SUMMER TEACHERS

Need Thousands For Five-Week Session in City

Certification Required For Jobs Paying $33 an Hour

(The Chief-Leader, Friday 14 April 2000, p. 1)

Now that it has required all failing students to attend summer school or risk repeating a grade, the Board is casting a wide net for summer Teacher candidates. This year it will consider applications from retired educators, teachers in private and parochial schools, and teachers from other states, including New Jersey and Connecticut.

Count Rises 4,000

The Board of Ed. plans to send 250,000 students to summer school this year, all of whom must pass tests at the end of the summer session to advance to the next grade. To teach all theses students, the Board of Ed. wants to hire 15,000 teachers. Last year, 11,000 Teachers taught during the summer.

Teachers hired for the summer will be paid $33 an hour for five to six weeks of work beginning in July. Teachers must be certified in New York State or their home states to be eligible for a summer job.

Public school Teachers will receive information about job opportunities at their workplaces. Since not all city schools run summer sessions, Teachers may need to apply to different schools and teach different students during the summer months. The summer income of public school Teachers will not be counted toward a pension.

Private and parochial school teachers will be sent information in the mail to inform them of job opportunities, a Board of Ed. spokeswoman said.

Teachers from Connecticut, New Jersey and 36 other states can apply for summer jobs under an interstate agreement. To be eligible, educators must be certified in their home state.

Most retired Teachers can safely work during the summer without a reduction in their pension, since their earnings will be well under the $17,000 annual limit for public employment. Retirees who have other positions in city of state government must be careful to keep their total earnings under the limit, according to representatives from the city and state retirement systems.

This year's summer program will begin July 5 and run through August 11. Elementary and middle school children will have three hours of classes a day for five days a week, or four hours of classes for four days a week, depending on the district. Their program will last five weeks. High school students, who will be repeating required courses, will attend summer school for six weeks.

Also Hiring for Fall

The Board of Ed. and city school Superintendents are continuing to recruit candidates for full-time and per-diem teaching positions that begin with the new school year in the fall. Because of the equally great need for Teachers during the school year, candidates for math, science and other subject spots may receive clearance to teach before they receive state certification.

Individuals seeking to be hired this fall without state certification should inquire at the high school or community school district where they wish to work. Other jobs that could become available in schools this fall include School Psychologist, Guidance Counselor, and clerical posts.

To apply for summer teaching jobs, try the Board of Ed. Web site at www.nycenet.edu, or call 1-800-NY-TEACH. Prospective applicants also can inquire directly at high schools or community school districts to see if they have openings in a summer program.