Credentialed staff on the rise in GUSD

Gary Moskowitz

Alice Petrossian does not take the word “pedagogy” lightly.

“It takes a very special kind of person to commit to educating our

children at the highest level,” said Petrossian, assistant

superintendent of educational services for the Glendale Unified

School District. “Understanding when to teach and how to teach truly

is an art.”

The art of teaching -- at the fully credentialed level -- is a

high priority in the GUSD, and the number of credentialed teachers in

the district is on the rise.

A report reviewed by the school board last week shows 89.9% of the

district’s 1,334 teachers are fully credentialed.

Just 10.2% of the classroom-teaching workforce is on emergency

permits or waivers, or has pre-intern or intern credentials. Last

year’s figure was 15%, according to district reports.

Of the 1,334 district teachers, 98 hold emergency permits. The

majority of those 98 are expected to become fully credentialed by

August, according to district reports.

Glendale Unified participated in 14 university and college

recruitment events in the spring, establishing as many as 379

contacts at one event. A total of 100 new hires last spring resulted

from those recruitment efforts, Assistant Supt. of Human Resources

Cathleen McMullen said.

The district was able to offer $5,000 state-funded sign-on bonuses

to teachers who came on board during the 2001-02 school year. But

bonuses probably will not be an option in 2003 because of statewide

cuts to education, McMullen said.

The district began using online application procedures heavily

this past year, which led to more than 2,500 teacher applicants.

“Word of mouth also brings a lot of teachers to Glendale,”

McMullen said. “Our own employees are some of our best recruiters.”

Glendale Unified ranks second among the 47 Los Angeles County

unified school districts in overall compensation rates.

A first-year teacher can expect to earn an annual salary of

$39,915 for 186 days of work. Salary and benefits combined will make

a first-year teacher’s total compensation about $50,000, McMullen

said.