Good Morning Jim:
I will do my best to answer your two questions.
On question #1, the health insurance figures stated in your
post, for the district south of Rochester, are very good to
excellent by minnesota standards; most union leaders here in
Minnesota would be pating themselves on the back and giving
high-fives for negotiating such a health benefits package
for their teachers into the two- or three- year contract
which each union (Education Minnesota) local negotiates with
their individual school district during the final school-
year of the present contract. For example, school districts
who's contract expire this comming June were required by MN
law to have the teacher contracts for the 2008-09 school
year ratified by last week. medical benefits, vacation-sick
days, teacher work hours, prep hour additional supervisory
duties,salaries, school year start and ending dates,
workshop days are all collectively bargained between the
Education Minnesota union local and the Individual School
District. Therefore, everything varies between the hundreds
of school districts in Minnesota. As a veteran educator here
in Minnesota, it never occurred to me that the medical-
health benefits are so much better across the St. Croix and
Mississippi Rivers' in Wisconsin.
As far as question #2 goes, the last school year in which
ther was not a large surplus of Phy-Ed and Health teachers
in Minnesota was the 1973-74 school year, with opportunities
drying-up in the Twin Cities Metro area and other popular
districts much sooner than 73-74. Graduates attempting to
find teaching jobs for the 1974-75 school year could not
secure teaching positions, paricularly Phy-Ed, and prospects
have never improved. It's a tie for toughest subject areas
to find employment between, Phy-Ed Health, Social Studies,
English and Elementary Ed. Recently, areas where a candidate
at least had reasonable chance at finding a job: Special-Ed,
Math, Physics, Chemistry, and World Languages have been hit
hard with mass layoffs. I know 20-year veterans who have not
had enough years of service to escape the layoffs due to
declining student enrollments and budget shortfalls.
To improve your chances of securing a teaching contract,
make sure you have Phy-Ed and Health licensure along with
DAPE (Developmentally Adaptive Phsical Education) licensure
and coaching certification from an accredited university.
Stellar coaching experience with a winning record and state
championships in the right sports will really help. In
Minnesota, the saying goes, Phy-Ed licensure without Health
and DAPE licensure is Phy-Ed without a job.
Having a parent as a veteran teacher or principal in the
district you are trying to find employment in helps along
with having a former professional collegue of yours' as a
school board member or district superintendent may be your
best bet.
There are 3,000-4,000 applicants for most teaching positions
in MN. One positive sign from a professional collegue of
mine in a small rural district had only 980 applicants for
one long-term substitute position in Social Studies however
that number is still larger than the number of residents in
this remote town.
My next class begis in a couple of minutes, so I must close.
Best of luck to you professionally and with your newborn
child :-)
On 1/22/08, Jim wrote:
> I am a licensed teacher in WI in Physical and Health
> Education. My wife teaches math. Last summer I recieved a
> job offer at a small school 45 minuts south of Rochester.
> Anyway it was my dream job. PE/Health/Activities Director
> and a head coaching job. Anyway when they explained the
> benefits were explained to me I got this:
>
> $3850 deductible per person - We are pregnant and we were
> told after 6 weeks the baby would start to accumulate a
> deductible as well!
>
> $500/month towards the premium
>
> $15/25/35 copay for meds and office visits
>
> At the district where my wife teaches, we have no premium
> to pay, a $200 deductible, and a $5 copay on meds.
>
> Needless to say we turned down the position, as we were't
> prepared to write out a $3850 check to the hospital for
her
> pregnancy Dr. appointments.
>
> I have 2 questions:
>
> 1. Are all school MN district offering these same benefits?
>
> 2. Were we right in turning down the position?
>
> I got my position cut 2 years ago and have been dabbling
in
> construction and subbing for the past 2 years. I really
> want to teach, but haven't had any luck in the area
> surrounding my wife's district.
>
> Please Help! I just want to teach. Is PE/Health as
> competitive in MN as it is in WI?
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