This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
Those teacher vacancies at Promise Academies, still open in late July, are not going unfilled.
District officials reported last week that they were “in the final stages of the hiring process” at the District’s six Promise Academies, and that the large numbers of openings posted on the District’s online vacancies list had been filled.
UPDATE: Tuesday, August 3, District spokesperson Fernando Gallard reported the following numbers of vacancies:
- University City : 4
- Vaux: 1
- Clemente : 0
- Potter-Thomas: 0
- Dunbar: 0
- Ethel Allen: 2
Last Monday, District spokesperson Fernando Gallard reported the following numbers of vacancies:
University City: 18Vaux: 10Clemente: 22Potter-Thomas: 8Dunbar: 4Ethel Allen: 1
As of August 1, most of those are no longer posted on the list. The only Promise Academy still listing a significant number of vacancies on the District’s website was University City, with seven. Ethel Allen had two and Vaux had one. The other three schools had no vacancies posted.
In response to Notebook questions about the lateness of the process, the District provided a statement last week by Estelle Matthews, chief of talent and development and Francisco Duran, assistant superintendent for Promise Academies. Here are their main points:
- "The hiring process for the Promise Academies required two parts (an interview and the observation of a 20-minute classroom lesson). We have been very selective in this process. We have had a large number of applications and as such are not concerned about the number of vacancies. For the majority of the remaining vacancies we have a sufficient number of candidates who have already passed their interview.”
- “Each school has a site selection team for the interviews consisting of the principal, teachers, and a parent. Observations are conducted by an administrator (principal or assistant principal and a central office administrator).”
- “There are still internal district candidates, many have already been hired… All teachers who were at the school last year and who were successful in their re-application have been re-hired.”
Promise Academies had to refill all their positions, with no more than half the teaching staff allowed to return.