It looks like the poor economy is benefitting the school district on the hiring front.
Maurice Boswell, assistant superintendent for human resources, said today that they only have 21.5 teaching vacancies, much less than normal for this time of year. He said it's been easier this year recruiting the more than 950 new teachers hired for this school year.
If the vacancies aren't filled soon, Boswell said they'll head to Florida with employment contracts in hand. Several big Florida districts such as Broward, Dade and Orange counties have been laying off teachers due to declining enrollment.
Yesterday, Don Haydon, chief facilities and operations officer, said they only have 20 bus driver vacancies. They normally have around 80 openings this time of year.
Comments
Interesting article
Sat, 08/23/2008 - 17:34 — Voice_of_Reason_While her situation is more an teachers union problem we do not have, it is interesting how the school board was first problem she had to tackle. It will be interesting to watch how she does and how long she lasts. She isn't making too many friends in the political machine there:
Her quote is telling:
"It's embarrassing to be a Democrat when you hear Democrats talk about education," she says. "The Democratic Party is supposed to be the party that looks out for poor black kids, yet the kind of rhetoric they spew about … [how the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind law is] 'sucking the life out of our teachers'—come on. Get real. I believe that until the Democratic Party breaks ties with the teachers unions, we are not going to see the true reform in this country that we need."
Hire Michelle Rhee
Sat, 08/23/2008 - 16:37 — al_in_garnerhttp://www.newsweek.com/id/154901
Goodbye Del.
Goodbye Chuck.
Time to lower pay?
Sat, 08/23/2008 - 14:14 — Kent Misegades (not verified)If, as in years past, teacher pay was increased due to a purported shortage of educators in Wake County, doesn't the change in their supply imply that we can now reduce their pay? Given the continued slide in performance and graduation measures, it certainly could be justified if educators were paid according to their output, let alone basic free market dynamics. But of course government schools do not play by the rules of free markets, being a monopoly empowered to confiscate our money to pay its bills. Since some 40% of WCPSS employees are not in a classroom, perhaps a reduction in the dead weight could be justified.
90% labor savings?? Where????
Fri, 08/22/2008 - 17:36 — Uncle Ruckus (not verified)Bob wrote: "when a job that used to cost $100 now only costs $10, there is a net positive result. Why is it bad to pay 3x the price for gas, but not bad to pay 3x the price for a roof installer? "
Where is that happening and prove it, Bob? Sorry Dude, that pig just don't fly. Let me give you a real world example from a few weeks ago. I recently had my exterior trim, windows, garage, doors and two rooms painted in my home in Western Wake.
Contractor #1 == Bid was $4400 (All American & bonded)
Contractor #2 == Bid was $4100 (All American plus wiggle room plus bonded)
Contractor #3 == Bid was $3800 (All American salesman, but questionable workforce, i.e., don't ask any questions and he won't tell any lies, besides, don't I like to save some money; not bonded but told not to worry about it)
I choose number 1, because the carpenter who was doing woodwork recommended him and said the quality of work was outstanding (and it was -- very happy camper).
Bob, both Contractor 1 & 2 did new construction for years, but about 5 years ago, they were pushed out of the new home market by illegal alien work gangs. Did the price of new homes go down because of the cheaper labor cost? Somebody (Friends of Wake County???) was making a lot money, and it certainly not the taxpayer who had to bore the "social" cost of the illegal alien workforce.
Remember, at least $90 million dollars a year would be saved in WCPSS alone and NO new bonds needed for years.
Uhh...
Fri, 08/22/2008 - 23:32 — Bob_SconceOk, so the 3x was an exaggeration. But, I think my point is valid.
As to your question about whether house prices went down, I think you answered your own question -- Contractor #3 was charging ~15% less for his work, and you're telling me that most new homes are built by such people. Ergo, the cost of manufacture is lower than it would have been with a bunch of Contractor #1s. I have yet to see any competitive market where, over the long run, a drop in the cost of production doesn't also result in a drop in the price. That's why polo-style shirts are $10 and not the $30 they were in the mid '80s. Housing prices may not be lower than "before", but they're lower than they would have been had all those Contractor #1s been working instead of Contractor #3s.
