Teachers study up for first day of class

School District's orientation is scaled back because of fewer new hires

Marc Freeman | South Florida Sun-Sentinel

August 8, 2008

Superintendent Art Johnson addresses teachers Thursday during orientation new district teachers. (Mark Randall, Sun-Sentinel / August 7, 2008)

Education is in Edward Harris II's blood.

His father is the principal of L.C. Swain Middle in Greenacres. His mother is the principal of Congress Middle in Boynton Beach. Harris himself is a product of Palm Beach County schools: He graduated from Atlantic High in Delray Beach.

After a year teaching in Leon County, Harris, 24, is back home and ready to forge his own legacy as a teacher in Palm Beach County. He's starting this month as a sixth-grade math teacher at Carver Middle in Delray Beach.

"Education is a strong aspect in our family," Harris said, during a break Thursday at orientation for newly-hired local teachers. "I was always taught that in education, you're always going to have a job."

That lesson is becoming less of a certainty these days, with fewer than 450 teachers joining the School District payroll this year because there were fewer available positions.

Budget cuts prompted a recent hiring freeze, and fewer positions were needed because of declining enrollments. The district used to add about 1,200 teachers a year to serve in new schools, answer demands to lower class sizes and to fill the chairs of retirees.

Administrators also once held two orientation sessions, one for elementary teachers and another for middle and high school teachers.

With the numbers dwindling, everyone fit into a single orientation Thursday at Santaluces High School's auditorium near Lantana.

Some in the audience were fresh out of college. Others came with decades of experience at schools in other states. They all share in the anticipation of Aug. 18, the first day of classes.

"I lucked out," said Justin Timmerman, 33, who moved from Oklahoma to become the varsity baseball coach and teach math at Boca Raton High. "I've been a high school coach and a college coach and I was looking to get back to education, teaching, coaching and being a role model."

Superintendent Art Johnson and Classroom Teachers Association President Robert Dow took turns greeting the new hires.

"Never forget that you have the greatest job in the world," Dow said, also touching briefly on his continuing battle to win higher pay for the county's more than 12,000 teachers.

The School Board did not include any money for raises this year, in a $1.5 billion operating budget tentatively approved last month. Union and district negotiators may return to the bargaining table with a federal mediator next week.

For now, the beginning teacher salary remains $36,100; the county's average teacher salary last year was $49,946, below the state's No. 1 average of $54,083 paid in Monroe County.

"Do teachers deserve more pay? Will they get the benefits they deserve?" Dow asked. "It's my job to work on that for you."

Along with presentations on various dos and don'ts in the classroom, the audience heard motivational talks by three educators who won "Beginning Teacher of the Year" awards for their work last year. They received $1,000 checks for classroom supplies.

"We're not here to become rich," said Elizabeth Cifelli, 24, who won the elementary award for her performance as a first-grade teacher at Seminole Trails Elementary near West Palm Beach. "We are making a difference."

Marc Freeman can be reached at mjfreeman@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6642.