Teachers are finding more and more reasons to leave their schools, specifically Gilbert Public Schools (GPS), to find a more comfortable place here in the Chandler Unified School District (CUSD). Due to problems such as finances, workload, and safety in their school system, educators are willing to pack up their belongings and land a job at Perry in order to continue a secure and more professional career in their desired line of work.

“We’ve had about, I’d say, maybe seven or eight teachers come here to us from the Gilbert District,” says Principal Serrano. With Perry being rated an A+ school and having some of the highest test scores, most in-school programs, and lowest crime rates in the district, Gilbert teachers (and other district’s staff members) are turning their heads towards the school with knowledge of all the benefits Perry, and schools in CUSD alike, can bring for them and possible students.

From January 1st  through most of March of 2014, 56 staff members (this includes teachers, superintendents, coaches, and principals) have either resigned, walked out, or transferred to a different school district. A small portion of these staff members, more than expected, has turned out to be principals, 6 at that. Outside of the resignations due to educator’s concerns, the GPS also has to deal with about 30 retirements within their district alone this year. This is a major concern for many, including parents, students, co-workers of the teachers, and administrators of these schools.

Besides the negatives that have come out of the situation, this ordeal has brought many new and appreciated teachers to our school and others in the CUSD alike.

“It’s a good thing for us” states Principle Serrano. “I mean, we’re getting great teachers coming over from Gilbert here to Perry.”

With more and more positions opening up throughout the whole Gilbert District, schools are pressured to find teachers, principals, and superintendents within a short amount of time, for the sake of the students and school as a whole. Jim Rice, a superintendent of the GPS, explains that these positions need to be filled by July 1st, the start of the next school year.

Parents, students, teachers, and families within the boundaries of these schools are and have been very concerned with the situation which can be easily noticed throughout the recent board meetings about this unsturdy crisis. Some of the reasons these educators are leaving the said Gilbert schools is due to teachers fearing that their contracts may not be renewed for another year. In the past few months, there has been mass confusion and teachers are ‘in the dark’ about what is going on within their very own school system which they call ‘home’.

With little communication and uncertainty all-around, teachers and higher-ups might continue to clash and there will undoubtedly be more resignations and retirements (more than average) throughout all of Gilbert Public Schools for the upcoming months to come. At the moment, GPS directors, admins, superintendents, and many of the school boards are trying to work together to fix this slow death of a problem.