The Public School System has until July 31, 2010 to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act which requires all classrooms to have highly qualified personnel.
Complying with this Act allows PSS to receive federal grants.
A highly qualified teacher must have a degree and a valid certification, and must pass the Praxis tests.
As of July 29, PSS had 494 teachers of whom 338 were highly qualified.
According to PSS human resource officer Ramon Diaz, the 156 non-HQTs can still teach in classrooms under a one-year contract.
The Board of Education, he added, can also reclassify and re-title these non-highly qualified teachers so that PSS can still retain them.
To address the lack of teachers, Board of Education Chairwoman Lucy Blanco-Maratita has asked the lifting of the restrictions in the re-hiring of retired professionals.
She said her proposal will allow teachers with master’s degrees or with extensive experience to return to PSS after retirement.
Her proposal does not include PSS administrators or program managers as these positions are not considered “critical.”
