Baker needs teachers
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BAKER — The Baker School Board declared Tuesday that the school system has a critical shortage of certified teachers.
Baker has 20 vacancies for certified teachers. The state Department of Education requires school systems to declare a critical shortage before allowing them to hire teachers who are not fully certified.
State guidelines allow systems with a declared shortage to hire teachers who have alternative or temporary teaching certificates, said Rodney Coats, the school system’s human resources manager.
Of Baker’s five schools, only Park Ridge Elementary is fully staffed, according to interim Superintendent Alfred Douglas.
The board also put off action on approving the process for selecting a superintendent. The board was scheduled to give final approval to the process Tuesday, but agreed to support a motion by board member George Gallman to delay the vote until the next board meeting, on Aug. 5.
Gallman said he sought the delay to give board members time to review the process and recommend modifications.
He added that he does not think the three-week delay in approving the process would cause any problems for the school system.
“Personally, I don’t see where we need to be in a mad rush,” Gallman said. “I think we need to be careful.”
Gallman also said he would like to see citizen committees have the opportunity to interview candidates, although the committees would not have a vote in selecting a new superintendent.
Board member Jane Freudenberger suggested the board not screen candidates based on their applications alone. A draft copy of the selection process handed out Tuesday called for board members to review the applications of all qualified candidates and then vote on the candidates they wish to interview.
“Maybe we need to interview every candidate,” Freudenberger said. “It will be a long process, but isn’t that what we’re here for?”
Member Doris Alexander opposed the idea of interviewing each candidate. “We know what we’re looking for,” she said.
In other action, the board:
Baker has 20 vacancies for certified teachers. The state Department of Education requires school systems to declare a critical shortage before allowing them to hire teachers who are not fully certified.
State guidelines allow systems with a declared shortage to hire teachers who have alternative or temporary teaching certificates, said Rodney Coats, the school system’s human resources manager.
Of Baker’s five schools, only Park Ridge Elementary is fully staffed, according to interim Superintendent Alfred Douglas.
The board also put off action on approving the process for selecting a superintendent. The board was scheduled to give final approval to the process Tuesday, but agreed to support a motion by board member George Gallman to delay the vote until the next board meeting, on Aug. 5.
Gallman said he sought the delay to give board members time to review the process and recommend modifications.
He added that he does not think the three-week delay in approving the process would cause any problems for the school system.
“Personally, I don’t see where we need to be in a mad rush,” Gallman said. “I think we need to be careful.”
Gallman also said he would like to see citizen committees have the opportunity to interview candidates, although the committees would not have a vote in selecting a new superintendent.
Board member Jane Freudenberger suggested the board not screen candidates based on their applications alone. A draft copy of the selection process handed out Tuesday called for board members to review the applications of all qualified candidates and then vote on the candidates they wish to interview.
“Maybe we need to interview every candidate,” Freudenberger said. “It will be a long process, but isn’t that what we’re here for?”
Member Doris Alexander opposed the idea of interviewing each candidate. “We know what we’re looking for,” she said.
In other action, the board:
- Approved an agreement with Career Compass of Louisiana to provide Baker High School seniors with career opportunity counseling and assistance during the upcoming school year.
- Approved a dual enrollment agreement with Southern University.
- Set new pay rates for substitute teachers.
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