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.