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Statewide cuts worry education college students

Teni Sow | March 21, 2011 | 67 Comments

Current budget cuts in school districts across Texas are worrying some of the students in the Texas Tech College of Education.
Abby Probst, a senior early childhood development major from Brady, said the current job situation is discouraging for graduating seniors who plan to be teachers.
“I’m a little scared and nervous about searching for a job when I graduate,” Probst said. “Everywhere I look, there seems to be an uncertainty that there will be jobs available for potential teachers who are graduating.”
The projected budget cuts and job layoffs are an issue for all teachers to worry about, not just graduating seniors, she said.
Probst said the amount of graduating education majors from Tech alone makes the job market competitive.
“I am only one out of so many,” she said. “Tech isn’t the only school that is sending out people that will be searching for jobs all over Texas and even outside of Texas.”
Probst said the current job market is causing her to submit her resume to schools she would have otherwise not considered. She also is searching for jobs outside of Texas.
She said if she is unable to find a teaching job out of school, then she will apply as a substitute teacher until she can find work.
Peggy Johnson, associate dean for teacher education, said the current budget situation is affecting schools everywhere, from public schools to universities.
“We are at a state of uncertainty,” Johnson said. “We don’t know how the budget cuts are going to affect us.”
She said the best teachers will always be the ones to receive the job offers in uncertain times.
“We tell our students that there are always room for teachers who are the very best, and that is why it is important for them to do a good job in their teacher preparation,” Johnson said.
Several high-interest teaching fields will be easier to find a job in, she said. Science and math are usually particularly high in demand for teachers.
Teachers with ESL (English as a Second Language) certification always will have an “advantage” over those who are not certified, Johnson said.
Johnson said the schools will not know what the budget cuts will look like until the current legislative session is over. She said if the budget cuts are not as bad as they may have believed, then many schools will hire later than they normally do.
Lauren Wright, a senior multi-disciplinary studies major from Keller, said the odds of a teacher finding work right out of school are substantially lower than in the recent past, but she has a positive outlook on the situation.
“At first I was worried and discouraged, but now I look at it as a blessing if am able to get a job,” Wright said. “But why should I worry when I don’t know the outcome? I will apply this month and see how it works out.”
Wright said she is getting married soon so she has a more limited area to apply for teaching jobs. She said she is not worried because the College of Education has prepared her well.
Wright also said she would substitute teach if she is unable to find a teaching job by the fall.