Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Job Postings

So while I have basically secured myself a position for next year and have seen a serious decline recently in the amount of English/Language Arts postings out there in CT and MA (still 0 in RI), I received my SchoolSpring e-mail today only to find out there are 7 postings for ELA educators in Plymouth! Geez! Why couldn't they have posted this earlier or left a few of these openings unfilled for years to come? Geez (again).

I would have expected maybe one or two, but this is just crazy and unexpected. That's a lot of new ELA educators for one district in the coming school year. And while I also interpret this to be a great sign for the current economy in MA, I do have to worry a bit that it might be an ominous sign that next year there will be few to no open job postings. I think everyone that can retire is taking advantage of it this year before the huge concessions kick in that will affect their retirements. Which, of course, is the smart thing to do. But I doubt few will be retiring at the end of the 2009-2010 school year, which will leave many 2010 education graduates without jobs (and also those who unfortunately are cut due to decreased budget expectations for 2010-2011).

That's what gives me the most trepidation. If many districts admitted they'll have openings next year, but can't do it this year, that would give me confidence about the teaching market and the health of school systems, but it seems they're all going for what they can get this year knowing next year might be a tight fit and an even tighter budget.

I am extremely thankful for the luck I have gotten for this upcoming school year and hope that I can stay in this district until I retire. It seems like a town that is just beginning to boom, and will grow exponentially (both in population, houses and businesses), but also in wealth and tourism. With a hotel or two and a real promotion of the Blackstone Valley Corridor, state parks, and close proximity to these outdoor biking and hiking trails extending from north of Worcester to south of Providence (and eventually Calise, ME to Key West, FL, we could really see a boom in this town. That's what I'm hoping for. The staff seems welcoming and intelligent, the students friendly and capable, the district poised and invigorating, and the future bright--so long as the economy of the world begins to uptick again soon.

No comments:

Post a Comment