Federal money to save jobs is too late for some teachers

By D. Aileen Dodd

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Last year at this time, Tonysha Johnson of Atlanta was teaching language arts to kids at Lilburn Middle School. Now, she's helping families rid their homes of roaches.

The $322 million in federal aid available to save teaching jobs in Georgia -- part of a national package for the states -- was approved too late to do Johnson any good.

For teachers in transition, the start of the new school year has been a bittersweet reminder of the jobs they lost. Some educators are still looking for work. A few are finding themselves in fields they never would have dreamed of in college.

For others, it has been an adjustment. A change in mission as they switch from public school to parochial or private school to keep a steady paycheck. And peace of mind.

The total number of Georgia teachers cut from classrooms statewide is still being tallied, though labor statistics show that 5,100 staffed positions were sliced from the budgets of public and private schools. That includes teaching, administrative and professional services jobs at k-12 schools, private universities and public community colleges.

Johnson is still reeling from losing the job she thought she was destined to do. These days, she's selling pest control services for Orkin in Covington and questioning the calling that beckoned her to teach in the first place.

“I am heartbroken,” she said. “In my graduate program, we were told that teaching was the most stable career that there is. I was incredibly good at what I was doing. I just turned 30. I was fast-tracked because of how successful I was ... I thought I’d be teaching for 30 years.’’

Governors across the country could soon provide teachers with the safety net they need to restore stability to their lives. State governors can apply for a federal injection to save or create jobs in early childhood, elementary and secondary education in the 2010-11 school year through the Education Jobs Fund of the U.S. Department of Education. Officials estimate that the money available for Georgia could save 5,700 education jobs.

"There are a variety of things school systems can use it for," said Matt Cardoza, spokesman for the state Department of Education. "There are cases when districts have to hire teachers in the middle of the year."

Patricia Oakes, a former front office worker at Lilburn Middle, couldn't wait on a bailout to begin looking for work. She landed at a temp agency on a short-term contract, auditing the state of New York. “I made $18 an hour in Lilburn; I’m making $10 an hour here.”

Nationally, there are fewer jobs in education for even veteran teachers.

Between May and June, 12,568 workers joined the jobless in metro Atlanta. The unemployment rate jumped to 10.3 percent, higher than the national average, which was 9.5 percent in June and July. Unemployment in education and health services rose nationally from 6.1 percent in July 2009 to 6.6 percent last month.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond advised displaced teachers at employment seminars to consider getting certified in math, science or special education, where there are more jobs. He also suggested trying other careers.

“Teachers possess a skill set that allows them to learn different things,” Thurmond said. “That will pay dividends in the future.”

For those who insist on holding out for teaching jobs, competition will be stiff, he added. "Fewer teachers will be teaching larger numbers of students; that is just the reality. As this recession continues to wear on, you will see additional cuts.’’

Johnson's old colleague, math teacher Irv Wardlow, who once built decks and remodeled basements, is considering work in construction if he can’t find a job in a classroom soon. He has a house he wants to hold on to.

“Math teachers are supposed to be in demand,” Wardlow said. “It feels weird to be left out and not have an impact on students.”

As metro Atlanta districts began announcing layoffs, applications at charter and private schools rose. Some teachers acted quickly even before they were laid off or tapped for nonrenewal and given the option to resign. (Metro area school officials -- including those in Gwinnett -- have said, however, that nonrenewals are not used to cut personnel costs.)

Richard Childs, a former Wheeler High math teacher, applied to Holy Innocents' Episcopal School as buzz about layoffs began. The school hired 20 new teachers, half of whom were displaced from public schools. Childs will be among those welcoming students to classes there later this month.

"We were able to get some highly qualified teachers with three to five years of experience and master’s degrees who just because of the economy found themselves in the job market,” said Rick Betts, acting head of school.

Childs welcomes the new job. He returned to teaching in 2009 after spending time as a stay-at-home father of three. He said Holy Innocents', a school he always admired, is providing him with competitive pay, a budget to outfit his classroom and the freedom to tailor lessons to students as he sees fit.

“This year with the furlough days I will be making more here than in Cobb County, " said Childs, whose position at Wheeler was spared but he left anyway.  

But teachers impacted by layoffs should not give up on public schools, which educated 1.6 million Georgia students last school year. "We will always need very qualified teachers," Cardoza said.

However, Johnson might be gone for good. She wants to build her business resume. At Orkin, the ex-teacher says she has the potential to make more money with commission than she did as a teacher, and she didn't need a college degree.

“There are things that I have as a person who loves literature and is good at communicating that can transfer into other careers, but teaching secondary English is very specialized and irrelevant to anything really other than that,” Johnson said. “I didn’t know what other jobs are like. It's a totally different world. These people, some of them take home $60,000 to $70,000 selling pest control.”