1,000 Rush to Apply for Teaching Jobs
A crush of more than 1,000 prospective teachers lined up for teaching jobs in the Los Angeles Unified School District this week.
Michael Acosta, who oversees teacher recruiting, said applications have been particularly heavy. The major reason for the rush, he said, is that “now school is out, so people from other districts are applying.” Large numbers of recent college graduates also are beginning to apply, he said.
About 2,900 applications have been received since recruiting began in May, which may be slightly higher than average, he said. But the district normally interviews 7,000 to 8,000 applicants during the summer.
More teachers from neighboring districts are applying for jobs, and some have reported being enticed by the higher salaries Los Angeles teachers won after a strike in May, Acosta said.
Starting July 1, beginning teachers will earn $27,346, compared with $23,440 last year. The maximum salary will rise to $47,675 from $40,871.
The district has 2,000 vacancies, particularly in the areas of elementary, bilingual, special education, mathematics and science instruction. So far 850 new teachers have been hired, Acosta said.
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