June 28, 2011
Districts now have the money that they need and can finally do what they do this time of year–hire teachers. The state legislature has finally passed a school budget in the special legislative session, ending months of uncertainty, as well as what turned out to be unnecessary panic over early funding shortfall predictions.
The final budget will only cut about 3% from last year, an amount that districts say they can easily manage. Further, districts around the state are already talking about raising local taxes and spending from their own reserves to completely cover the gap. In fact, from such actions, many districts, like Mission ISD, expect to end up with more funds as compared to last year.
We expect a strong teacher job market to begin developing immediately and running well into September and October for the upcoming semester. In addition, we expect to see strong hiring in the Fall for the Spring 2012 semester.
There is a substantial amount of pent up demand for teachers that is ready to unfold. It’s time for you to get back out in the job market so you don’t miss the boat.