As for your aimplication that the builders are making money hand over fist, Centex in 2007 (I didn't choose 2008, for obvious reasons) had a 3% profit margin on construction. Lennar had about 4% margin. Pulte was about 5%. It's a competitive market. If a builder doesn't cuts his prices when his costs drop, his competition will.
In any case, you haven't answered my question -- presumably your contractor #1 has friends who have gotten completely out of the contracting business and are now doing something different. Should they stop that new thing and go back to what they were doing before? Others of them may have switched into doing high-end trim work that requires a good deal of skill -- should they go back to framing houses instead?
In fact, I gained on the deal, even though I'm not a homebuilder -- I got more house for less money. That's worth something.
Way, way off topic
Fri, 08/22/2008 - 19:31 — Dadof3If we eliminated the minimum wage, what would happen to the market value of illegal, or, ahem, undocumented labor?
Probably Nothing
Sat, 08/23/2008 - 07:38 — Voice_of_Reason_Most of the probable illegals work is worth well over minimum wage; (at least those I see). Try hiring someone to cut your lawn,clean your house, or roof your house for minimum wage...illegal or otherwise.
It's is amazing......
Fri, 08/22/2008 - 13:40 — Uncle Ruckus (not verified)I find it amazing what happens when the government actually starts "enforcing the laws." Image pick-up truck loads of illegal aliens along with their children fleeing Florida because law enforcement has finally got around to doing their jobs -- deporting illegal aliens. And where have these folks been coming -- well to the land of milk & honey -- North Carolina -- where there are driver's licenses for all, no auto insurance required, no hassles from law enforcement, and all the benefits you can suck up. Oh and don't worry, we will find school seats for your children -- more billion dollars bonds, please! Thank you, Gov. Weasley, NCGL, and the NC Democratic Party. A "win" for you, and a "lose" for the taxpayers.
Image if the laws where enforced here in Wake County!! 10,000 to 15,000 empty school seats at a savings of over $90 million dollars per year. Image builders having to pay a living wage to their workers, instead of exploiting illegal aliens. It is just too bad that these poor builders will have their profits reduce -- how can they invite folks to their small 5 bedroom homes on Figure Eight Isle?
Remember this, next time you are in the voting booth.
"Living Wages" ... "Exploiting"?
Fri, 08/22/2008 - 16:43 — Bob_SconceSo, let's pretend that we get rid of all the illegal aliens. Who is going to do the jobs that they were doing before? And, considering that we have (even in today's economy) historically low unemployment, what are those people going to stop doing in order to take those jobs previously filled by illegal aliens?
For example: without illegal aliens cutting lawns, many people will start cutting their own lawns and stop doing other things. Maybe the mechanic shuts down a little earlier to home to cut the grass. As a result, everybody has to wait longer for their car to be fixed, or, worse, pay more for that. Teachers will spend less time working on lesson plans & reporters will stop blogging quite as much.
I also suggest that those people do not feel particularly "exploited" in the whole mess -- if they were, they wouldn't keep coming here. Do you imagine that phone calls back home are along the lines of "So, what's it like in America?" "Terrible. I'm being exploited every day. I wish I had never come."
There may be a good case to be made that illegal aliens impose a heavy burden in the form of education, public health and possibly crime that exceeds their benefit. But, the idea that they're "taking away" good jobs denies the economics of the situation -- when a job that used to cost $100 now only costs $10, there is a net positive result. Why is it bad to pay 3x the price for gas, but not bad to pay 3x the price for a roof installer?
Tough one, Bob.....
