Who Will Teach the New Orleans Students? Houston Federation of Teachers Calls for Expedited Process
Posted on: Wednesday, 7 September 2005, 12:00 CDT
HOUSTON, Texas Sept. 7 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Houston Federation of Teachers said today it is concerned that the Houston Independent School District has not set up a process for hiring teachers for the thousands of New Orleans children who will start registering Wednesday to attend Houston public schools.
"Who's going to teach these kids? There's very little time left to avert a chaotic situation," said Gayle Fallon, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers.
Fallon said she was concerned that the school district has yet to come up with an organized plan for hiring teachers for the approximately 5,000 students who have been evacuated to the Astrodome, Reliant Arena and the George R. Brown Convention Center.
"Right now, the district has placed the cart before the horse," Fallon said. The district has identified 15 elementary, seven middle and seven high schools for the students.
"The district has found the schools but missed the crucial element of who will teach them. We need to make sure current Houston students and the new students are getting a quality education. We can't have overcrowded classes, classes with no teacher, or classes taught by teachers not certified in the subject they're teaching," Fallon said.
Questions that need to be answered, according to Fallon:
-- Once students at the Astrodome are registered on Wednesday, will they start on Thursday?
-- What is the school district doing about employing teachers from New Orleans and from out of state as well as Houston teacher retirees?
-- Will there be an expedited hiring procedure to aver a serious shortage of certified teachers for the influx of New Orleans children?
-- What provisions are being made to ensure that the new teachers entering Houston classes will be certified in the subject they will be teaching?
Fallon will be available in her office until about 3:45 p.m., when she will be going to the School Board agenda review meeting.
http://www.usnewswire.com
Source: U.S. Newswire
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