System
overhaul delays hiring of new teachers
As school
districts look to fill jobs, state project keeps instructors
from getting certified
Thursday, July 01, 2004 • BY BEV McCARRON •
Star-Ledger Staff
The state's efforts to fix
a troubled teacher-licensing process by changing to a new
automated system has created a backlog of applications
during what is the peak of school hiring season.
In the weeks it took to
test the new system, the state Department of Education
stopped issuing certificates. Complaints have since flooded
into the state about the timing of the overhaul -- May 17 to
June 7. A teacher cannot sign a contract without a
license.
"This is killing us," said
Robert Holster, superintendent in Passaic, where an early
retirement package offered to teachers helped create 100
vacancies, and many job applicants. "I can't even offer
jobs. This is a crime. I think it's very poor planning,
simply put."
He said is turning away
good candidates because they have no state
certification.
State officials are
working to ease the backlog.
"It's true, districts and
applicants and superintendents are seeing a lag, and the lag
is due to the fact that we are transitioning," said Joan
Brady, director of the Office of Licensure. "And, you know,
this is our busiest time of the year. ... We are getting a
lot of complaints."
State officials said they
have issued 2,400 certificates since June 7, including 350
that were expedited for applicants with job offers.
Spokeswoman Kathryn Forsyth said she didn't have an estimate
of how many more applications had yet to be
processed.
Brady said it was
unavoidable that the timing of the changeover coincided with
the period in which districts seek to fill their openings
for September. She said the new system should work smoothly
later this summer, issuing certificates in no more than
three weeks.
The state has been
promising to have a new and more efficient system up and
running for a year. But delays in the bidding process, the
creation of software and obtaining state approval all slowed
the debut of the system installed by Indus Consulting
Services of Paramus.
Brady said the department
has transferred data from the old system, which required
teachers to apply on paper, to the new one, which will allow
them to submit applications online. Certificates weren't
processed while the new system was being tested.
Teachers, particularly
those in the state's alternate route program, which last
year made up about 40 percent of new hires, have long
complained about waiting for their certificates, issued
after a review of college transcripts and state teacher exam
scores.
For many who hope to find
jobs in September, it was just one more delay.
Kathy O'Connell of
Bergenfield applied for her certificate three months ago and
still doesn't have it.
She is enrolled in an
alternate-route teaching program at Bergen Community
College, which trains people who don't have degrees in
education but want to teach. To complete the program, she
needs a job by September.
With a master's degree and
a near-perfect score on her Praxis teaching test, she has
had plenty of interviews. But potential employers want her
certificate of eligibility.
"I've been told it's been
delayed due to the new system," said O'Connell, who hopes to
teach middle school or high school language
arts.
Karissa Tress of Little
Ferry, who also is enrolled in the Bergen program for
alternate-route teachers, has been told the same thing. She
has been waiting since February.
"If I find a teaching job,
I won't be able to accept it because I won't have my
teaching certificate," she said. "If I can just be
guaranteed I'm going to get it before the start of the new
school year, fine, but it seems very up in the
air."
Forsyth said she couldn't
give an average wait time for a certificate, but said some
applicants who have had to wait for a long time don't have
their paperwork in order.
College graduates have
their paperwork submitted by their schools, and the
turnaround time is generally much faster. But even some of
those teachers have had to wait this year.
Holster said several of
his candidates graduated from accredited New Jersey college
programs and are without their certificates.
Brady acknowledged some
graduates have had to wait longer than usual for their
certificates, which she said are usually issued within two
days after the paperwork is processed.
Sen. Shirley Turner
(D-Mercer), chair of the Senate Education Committee, said
the DOE has promised for months to speed up the
certification process, but she is still getting calls for
help from teachers.
"They don't seem to be
making any progress," Turner said. "This is crunch time for
college graduates and for school districts who are making
plans for September hiring. I can imagine the
superintendents' frustration."
Perth Amboy Superintendent
John Rodecker said his district is hopeful the state will
issue teaching certifications for its new teachers by
August. About 10 new hires are awaiting their papers from
the state.
"We hire them contingent
on the certification," Rodecker said.
So far, the delays have
not had much of an impact on the district. But if the new
teachers do not have their certifications by the start of
school, district officials will have to scramble to make
alternate plans, Rodecker said.
Colleen Toal of Toms
River, who said she filed for her certificate in January, is
wondering what happened to it. She's been substitute
teaching in the meantime.
"They said it could take
up to six months," she said. "They keep telling me there's a
computer problem."
Staff writer Kelly Heyboer contributed to this report.
Copyright 2004 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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