Now, because too few teachers made the switch, officials say they're going to have to get tough. The need, they say, is getting critical. Currently, bilingual teachers in all elementary grades receive the bonus. They can stay where they are . . . It's not only that we know it's educationally sound, it's the law.
State law requires districts with teacher shortages to fill vacancies in the lower grades first.
The district's proposal is aimed at combating an overall shortage of bilingual teachers while ensuring that children who need to learn English do so as early as possible, district administrators say. When the school year began, the district needed 618 bilingual teachers. Currently, there are openings for 744 bilingual teachers in all elementary grades. It would take 467 of them to meet the district's needs in pre-kindergarten to third. There are no bilingual classes in secondary schools.