They will be given a one-year teaching contract that starts on Aug. 1 and their salary will be determined by the compensation plan implemented by the school system.
PSS human resource officer Ramon Diaz yesterday said the hiring of the 130 teachers were recommended by their school principals.
A highly qualified teacher, or HQT, must have a degree and a valid teaching certificate as well as pass the Praxis tests.
PSS wants all its teachers to be highly qualified so it can comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act and remain eligible for federal grants.
“The human resource office will continue to support the (principals’) recommendation to renew non-HQTs if there’s no available highly qualified teacher for that class or subject area,” Diaz said.
These teachers, he added, have shown effort and commitment to take the Praxis exams during the duration of their one-year contracts with PSS.
The salary of a renewed teacher is $27,911 if she has taken the Praxis 1 test, and $28,800 if she has taken Praxis 2 and is awaiting the result.
A highly qualified teacher gets a salary from $31,000 to $36,000 depending on the number of years of service and qualifications.
Diaz said their non-HQT personnel are required to enroll at Praxis test preparations and other online programs offered prior to taking the actual tests.
“We are also requiring that a very specific action plan be tied to that teacher,” he added. “So long as we are able to see the progress toward meeting the requirement of Praxis exams, we will continue to support the renewals of non-HQT personnel.”
But a non-HQT must achieve progress during the one-year contract, otherwise she will not be allowed to serve as a classroom teacher.
PSS has until July 31, 2010 to meet the highly qualified teacher mandate of the U.S. Department of Education.
All CNMI public school teachers should be highly qualified on or before that date.
“We’re running out of time,” Diaz said. “We’ve had this policy since 2005 and PSS has supported the Praxis efforts by conducting institutes and workshops for our teachers.”
Classes of public schools open on Sept. 8.
