By Jim Sabataso
RUTLAND HERALD
MONTPELIER, Vt. — A new Senate bill would make it easier for teachers to seek new jobs within their field.
The bill, S.162, proposes “to prevent interference with a teacher’s right to seek employment while under contract.”
Currently, if a teacher wants to apply for a new job in another district while under contract, they must ask either their current superintendent for permission or resign. A superintendent has the discretion to deny a teacher’s request and even ask the hiring district not to grant an interview.
Teachers are free to apply for jobs without seeking permission before they renew their contracts in the spring, but often the timing can be tricky since job openings are typically not posted until after teachers have already renewed.
The bill, which is sponsored by Sen. Andrew Perchlik, D/P-Washington, would create a two-month window between April and June that would allow teachers to apply and interview for jobs without seeking permission.
Perhlik said the bill supports teachers by giving them more job mobility while still allowing districts enough time to fill open positions.
“You want teachers to feel like there’s a reason to be really good at your job, that you can go get the job where you want to work,” he said.
Don Tinney, president of the Vermont-NEA, which represents more than 13,000 educators and school staff across the state, said S.162 addresses a long-standing issue that has reduced teachers’ professional mobility.
“It’s become nearly impossible for teachers to interview or be offered or accept a new job during the school year,” he said. “It goes a long way to give teachers the same ability other professionals have to search for and accept other positions.”
Tinney called the proposed two-months acceptable, acknowledging that while some teachers may want more time, districts still need time to fill positions.
“What’s important is that our members have the right to pursue other career options within the profession without fear of losing the position that they have,” he said.
However, Jay Nichols, executive director of the Vermont Principals’ Association, said his organization is not in favor of the bill, calling it “problematic for school leaders in many districts.”
“It’s not a good bill, and it would be harmful to kids in its current form,” he said, adding the VPA opposed similar legislation several years ago.
Nichols argued the S.162 would put under-resourced schools in rural communities, which historically have a difficult time retaining educators, at a disadvantage.
Perchlik acknowledged the concern that some districts might lose teachers who may choose to seek better opportunities elsewhere, but said he doesn’t see it as a major factor.
“People want to live in different areas for different reasons and work at different schools for different reasons,” he said.
Tinney also contended the bill wouldn’t translate into a mass exodus of teachers from rural districts.
Rather than make it harder for teachers to leave, he said, the state could better help rural schools by offering incentives for teachers to stay or encouraging education support staff to continue on to becoming teachers.
“Recruiting and retaining educators for our rural districts is a challenge,” said Tinney. “And we need to meet that challenge with incentives and programs that will solve that. We don’t solve that problem by restricting teachers from looking for jobs elsewhere.”
Nichols said he hopes to find common ground with a plan that would meet the needs of teachers and not adversely impact districts or students.
“So how do we find a way to give teachers some flexibility in this area while, at the same time, making sure that school districts have qualified teachers and are not searching last minute to try to find somebody to staff a hard-to-staff school or hard-to-staff position?” he said.
Brooke Olsen-Farrell, superintendent of the Slate Valley Unified Union School District in Rutland County, said she is happy with how the hiring process currently works in Vermont schools.
She noted, however, that Vermont is vastly different from neighboring states. In New York, for example, she said teachers are only required to give two-weeks’ notice before leaving a position.
Olsen-Farrell said she tries to be reasonable when considering teacher requests to apply for jobs elsewhere.
“I don’t want anybody working for Slate Valley that doesn’t want to work in Slate Valley,” she said. “And I also understand that family circumstances and personal circumstances change.”
According to Olsen-Farrell, the district’s master agreement states that if a teacher asks to get out of their contract without mutual consent after July 1, they must pay $500 to the district to offset the cost of hiring a replacement. If they leave after Aug. 1, the penalty is steeper: They must repay 50% of their professional development compensation from the prior year and, as well as their share of health insurance premiums, which can be in the thousands of dollars.
She added that teachers who break contracts without mutual consent are typically reported to the state licensing board at the Agency of Education.
Olsen-Farrell said she is sympathetic with teachers’ needs but, at a time when school staff members are in short supply, allowing more flexibility and potential “job hopping” raises concerns about continuity and consistency for students.
“I definitely see both sides, but I’m honestly fine with the way it works right now,” she said.
S.211 also includes a provision that would protect teachers from discipline by their employers for testifying before the General Assembly, legislative committees and the State Board of Education.
“Being a member of the Senate Education Committee, we particularly want to hear from teachers and staff in the schools, you know, those people on the ground,” said Perchlik. “There’s some things you really do want to hear for teachers.”
Tinney also welcomed the change, stating, “Our legislators and members of the State Board of Education want to have an honest appraisal of what is happening in our schools. And this bill would assure that our educators can be honest with them without fearing repercussions when they return to their workplace.”
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.