Teacher Demand in: Columbus, Madison, Milwaukee, Portland, Colorado Springs, Boston, Indianapolis and the Twin Cities? (teaching jobs, school districts)

[DrVanNostrand]

Just curious what the teaching market currently looks like in Columbus, Madison, Milwaukee, Portland, Colorado Springs, Boston, Indianapolis and the Twin Cities?? Is there a demand for teachers (for the 2009-2010 school year)? Are budgetary issues currently affecting hiring practices as they are in other parts of the country?

Also, how is the school system perceived in the area -- good, bad, so so?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

[golfgal]

It really depends on the district and the discipline. If you are looking for an elementary job, probably won't find one very easily. If you are math, science, special ed or foreign language other then Spanish, French, German, the outlook is pretty good.

Some districts are struggling, closing schools, laying off teachers, others are doing just fine financially because of good planning.

For the most part the school districts around the state are considered top notch.

[7G9C4J2]

Madison schools are generally perceived in the community as being very good to excellent. Although many folks assume that "the best" schools are invariably in the suburbs rather than in the city itself, at least in Madison, this is not the case. Nearby communities do have top-notch schools as well, don't get me wrong, but Madison has some of the best public schools around.

As an indication of the public perception of the district, the last school district budget referendum (this past November) passed by a wide margin. That said, slipping tax revenues in general continue to dog Madison (and all districts in the state), and pennies must be pinched in consequence. Several popular programs have been severely curtailed or eliminated altogether in recent years, and some positions have been eliminated as well. At least to date, most of the positions eliminated have not been in the core curriculum areas of instruction, but it is still a sign of the times that folks are being let go.

As to demand for teachers, at least for the past decade or so, the demand has mostly been in the other direction, with many more teachers trying to get jobs in the district than there are openings available. From the perspective of an educational consumer, that's good, of course, because it means that the district can afford to be choosy in their hiring, and at least in our experience, there are very few less-than-stellar instructors in the district. For someone trying to get a foot in the door, however, it makes the effort that much more difficult.

Certain subject areas and specializations are more likely to be in demand than others, of course. Madison's immigrant population has increased in the past decade, and bilingual teachers, especially if they are ESL-certified, have a definite edge. And while many of the incoming youngsters are Spanish speakers, Spanish is by no means the only language in demand. If you are fluent in Hmong, for example, you'd have a real advantage in the competition for teaching jobs.

Good luck to you in your research, and do check out the "variety of useful links" thread that is stickied at the top of the Madison forum; there is a link to the school district's website in that thread, and you'd be likely to get more info there.

[DrVanNostrand]

Thank you for your response, golfgal.

I teach Social Studies, so I understand that my options will be limited coming in, but I interview well and have an excellent track record so I think I'd have a good shot at the few opportunities that may present themselves as long as preference isn't given to locals.

The main thing I wanted to learn from this thread is whether or not it's business as usual in the Twin Cities. I know that jobs will be virtually impossible to come by in places like Seattle where there are hiring freezes and all kinds of instability and uncertainty heading into the 2009-2010 school year.

I want to eliminate places like that from my job search before I invest valuable time -- and potentially money -- pursing jobs.

Thanks again. Any additional information that anyone could provide would be more than welcome. I'm very interested in relocating to the Twin Cities area.

[golfgal]

That is a very hard question to answer. Our district is doing very well, the budget looks good but finding a social studies position will be next to impossible. We have a friend that had a long term sub position in our district and still couldn't get a job in our district because of the number of social studies applicants.

The neighboring district is in the process of cutting about $30 million out of their budget, no new hires happening there.

Again, unless you have some extra curriculars that are in demand, getting a social studies position here is going to be extremely difficult.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

I would imagine whether or not the district passed its referendum this last election will have a strong indirect impact in the coming years.

Places where the referendum was passed:
Minneapolis
Robbinsdale
Inver Grove Heights
Elk River
St. Louis Park

Places where it wasn't passed:
Osseo
Buffalo
South St. Paul
Rockford
St. Francis

source: Minneapolis voters OK school levy; other results mixed (http://www.startribune.com/politics/local/33874254.html?page=1&c=y - broken link)

I also read somewhere that since St. Cloud failed to pass a couple of their referendum's it is going to be in a lot of trouble and may be forced to close one of its high schools.

[slamont61]

The City School system isn't perceived very well. I don't think it's being run very well because it's too easy for people to send thier kids anywhere they want.

Good for the kids not so good for Milwaukee Public Schools.

The Suburbs seem to have wonderful school systems. I'm more familiar with Waukesha County but those schools out there are Excellent. My child attended both Pewaukee Schools and Oconomowoc schools and both were well above average. The schools there are enabling the kids to succeed while the Milwaukee Public Schools are spending a lot of thier efforts in just getting by. No child left behind, so the push them a long. Yikes!

[Ron.]

I would call the Columbus Public Schools admin offices. CPs is just like any other city in the USA, they have their share of problems. I have not been there for a few years but I can recall at the time several of the schools were closed for structural issues and budget issues.

But generaly speaking, there is always a demand for good teachers. My background is Finance and CPS offered me a position as a sub..........I can only imagine what opportunties are available for someone that has actual qualifications to be a teacher.


CPS:614-365-5000



Good Luck
Ron

Originally Posted by DrVanNostrand

Just curious what the teaching market currently looks like in Columbus? Is there a demand for teachers (for the 2009-2010 school year)? Are budgetary issues currently affecting hiring practices as they are in other parts of the country?

Also, how is the school system perceived in the area -- good, bad, so so?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Denamd is very low, supply is very high.

My wife used to teach and some of her traching friends tell us it's 500 applications for each opening, up from 300 applications for each opening when times were good.

Now, it's not all gloom & doom. If you are a math teacher or Special Ed or ESL those fields are always competitive with lots of openings.

[Haver]

My sister in law has a teacher's degree from the U of M and she's a pretty sharp and dedicated person; after years of off-and-on sub work (I think mostly in the St. Paul area where she lives) she eventually gave up and found a job in another field.