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Information for Displaced School Staff

Displaced Louisiana Teachers and Support Staff
AFT members are encouraged to visit the Louisiana Federation of Teachers' Web site, http://la.aft.org, for resources and current information on the parishes. Also, the Louisiana Department of Education has created an online form to enable school employees to report their current location so that their district or school may establish contact with them. The form will also allow you to apply for other positions in the Louisiana school system or request a duplicate certificate. Go to http://www.teachlouisiana.net/.

Displaced Mississippi Teachers and Support Staff
AFT members are encouraged to visit the Mississippi AFT Web site, http://ms.aft.org, for resources and updates. The Mississippi Department of Education's Web site also includes a special area devoted to Hurricane Katrina and a survey form for displaced school employees to complete. Links to all Mississippi school districts are posted on this site, as well as schedules for school district reopenings.

New Orleans Public Schools
The United Teachers of New Orleans has now installed a special number for members at the local's temporary offices housed at the Louisiana Federation of Teachers in Baton Rouge. This number is 225/929-8546. UTNO members may also visit the local's Web site, http://la.aft.org/utno, for updates and additional resources.

The district is working with UTNO to develop a process for re-staffing New Orleans schools that will reopen. Up-to-date contact information is needed for all employees so that the district can get in touch with them about new developments. Employees can call the toll-free hotline at 877/771-5800 or go to the district's Web site to report their updated information. [Updated 10/7/05]

St. Tammany Parish Public Schools
Schools reopened on Oct. 3, but many members still lack housing, reports Elsie Burkhalter, president of the St. Tammany Federation of Teachers. The local is working with the district to identify employees' housing needs, but the options are limited until FEMA starts bringing in temporary housing. For additional updates, visit the local's Web site at http://la.aft.org/tammany, or call the local at 800/634-5089. [Updated 10/7/05]

Jefferson Parish Schools Information
Schools reopened in Jefferson Parish Oct. 3. Details for employees have been posted on the Louisiana Federation of Teachers' Web site, http://la.aft.org; click on "Hurricane Katrina" in the left-hand navigation and then scroll down to Parish Updates. Also, the Louisiana Department of Education Web site is posting information for all parishes. Go to http://www.louisianaschools.net/lde/index.html and scroll down to "Affected Parishes News Items."

Hurricane National Job Bank Matching Workers
with Jobs
A national Hurricane Recovery Job Connection online job bank has been created to help workers unemployed because of Hurricanes Katrina or Rita. The U.S. Department of Labor program can be accessed online at http://www.ajb.org/ and is updated daily with new jobs listed by employers. The new resource was created "to connect workers with employers who have jobs to give, including temporary jobs cleaning up and rebuilding devastated communities." Connections can also be made with more permanent career jobs. As of Oct. 4, the site listed 83,281 available jobs, although only 707 worker resumes had been posted for employers to review. The site allows workers to establish a personal account, write and post their resumes and create a cover letter. It also features "scout" a device to help employees find the kind of job they want or to help employers find the workers they need. The results are then automatically e-mailed to employee or employer.

Job Information for Houston
The Houston Independent School District is planning to add 10,000 more students who have been evacuated from Louisiana and projects that the district will need hundreds of new teachers and support staff.

For more information on jobs in the Houston district, call the HISD human resources department at 713-892-7338; 1-800-446-2821 or send an e-mail to jobs@houstonisd.org. For more details or to apply online, go to http://www.houstonisd.org.

The Texas State Board for Educator Certification has approved a one-time nonrenewable certificate in response to the hurricane. This certificate shall be valid for the 2005-2006 school year and shall be available to any educator hired by a Texas public school district during the 2005-2006 school year for the purpose of meeting unanticipated staffing requirements caused by this catastrophe. Priority for approval of this certificate will be given to displaced Louisiana educators. For details, visit the Texas Education Agency's special hurricane information site.

Job Information for Florida
Florida has full reciprocity to recognize a valid standard certificate issued by Louisiana and any other state to establish eligibility for the Florida standard (Professional) certificate, reports Beverly Gregory of Florida's Bureau of Educator Certification. The out-of-state certificate waives all preparation requirements, including testing. The application and fingerprinting processes must be completed locally at the school district level. Some districts are waiving the local fees. The certification office is working with the individual teacher and other state departments of education to verify certification. Job vacancies are listed on the Web site, http://www.teachinflorida.com/. By selecting "Tour the State," specific information for regions is available. There is also a link to the "Map of Florida School Districts" for individual school district contact.

Job Information for Georgia
The Georgia Professional Standards Commission, which is the state educator preparation and certification agency, has announced the state will issue a special one-year educator certificate to displaced educators who are offered employment in a Georgia school system. The commission will temporarily relax the requirements for official documentation and will work with the employing school systems to verify information in other ways. To find employment in Georgia's school systems, go to TeachGeorgia at http://teachgeorgia.org/. Once a displaced educator is offered a position, the employing school system will work with the commission to coordinate the issuance of the Georgia certificate. The commission is working with certification officials in Mississippi, and is using the Louisiana certification Web site (http://www.teachlouisiana.net/) and the NASDTEC clearinghouse database to verify as much information as possible.