370 Charleston County teachers snubbed on contracts

UPDATE

Charleston County School District CFO Mike Bobby says the school district is handing out about 3,000 contracts to teachers Friday for next year.  That leaves about 370 wondering if they will have a job.

According to Bobby about 220 of those without contracts are teachers finishing their first year, and about 150 are retirees who returned to the classroom.  Also in the mix are teachers who started in the middle of the school year.

About 50 first year teachers were given contracts because they work in difficult to replace subject areas like math, science and special education.  Also on the “do-not-cut” list are teachers at the Palmetto Priority schools.

More contracts could be given out to first year teachers by around June 15 depending on how many veteran teacher retire or leave the district.  The remaining jobs after that will go to the retirees.

CCDS found itself in a financial mess when it lost $20 million in state revenue this year.  By closing 5 schools in a district Redesign, Bobby says they were able to avoid mid-year layoffs as well as save school programs and keep classroom sizes stable.

If Gov. Sanford changes course it would mean $3 million for the district in stimulus money, but it does not garauntee all the teachers in question get contracts.

Spokespersons for Berkeley and Dorchester 2 School Districts say they extended contracts to all the teachers they wanted to bring back.

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Charleston County School District is planning on closing 5 schools yet still may have to tell as many as 100 teachers they won’t be asked back next year.

This primarily affects first year teachers in subjects other than science, math or special education.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Hundreds of public school teachers in South Carolina will go home this weekend without assurances they’ll have jobs in the next school year.

School districts face a Friday deadline for handing out teacher contracts for 2009-10.

The Legislature gave officials an extra month this year to make their re-hiring decisions. But with Gov. Mark Sanford still refusing $185 million in federal money for kindergarten-through-12th-grade education, many districts are playing it safe and passing budgets without the funds.

Officials say first-year teachers and those who had returned to the classroom after retiring are most affected.

Advocates say some teachers who haven’t gotten a contract are in wait-and-see mode, as administrators tell them the job is there if the stimulus money arrives.