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Why don't the law9 of supply and demand hold true for RaDDahannock County? If there are more teachers looking for jobs than there are positions available, why aren’t out-of-work teachers applying here?
At Tuesday’s meeting of the Rappahannock School Board, the Board members voted to accept the resignation of yet another instructor while Superintendent William Bloomer announced that the system still has eight vacancies—three at the elementary school, four at the high school and one at the central office. According to the School Board Chairman, prospects for filling the openings don’t look very good.
Back in April, when the School Board members were considering requests from the Education Associaton for salary increases, fringe benefits and a higher extra-duty pay scale, they were reminded by several cost conscious tax payers that teachers were a dime a dozen, a glut on the market.
This may be true elsewhere but in Rappahannock, the law of supply and demand has been suspended. Why?
It’s not unexpected that the county should have difficulties finding a learning disabilities teacher or a child development specialist. These are new fields—widened as a result of recent mandates for special education from the state and Federal government. Most Virginia colleges and universities, like institutions of higher learning elsewhere in the country, don’t even offer degrees in these areas. But Rappahannock schools also have vacancies in mathematics, science, kindergarten, guidance and reading, despite extensive recruitment efforts by Dr. Bloomer, both in Virginia and outof-state. The Superintendent and School Board members have interviewed candidates and approved likely looking prospects only to have contracts returned—unsigned. With a shortage of housing and lack of social activities, Rappahannock is at a disadvantage from the start in attracting teachers. It’s logical for job hunters to seek employment in Fauquier, Culpeper, or Warren Counties if they have to live there—especially when all of those counties offer higher salaries and extracurricular duty pay plus fringe benefits. Surrounding counties also provide the same beautiful rural countryside and
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