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Even with high turnover, Fitch hires new teachers for 2015-'16
By ROBERT CONNELLY
AUSTINTOWN
A number of educators left Fitch High School during the summer, which led to district officials hiring young teachers.
The issue of the number of teacher departures was highlighted during a board work session July 20.
At the board of education meeting that same day, seven resignations of Fitch teachers were accepted. Board member Harold Porter said at that meeting: “It’s getting very frustrating to why everyone is leaving.”
He made the comment during a discussion of board members possibly being present during exit interviews, or interviews done with personnel leaving the district. “It’s not a good sign,” said Dr. David Ritchie, board vice president that day.
District officials cautioned board members that personnel matters are handled by them, but did say few people who left the district gave an exit interview. Those were voluntary.
The number of new hires at Fitch is 10, after 11 departures this summer. One of those positions was consolidated, said Fitch Principal Chris Berni.
Berni said all of the positions had been filled, even after Austintown lost another teacher in recent weeks. That was Melissa Haug, who was hired by Canfield schools at its Aug. 19 school board meeting for language arts at Canfield High School.
Superintendent Vincent Colaluca said the district is seeking a special-education teacher at Austintown Intermediate School.
Berni believes there are three reasons for a high number of departures: pay of teachers; proximity to their own home and teachers’ job mobility after about five years in the public-education market.
According to the teacher salary scale, Austintown teachers with zero years’ experience and a bachelor’s degree begin at $31,217. With five years’ experience, that rises to $39,490. That compares with $34,696 with zero years’ experience and a bachelor’s degree, and $43,370 with five years’ experience in the Canfield school district, which is in the second year of a three-year deal.
In Boardman schools, teachers with a bachelor’s degree and zero years’ experience make $32,534, which increases to $41,481 with five years’ experience.
In South Range schools, teachers with a bachelor’s degree and zero years’ experience start at $32,997 and with five years’ experience make $38,936. South Range schools Treasurer Jim Phillips highlighted that those are based on salary wages that were frozen in the 2010-11 school year, and the district and teachers union there is negotiating a new three-year deal.
“Negotiations are ongoing with the teachers, the Austintown Education Association and our board of education,” Berni said. “I cannot speak to what is going on with discussion on salary. I’m not part of that [negotiating] team.”
Messages left with the Austintown Education Association were not returned.
Colaluca said the teachers who left due to home proximity issues ranged from a person living in Columbiana County who got a job in Salem to another who took a job in Struthers while that person lives in New Castle, Pa.
“It’s tough to get a job, and they’re coming from farther away,” Colaluca said.
He also said studies say that college graduates are staying in one specific field for their working life less than previous generations. Colaluca cited one study that said “college kids coming out now will have 15 different careers, not jobs, in their lifetime . ... In education, we’re not used to that. You stay in [the field] and then retire in 30, 35 years.”