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Gaston County Schools is calling back about 650 non-tenured teachers who had not gotten 2009-10 contracts because of uncertainty about the budget.
Like districts across North Carolina, Gaston remains in financial limbo until state legislators approve a spending plan. But Superintendent Reeves McGlohon said Tuesday that he believes his district can cover any gap by leaving vacant teacher jobs open and using federal stimulus money.
“We're delighted that we're able to offer the contracts,” McGlohon said.
McGlohon had said all along that he planned to rehire the teachers who had four years' experience or less. The only ones who won't be renewed are those who failed to meet licensure requirements and would have lost their jobs regardless of the budget, he said. He said he expects virtually everyone to have a contract by the end of this week.
In Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, more than 700 teachers lost their jobs for 2009-10 and haven't been placed in new ones. Officials originally said they hoped to rehire laid-off staff if the budget picture brightened. But with the state scenario getting bleaker in recent weeks, they're now talking about making more budget cuts.
The new budget year starts today, but legislators voted Tuesday to give themselves a two-week extension.
McGlohon said he expects to have to cut non-teacher jobs, but “we're waiting to see what the final state budget's going to bring us.”
