PARKERSBURG - More than two dozen employees of Wood County Schools, mostly elementary school teachers, are waiting to see if they will have jobs this fall.
Bob Harris, assistant superintendent of pupil and personnel services, said 26 professional employees and 14 service personnel have been placed on a Preferred Recall List, those that are waiting on jobs after a reduction-in-force earlier this year.
In January, 46 professional positions were placed on the RIF list. The cuts were made due to the end of several sources of temporary federal funding.
Harris said it was the largest reduction-in-force for the school system in nearly a dozen years.
The majority of professional positions on the recall list, about 18, are elementary school teachers and technology integration specialist, according to a report released Tuesday to the Wood County Board of Education. Seven positions were for student support/attendance specialists.
Harris estimates fewer than a dozen teachers will remain on the recall list by the beginning of the 2012-13 school year. In most cases those who cannot be placed in a new full-time position will become part of the substitute teacher list until a position opens up.
"They do apply to be substitute teachers and we take them, of course," Harris said. "We've put a lot of training into them and want to utilize them in the classroom."
Harris said while being on the recall list gives teachers an advantage in finding a new position within the school system, competition for jobs, especially at the elementary school level, is fierce.
"The number of applicants for elementary positions is high, usually more than 100 applicants for each position, and they have to compete for those jobs," he said.
As of Tuesday, Wood County Schools had more than 32 full- and part-time positions unfilled, but only three were for elementary positions. Harris said many of the elementary teachers on the recall list are not certified for the other available positions, such as teaching positions in middle and high schools, special education or administrative positions.
The school board has only five more meetings to approve hirings and transfers before the start of the school year. Harris said the deadline for transfers is July 23.
"That is when we will start pulling from the preferred recall list and getting outside applicants," he said. Teachers on the recall list automatically apply for every open position for which they are certified.
Harris said retirements also are expected to open up some additional positions. The school system averages two retirements a week and teachers will continue to retire up through the first few weeks of school.
Sue Woodward, assistant superintendent of school services, said the 14 people on the service employee recall list represent paraprofessional and aide positions.
"Eleven are new to the RIF list this year, and three are carryover from previous years," she said.
Woodward said she does not anticipate much change in the service employee recall list between now and the beginning of the school year. A low number of retirements means few positions opening up and few chances for transfers.
Woodward also said the school system has stopped adding prekindergarten classes, which means few new aide positions will be created.
"I don't see much movement at this time," she said.
Harris said all open positions are published at the board office, on the school system's website, www.woodcountyschoolswv.com, under "Human Resources" and can be heard on an automated line at 304-420-9669.
Positions are posted for five business days, usually from Friday to Friday, unless there is a holiday.
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