NC cuts in education cause concern among teaching majors

UNC sophomore Crystal Smith has always wanted to be a teacher.

But concerns about low pay and job security led Smith to hesitate in following her passion.

She declared a nursing major freshman year, but her desire to teach didn’t disappear and she switched to an elementary education major at the beginning of this year.

“I decided to switch because I knew I would love it,” Smith said.

“But (the job market) definitely worries me and causes me to think of backup plans,” she said. “I’m thinking of double majoring in something, maybe English.”

As position cuts and teacher layoffs climb, more education majors are echoing Smith’s concern and taking extra steps to get jobs.

State public schools eliminated about 6,300 positions and laid off about 2,400 employees for the 2011-12 academic year — the largest cuts in recent history.

Since the 2008-09 academic year, North Carolina has eliminated almost 17,000 positions and laid off more than 6,000 employees, said June Atkinson, state superintendent of public schools.

“It could have an impact on people going into the field,” Atkinson said. “They might feel like they won’t have a job.”

Of the positions cut since the 2008-09 year, 35 percent was teachers and 33 percent was teacher assistants.

The state’s public schools experience a 10 percent turnover rate each year, so as teachers retire or move to other schools, the state will continue hiring, Atkinson said.

But for those in UNC’s School of Education, the data is still worrisome.

Last fall, there were 174 undergraduates in the school. In fall 2009, there were over 200.

“The reality is that we all know there aren’t as many jobs as there were a year or two ago,” said Kara GrawOzburn, assistant director of student affairs for the school.

Decreased participation by schools and students in University Career Services’ annual education job fair reflects the shaky job market.

In 2009, 43 schools attended the fair to recruit students, and 264 students were present.

But by 2011, only 30 schools came to recruit, and 164 students attended.

Despite the drop, GrawOzburn still reassures students they can find a job.

“We’ve always told people that if they’re willing to go places that aren’t necessarily their first choice, the jobs are out there,” she said.

The UNC branch of Teach for America, a program where graduates commit two years to teach in underprivileged public schools, has seen a surge in contributors to the program, said Virginia McIlwain, recruitment manager of the program, in an email.

In 2010, 55 graduates joined the program’s corps from UNC. For 2011, the number spiked to 80, making the University the fourth largest contributor to Teach for America among schools of its size, she said.

“Even during tough economic times, there continues to be a high demand for teachers in the hard-to-staff areas we focus on like math, science, special education and English as a second language,” McIlwain said.

Having special qualifications is becoming more important — and more common — for education majors.

“I want to teach in the inner city, and no one wants to do that,” said sophomore James Shafto, a math major in the UNC-BEST program, which allows students to major in science or math while earning a high school teaching license.

Elaine Townsend, a senior middle grades education major, said having extra qualifications can alleviate the stress and uncertainty of the job search.

“If you’re qualified to teach a specific area that is in high demand, you’re going to get a job,” she said.

Townsend, who is fluent in Spanish, is exploring international teaching opportunities.

“The statistics are alarming,” she said. “But we haven’t felt the consequences of the cuts yet, so I’m not concerned.”

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