Philly schools: Too many teachers?

Philadelphia Superintendent Arlene Ackerman has ordered a teacher hiring freeze, saying she wants to make sure there are enough jobs for the high number of teachers who need new assignments in September.

In a letter to principals, Ackerman said that 1,400 teachers in all subject fields and at all grade levels will need new placements for the fall. Currently, there are about 800 teacher vacancies.

The staffing upheaval stems from the Renaissance process, where 14 schools will be radically restructured - either run by charters, outside managers or Ackerman herself.

Every teacher at the 14 schools is technically forced out of their current positions, though they may reapply for the new Renaissance school job, which requires longer hours and summer work. No more than half of the current faculty can be re-hired at any Renaissance school.

Schools that become charters will not be staffed with union teachers.

". . .I am concerned that there will not be sufficient vacancies to accommodate all who will need placement," Ackerman wrote in the letter, obtained by The Inquirer.

Estelle Matthews, the district's human resources chief, said Friday that she can't promise that every teacher will have a slot. While she doesn't expect layoffs, she said, "we don't know. Our intent is to place every teacher we have, but we just don't know."

Some of the 1,400 teachers might choose to leave the district and work at Renaissance charter schools. And though April 15 was the deadline for teachers who plan on retiring or resigning to notify the district, a steady stream of teachers typically quit through the summer and into September.

It is possible that some current teachers won't be placed until late summer, but "I'm hoping it doesn't go that long," Matthews said.

More vacancies will be created when Promise Academies - the Renaissance schools run by Ackerman and staffed with district teachers - are finalized. There will be at least five Promise Academies, and possibly more.

Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said he doesn't expect layoffs.

"A number of people are concerned about this, because it's the first time in their career that a hiring freeze has happened," Jordan said, adding that this practice should prevent the district from overhiring and laying off new teachers in the fall.

In her letter to principals, Ackerman said she was not sure "if and when the hiring cycle will be open to consider requests for new hires," she wrote.

Twice in recent weeks, the district has held job fairs for new hires and current district teachers. Turnout at the fairs was heavy, Matthews said, thanks to a tough economy and widespread layoffs at New Jersey schools.

Michael Lerner, president of the principals' union, said that he's heard from members worried about turning away strong candidates they want to hire.

"One principal said, 'I have a teacher moving up from Virginia based on a commitment I made to him,'" Lerner said.

Matthews said that no formal offers have been made.

David Semel, an educator who mentors student teachers in the University of Pennsylvania's Secondary Education graduate program, has already received panicked phone calls from some of his students.

"One student teacher had an interview scheduled for yesterday, and she was pulled into the principal's office and told, 'I can't hire you,'" Semel, a former district teacher, said Friday.

Semel said the hiring freeze could cause the district to lose out on prime teachers. The student teacher and other Penn graduates can't afford to wait to see whether Philadelphia ultimately has more vacancies, Semel said.

"Even if they do want her, she can't wait until July," he said. "They're competing with suburban districts, and they're cutting people off."

In the past, the district has struggled with teacher vacancies at the beginning of the school year. This school year, there were almost no jobs unfilled when classes began.