QUESTION
How can we address the need for more classrooms and teacher shortages?
1:14:03
·
3 min
Council Member Gale Brewer seeks innovative solutions for classroom and teacher shortages, focusing on subjects like biology and computers.
- Brewer proposes exploring non-traditional hiring practices to address teacher shortages.
- Ideas include hiring individuals with relevant expertise but without teaching licenses.
- The state sets teacher qualification standards, which may restrict hiring practices.
- Brewer emphasizes the need for financial investment and better compensation for teachers.
- There is a willingness to pilot programs that allow experts to teach without traditional qualifications.
Gale Brewer
1:14:03
So my question is, when you need 500 schools that will need more classrooms, how are you approaching that?
1:14:11
I know you talked about it a little bit, like to hear more.
1:14:14
And then on the teachers, I I teacher Hunter, but I'm not taught locally.
1:14:19
And so my question is always doing sort of channeling Tony Alvarado.
1:14:25
May he rest in peace?
1:14:28
Can't we do something for biology, computers, but else out of license in order to get the biology course started.
1:14:36
I don't know how the u UFT feels about that, but there are a whole bunch of people in the city who could do this kind of work.
1:14:41
So what are we doing?
1:14:42
This is our opportunity perhaps to look out of the box in order to address some of these issues, both space.
1:14:49
I mean, I am dealing right now as you know the big mess on space.
1:14:52
I'm very aware of space issues.
1:14:54
But what else can we do on these two topics for getting the money?
1:14:58
I know that's what's been talked about.
1:15:02
Also, I must have been one of the people who doesn't want to reduce enrollment at some of the schools because I have the high performing schools and everybody wants to go to them.
1:15:09
So I need space, and we all need teachers.
1:15:11
So how can we be out of the box?
1:15:13
These are not new problems.
1:15:14
We always need space, and we always need teachers, math, science in particular.
Dan Weisberg
1:15:19
Well, I can take the second question.
1:15:22
Nina may wanna talk about the first one, but but it's that's exact again, exactly the right question.
1:15:29
Council member Brewer, you know, how do we think out of the box?
1:15:32
The the state dictates the qualification of teachers that were allowed to hire and employ.
1:15:38
In order to be a certified
Gale Brewer
1:15:40
How does Tony Elvarado get around it?
Dan Weisberg
1:15:42
That's a good question.
1:15:43
I'm sure somebody's written a book about that, about
Rita C. Joseph
1:15:45
There was an article in a chalkboard, and I said that New York City and the state are working to find ways to make sure we addressed shortage area.
1:15:52
It just came out this week.
Gale Brewer
1:15:54
He did that higher the way you were supposed to, and he just did it.
Dan Weisberg
1:15:58
Well, I would I would love to research that and need to find out that he but that that was a that was a different time.
1:16:07
And but he was a great leader.
Michael Ransom
1:16:08
So the thing
Dan Weisberg
1:16:09
I will say I will say council member Brewer, you should not you so you were you were teaching at you know, college students or graduate students?
Gale Brewer
1:16:18
Everyday.
Dan Weisberg
1:16:19
Everyday.
1:16:21
You should not need to go back to school, and I'm not forgive me.
1:16:23
I don't know your educational background.
1:16:25
To get another degree if you have the expertise to teach at the college level.
1:16:30
If you wanna come in and teach our kids, by the way, maybe you wanna come in and teach our kids, by the way, is a UFT representative teacher.
1:16:36
I'm not talking about anything else.
1:16:38
You might just wanna teach one class.
Gale Brewer
1:16:40
And But then are we doing that kind of outreach, or is it only the more traditional?
1:16:44
I don't know.
1:16:44
But I'm saying you've got major you've got problems because the folks are not gonna come for the salary.
1:16:50
I'm a big believer in teaching and paying teachers more.
1:16:53
That's not on the agenda necessarily right now.
1:16:55
And I'm a big believer in trying to be as creative out of the box as possible, and it's hard to teach Yeah.
1:17:01
Courses.
1:17:02
I don't know if you're gonna find them with a salary you got.
Dan Weisberg
1:17:05
So yes, and we would love your support as we work with our partners at the state to maybe allow us to pilot some programs to not just put anybody.
1:17:15
We don't wanna no.
1:17:16
No parent
Tanisha Grant
1:17:16
wants to
Dan Weisberg
1:17:17
put anybody in front of our kids.
Shekar Krishnan
1:17:18
Good miles.
Dan Weisberg
1:17:18
Somebody who has that expertise that's in short supply.
1:17:22
We would love to be able to work with you, to make sure you have the skills you need to teach you at a k to twelve level, and put you right in the classroom.
Gale Brewer
1:17:29
You called the Tony Alvarado program.
Dan Weisberg
1:17:31
Happy that would be a fitting memorial.