| does it take to catch a teacher? Nashville Schools | | | | from Nashville Schools on a yearly basis. Others |
| and surrounding districts are trying to answer that | | | | leave for better paying jobs, are let go, or |
| question. Incentives including pay increases, job | | | | don’t meet the license requirements of |
| fairs, full time recruiters and on-site child care | | | | the federally mandated No Child Left Behind Act. |
| have been implemented as recruiters and | | | | This can mean that students in Nashville Schools |
| administrators try to lure good teachers to | | | | face overcrowded classrooms, or are bounced |
| Nashville Schools. The Metro district increased | | | | from teacher to teacher as class sizes are |
| starting salaries by $2,000 for the | | | | balanced. |
| ’06-’07 school year. Did it help? | | | | How big is this problem? 50% of teachers hired in |
| Only 8 positions were left unfilled at | | | | Tennessee in 2002 had left teaching by 2006. Not |
| year’s end, but the reason for that is still | | | | their jobs, the teaching profession. How does this |
| unclear. | | | | directly impact Nashville Schools? The scramble |
| Even so, the year end scramble to fill the slots | | | | for teachers is largely impacted by the |
| for next year has already started for most | | | | attractiveness of the incentives and the |
| Nashville Schools. Why? 500-600 teachers retire | | | | atmosphere. |