Sat, 08/23/2008 - 13:05 — Uncle Ruckus (not verified)Bob S wrote: "Why is it bad to pay 3x the price for gas, but not bad to pay 3x the price for a roof installer? "
First off Bob, and you know this too, this is the difference between economic apples and oranges. Gas is a commodity subject to many things, tax being the worse, but driven by supply & demand. Do I like paying $3.50 a gallon -- heck NO, especially know that if we drill off shore, it could go back down to $1.50 a gallon. For the roof job, the price for the roofing material is like gas, a fixed commodity at that point in time. The difference in the quotes then lies in the labor cost. If the illegal alien gang is willing to work for 15-20% less than an American labor gan, then I agree, it is good for some. But the key word here is ILLEGAL -- this same work illegal alien gang does not pay into social security, federal or states taxe and if anything, especially if they have wives and children, a major economic social burden that all taxpayers have to pay (FU, Supreme County "Pyler v. Doe"). I equate to cheating on taxes.
Also Bob, 3-5% on a billion dollars plus is a lot of profit for many U.S. Traded companies. If they were not making money, why are they still doing it. Also, wouldn't you agree that companies that use illegal alien labor should be punished or should they get a free ride. Funny, I just a notice from one of the local realtor's that the price of homes in my area is down 5-10% from last year. And what about that 9.5% Black male unemployment in Durham County -- who is picking up the tab for their unemployment checks? The "system" works best when all contribute fairly.
I for one have no problem paying $3 for a head of lettuce, if that means $1 off my taxes (per head of lettuce) because I not subsizidsing an illegal alien family and maintaining ADM's profit margin. Oh, and I cut my own grass too! America First!
But this is WakeEd, and I know that the large number of illegal aliens in WCPSS is causing serious problems across the board. Enforce & Fund the Laws, and 90% of those problems go away.
Soo...
Sun, 08/24/2008 - 10:31 — Bob_SconceA few points.
3-5% is a lot on a huge company. But, that's a canard -- you could break that company into dozens of local builders, each making about 3-5%. If your argument is that the builders are behind FOWC because of their huge profits, that argument falls flat. In any case, I didn't say that they didn't make any money -- their profit margin reflects a very competitive market and their stock is priced accordingly.
Incidently, ADM's profit margin is also around 5%. Assuming that they use illegal labor (a lot of agriculture is done by legal migrant workers), it appears that they pass that savings on to their customers. Not surprising -- theirs is a competitive market also.
What if you paid $1 more in taxes per head of lettuce b/c of illegal immigration, but saved $2 per head off the price? That sounds like a great deal. In actuality, we just don't know if there's a net benefit or a net loss. And, I suggest that if it's a net benefit, the best approach would be to allow these people to come legally. You only want to keep them out if it's a net loss.
Not all the same
Fri, 08/22/2008 - 19:31 — Voice_of_Reason_Unless you talk about housekeepers or farm labor, I think Ruckus has a point. The illegal workforce is for the most part making decent money. $10 an hour unskilled labor is common. And guess what no taxes paid, no Social Security like the domestic labor. There may be a lack of labor, but there are a lot of kids that can't get decent work in the summer. We pay in high crime, high heath care, and poorer education funding. I do have compassion for them and don't blame the illegals. What I do blame is lack of enforcement, a poor immigration policy, and a lack of political will to confront our neighbor to the south to better take care of heir people. We are footing the bill. The immigrants do have by and large a good work ethic, however as long as our government continue to let them feed off the government feed troughs without paying into it, we will have a problem.
What in the world is good
Fri, 08/22/2008 - 12:49 — g88ky07What in the world is good about having to hire this many new teachers every year? Lower #'s for this time of year? 1/5th of the need is void?
Doesn't THAT in itself tell outsiders what is happening in Wake County?
Or do the outsiders only hear what the boe liars and FOWC tell them?
How about some consistency?? Valuing their worth and WANTING to make it work for them so they'll stay!
Oh that's right, teachers are expendable aren't they Patti and Del!