Texas job fair seeks NC teachers
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The city of Houston held a job fair Saturday in Raleigh in a push to lure away North Carolina's notoriously low paid teachers to bigger salaries in the Lone Star state.
The job fair presented by Houston's Independent School District attracted a crowd. Teachers gathered at a Doubletree Hotel, intrigued by a newspaper ad that invited Tar Heel teachers to Houston.
"They're offering an average pay that is higher, for a beginning teacher, than our average pay is for teachers who've had 10 or 20 years in the classroom," said Yevonne Brannon, an advocate for teachers.
That's motivation for veteran teacher Jacqueline Anderson, who earned a master's degree.
North Carolina lawmakers have proposed higher salaries as incentives for rookie teachers to stay here.
But "How are you going to give a bump in pay to new teachers when they haven't even put in time?" wondered Jacqueline Anderson, a teacher in Craven County.
"You need to be experienced, and you have to know children," she said. "And if you're not well versed in children, what can you bring to the table besides your education, your textbook education?"
At least one newly-minted teacher is interested in a move southwest after meeting recruiters.
"They seem very optimistic!" said Luke Arno, a Guilford County teacher. "They seem very positive, and they seem very excited to be here, to talk to teachers."
A veteran teacher who moved to North Carolina from Texas years ago met with the recruiters.
"There were four people from my school, and I was amazed," said Renu Khanna, a Cumberland County teacher. "There was a teacher of the year from that same school. He was a teacher of the year, but he was ready to take this challenge."
Jacqueline Anderson is ready for the challenge too.
"If they make the offer and they're going to give me my 10 years? Oh yeah, we can talk!" she said.
Organizers must first sift through hundreds of applications before letting anyone know about possible employment in a Houston classroom.
