HR Extras

Intense competition between Texas police departments has made it difficult for Houston ISD to hire the police officers it needs to fully implement a beefed-up security plan approved by the board last year.

Potential officer candidates were choosing between municipal departments that offer $10,000 plus signing bonuses. With a starting salary of $35,000 and no incentives, the district found that it just couldn’t compete.

So while the district may not be able to beat large bonuses, it can join the party by offering its own incentives to attract officer candidates. In May, the Houston ISD board approved an incentive plan with two options: Under the first option, the district will pay the cost of police academy training and provide a salary during the 12-week training for candidates who sign an agreement to work for the district for three years after graduation. The second option is for those already working in another field and paying their own police training costs. The district will retroactively reimburse them for the entire cost of their training in exchange for a candidate’s commitment to work for the district for three years.

The incentive program’s costs will be funded with the unused salary funds allotted for the vacant positions. The cost to attend training at local police training academies ranges from $1,300 to $2,500.

The program already has plenty of takers. The district has 16 potential applicants for officer positions going through background checks and seeking sponsorship. An additional 75 candidates have submitted applications that are under review.

Teach For America sees major jump in applications

An increasing number of college graduates have applied to Teach For America for the chance to spend two years teaching in some of the nation’s most challenging schools.

The nonprofit saw its applications increase by more than a third this year (from 18,000 to 25,000). Of those, about 3,700 will take on roles as classroom teachers this fall. The program’s success, combined with a reputation for selectivity in choosing its recruits, has raised its status among college students.

A slowing economy may partly explain the increase, but that’s not the sole reason. Teach For America has increased its recruiting staff this year to allow for one-on-one meetings—some 30,000 of them—between recruiters and students at about 400 colleges.

Strong fundraising has also helped the recruiting efforts. The nonprofit’s budget went from $40 million in 2005 to $110 million this year. Philanthropists have taken note of studies lauding the success of Teach For America’s teachers in the classroom. For example, a new study by the Urban Institute found that Teach For America high school teachers are especially good in boosting math and science test scores.

Philanthropist Eli Broad, whose foundation has donated more than $16 million to Teach For America, plans to make a larger contribution soon based on the results the program is getting. “It’s one of the best investments our foundation has made,” Broad said.

—“Teach For America Sees Big Growth,” Education Week online, May 13, 2008.

Mississippi superintendents told to fix districts or lose jobs

Mississippi legislators recently sent a strong message to superintendents in low-performing school districts. Fix them or you’re out of a job, thanks to legislation passed May 12.

The new law specifies that local superintendents will lose their jobs if their districts are labeled “underperforming” for two years in a row. Elected superintendents will be removed by the governor and barred from running for reelection. Appointed superintendents would be fired.

The only hurdle remaining is a potentially long wait for a U.S. Department of Justice review of the law. The Justice Department is involved because Mississippi is covered by the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which aims to protect minority voting rights in areas of the country with a history of discrimination in voting. Most southern states are covered by the law and must get federal approval whenever they seek to change election or voting procedures.

Sixty-five of Mississippi’s 152 superintendents are elected. The law could override voter’s wishes by barring them from retaining elected superintendents and removing those superintendents from office during their elected terms.

The Mississippi Association of School Superintendents opposes the law, which grew out of an effort by the Mississippi Board of Education and other education leaders to turn the elected superintendent posts into positions appointed by local school boards.

— “Mississippi to Superintendents: Fix Districts or Lose Jobs,” by Michele McNeil, Education Week online, May 13, 2008.

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act changes child labor penalties

You might be surprised to learn that when Congress passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) of 2008, it amended portions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) pertaining to child labor.

The legislation increases “…the civil money penalties that may be imposed for child labor violations that result in the death of or serious injury to children.” The U.S. Department of Labor enforces FLSA’s child labor provisions.

Section 302 of GINA raises the maximum penalty to $50,000 for each violation with the possibility of up to $100,000 in cases where the employer’s violation is a repeated or willful one. The new penalties went into effect on May 21, 2008.

The portions of the law that protect employees from genetic discrimination go into effect in November of 2009.