A Problem of Attraction : Magnet Schools Are Under Pressure to Recruit Bilingual Teachers but Can’t Offer a Vital Bonus

Los Angeles’ highly lauded magnet schools find themselves in a Catch-22: They are under increasing pressure to hire more bilingual teachers but can’t pay as much as regular campuses with higher minority enrollments.

A districtwide shortage of bilingual teachers, coupled with the fact that they can receive a $5,000 annual bonus at regular schools with mostly minority students, has led to stiff competition between magnet schools and other schools. Magnet schools, long considered the gems of the school system, are joining the race without the financial incentive.

“I have had some of the finest bilingual teachers pass through here, but they’re on their way to schools where they’ll get paid $5,000,” said Greta Pruitt, the principal at 32nd Street/USC Magnet School Performing and Visual Arts Magnet Center near Downtown.

At stake for the magnet schools is continued political support for the program. In expanding the magnet school program by 24 schools, the Board of Education said last week that it wants magnet schools to hire more bilingual teachers and recruit more non-English-speaking students. Supt. Sid Thompson said he was reviewing the ways students are selected for magnet schools, which offer specialized academic programs.

Parents are applying for magnet schools in record numbers this year. The Los Angeles Unified School District has received 40,500 applications for about 14,000 openings. Parents will be notified next month whether their children are accepted or will go on waiting lists.

Among the magnet schools attracting the highest interest are Balboa Gifted/High Ability Magnet in Northridge, with 1,400 applications; Bravo Medical Magnet on the Eastside, 1,400; Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies in Reseda, 2,036; Open School in Mid-Wilshire, 744; and 32nd Street/USC Magnet School near Downtown, 1,800.

“Parents think these schools are the best choices for their children,” said Leticia Quezada, school board president. “There are parents of all ethnicities who want their children to have the best education they can.”

Districtwide, officials say they have had trouble attracting qualified bilingual teachers. There are 3,500 bilingual teachers in the school system, but officials say they need about 2,500 more. Just 169 work in magnet schools, records show.

“Bilingual teachers certainly have some leverage now,” said Jesus Limon, a bilingual teacher and coordinator at San Fernando Elementary School. “But I think most people would be more apt to stay where they’re making more money.”

To encourage more bilingual teachers to apply to Los Angeles schools, the district agreed six years ago to offer a pay differential--$5,000 to work in schools designated as predominantly minority campuses and $1,000 to work in others.

“Within our budget constraints, we are going up and down the state trying to recruit bilingual teachers,” said Ben Lujan, who oversees the district’s teacher recruitment and selection division. “It’s a fierce competition within the state.”

Although most magnet schools enroll more than 60% minority students, they are not considered to be predominantly minority--a designation that is given to schools with about 90% minority pupils.

Of the district’s 640,000 students, about 44% speak limited English. Of the 37,000 who attend magnet schools, less than 10% do not speak fluent English.

By all accounts, the competition for bilingual teachers will be even more fierce next year. In a settlement with the teachers union, the district has decided to stop paying bilingual teachers the $5,000 bonus next year at 50 schools--primarily in the San Fernando Valley and on the Westside. Because those schools have fewer students who don’t speak English than in previous years, the district decided that it could no longer justify giving those teachers the extra money.

Two bilingual teachers at Chatsworth Park Elementary have decided to leave the school district in part because they will no longer receive the $5,000 bonus.

To obtain a full bilingual credential, teachers must take extensive courses. The district hires teachers who have earned portions of the full bilingual credential, but they do not receive the full bonus pay.

Some board members said they fear that siphoning off the bilingual teachers from regular schools will mean fewer bilingual classes.

“It’s a tough problem,” said board member Jeff Horton, who favors reducing the number of white students who can be admitted to magnet schools to increase the number of minority students. “But the whole idea of magnets has something unfair about it to the extent they drain off active teachers, involved parents and motivated students.”

Magnet schools are considered by many teachers to be the gems of the school system. When Granada Hills High School began its magnet center last year, the school received 60 applications from teachers for seven positions. Only a couple were bilingual teachers.

The magnet schools’ biggest draw is the fact the students--and their parents--choose to attend. Principals say they have an active group of parents and students and teacher morale is high.

“The incentive to teach at magnets is great,” said Assistant Supt. Amy McKenna, who oversees the instruction division. “But I imagine it will be tough recruiting” bilingual teachers.