Bay Area Teachers Forced to Apply for Their Jobs

Shakeup at Oakland schools have some teachers steamed

Certain teachers in Oakland who would like to continue working next fall will have to re-apply for their jobs before the school year ends. 

And, they need to read the fine print of the application. 

The positions at Castlemont, Fremont and McClymonds high school will be a bit different with added responsibilities, a shorter summer and more money for the additional time worked.

The Oakland Tribune reports the teachers will have the new title "Accelerated TSA," which is short for teacher-on special assignment.

The Oakland school district administration sent its employees a memo explaining the plan late last week.  They say the new posts "symbolize our commitment to create a high quality school with high quality teachers."

Some teachers however, said they wish the administration had been more upfront about the change and that they had included teachers and parents in discussions sooner.

The three campuses underwent major changes within the last 10 years.  The school district broke up a number of large schools into smaller ones.  But since then, financial constraints have forced some of the schools to merge back together.

The superintendent said he targeted Castlemont, Fremont and McClymonds high schools because he wants teachers there to be committed to the vision of the newly redesigned schools.  Furthermore, enrollment at the three schools have slipped significantly in recent years as many families have opted for high schools with better reputations in safer neighborhoods.

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