No DC Teacher For You ! Part II

91 DC Classes Lack Permanent Teachers !

Check out the story as aired on Channel 7's Friday evening news as reported by Sam Ford. DC parents are complaining that they have been brushed off by DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee. They are lodging some legitimate concerns that many DC students in 91 classes have not been assigned permanent teachers to date. It has been reported that many are still being taught by substitute teachers. Reporter Bruce Johnson first uncovered this story at the opening of school when he interviewed the Chancellor on this same subject. On September 21st my blog featured DC teacher shortage impacts class size. Unfortunately many of our students in both regular education and special education are still being subjected to classes that are over ratio and many even exceed 40 students. 'Children First' - 'Failure Not an Option' - I think not !- posted by Candi.

Link: http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0908/556842.html

DC Parents Concerned about Alleged Teacher Shortage

After millions of dollars in renovations, some parents claim McKinley Tech High School still suffers a critical shortage of teachers. "We asked what's going on, why there's no teachers," said Monica Lowe. "They made false promises." Her son is a junior at McKinley. After weeks of school, his Algebra II/Trigonometry class is on its second substitute teacher, she says. "Parent-teacher conference is next Friday, October the third, Mr. Ford, and we have yet to receive a teacher," Lowe told ABC 7/News Channel 8 reporter Sam Ford Friday. McKinley's not alone. ABC 7/News Channel 8 visited Thurgood Marshall Elementary School last week and found classes with only substitute teachers. One classroom with a permanent teacher had 46 students.

The teachers' union blames schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. "The chancellor was able to fire 270 teachers this summer without any problem, but yet has not been able to get a teacher in every classroom now that it's the fifth week of school," said teachers' union spokesperson George Parker. The union provided ABC 7/News Channel 8 with what it said is an an internal, school-system list of classrooms with no permanent teacher. There were 91 classes on the list as of Thursday. Among the vacant positions on the list, a math teacher at McKinley High School.The union says many of the teachers who were fired were a point or two from certification. They've been replaced by substitutes, said Parker. Parents like Monica Lowe say they won't put up with it.

"I refuse as a parent to allow my son or any of the children to suffer," she said. "They just blow us off as parents as if we're not important."ABC 7/News Channel 8 contacted the school system to ask about the list provided by the union and parents' concerns. A spokesperson had not called us back as of Friday evening. story courtesy of wjla.com.