A new method to attract experienced teachers is being implemented by the Bakersfield City School District.
According to a member of the board for the district, Andrae Gonzales, the district is looking to find highly qualified teachers to ensure that its students have the first-rate teachers they deserve.
Consequently, the board of trustees for the district recently approved a new contract with the Bakersfield Elementary Teachers Association. It would allow experienced teachers from other school districts to teach in the Bakersfield district without losing their seniority or having to take cuts in their salaries.
Gonzales said that previously there was a cap of six years so that teachers from another district coming to Bakersfield would get credit for only six years of teaching. Under the new agreement, for example, a teacher who had taught for 20 years in another district would have all those years of service transferred to the district, along with their pension benefits and sick time.
Although this plan will cost more money for the school district, Gonzales said that funding is available for the new method and the goal is really to attract the best teachers to the district.
With the plan to be implemented in the fall of 2016, the school district may be using various marketing services to make this plan known to teachers in school districts in the surrounding communities.
