is everywhere, but certain subjects (like ESE/autism/severe disabilities) in bigger states have an easier time finding positions. It stinks what is happening to the education system in this country.

[MissShona]

Originally Posted by sz89128

I'm originally from PA and my family is looking into Florida as a possible place to relocate.

I teach in inner city Pittsburgh and have been assaulted by students among other things. My daughter is bullied constantly because she is white. We would like to find a family friendly area for us to settle down in and reside.

We are in our early 30's and our daughter is still in elementary school. I'm a Spanish teacher and would be seeking a position as a Spanish teacher. I am certified K-12 and am looking into an FL teaching license which should not be difficult since I have one from another state.

Any advice? Places to look at? Education and jobs? Florida seems to be the only state that is actively recruiting teachers.

I know this is quite general but I'm trying to narrow things down.

Hey, I'm in the Pittsburgh area and I work for Cal U in a graduate division of the College of Education. We have 3 students out of 225 from FL who are now looking for positions in PA (my program is for those looking for principal and superintendent certification). I have a very good friend (he's my ex boyfriend actually) who teaches in Miami and has been applying earnestly to jobs in Philadelphia and New Jersey...because he wants out so bad.

The teenagers in Pittsburgh make the teenagers in Miami look like angels. I don't know about in the other FL cities....but my guess is that they are also bad. The inner-city/low income areas of Pittsburgh (proper...not the suburbs like the Mon Valley where I am) are pretty limited population-wise. So instead of being surrounded by 1,000 bad kids...perhaps 25-30 to a class....you'll be going to schools where you have 5,000 bad kids....30-40 in a classroom. Oh, and they will be ALL over the map in regards to their learning abilities their English comprehension (people love to focus on the Spanish-speakers of Miami, but the Creole-speaking contingent is also very big). Miami has poverty that is of a level that you don't see in Pittsburgh; simply because Pittsburgh is far from being overcrowded and strained when it comes to public welfare resources.

Also non-hispanic Whites are a minority in Miami-Dade county. I never went to public school in FL; but my guess is that your daughter may still endure some bullying...because she's still on the out (kids are cruel like that)

You are right that a PA teaching certification is good in a lot of states...especially southern states (like FL, NC and SC). But PA teachers also make a lot more than FL teachers...and education is still more of a priority here than in FL (although with Corbett's budget cuts...we'll see how that will play out in the future). So you'll have to be prepared to cut your pay 10% while your living expenses go up. I don't have kids, but if I did, I would feel the pressure to live in areas of FL with "good" schools; and they aren't no where near as common as they are in SW PA.

But I wouldn't say don't do it. I personally can't deal with PA...SW PA especially. I would 1) look into other careers....like School Administration, Educational Technology, etc...where you can make a little more 2) consider northern FL...places like Gainesville, Tallahassee or even Jacksonville. The weather is still nice there (if I didn't have the Jewish community requirement...I would head to those places!) and 3) Think about going into private tutoring or maybe even private schools. FL has a lot of money and temporary residents who are looking to pay people to keep their kids up to speed.

Good luck...keep us posted!

[karenlabe]

Your best bet would be to check Florida Virtual School. I just checked and there is a posting for a Spanish teacher.