When You Are Not Re-elected; Why? And What Now?

Every March numerous social media sites are swamped with posts from new teachers that are devastated that they have just been told they are not returning the next year. They are often blindsided and they are always very upset. Let’s take a minute to discuss what is going on in school districts.

District Constraints

Each year, districts must take a look at student enrollment and staffing, in conjunction with budget. They must decide if they are overstaffed or understaffed in relation to anticipated student enrollment for the following year. Additionally, many states have now legislated that districts must make these decisions and notify staff by a certain date each year. Knowing this, you must NOT take your non-re-election personally (unless you have been specifically told it is due to your teaching skills).

Districts encourage staff to let them know if they are returning the following year or not. Often, this looks like a form where you list your grade-level preference for the next year. On these forms, they also list a place where teachers can mark “I will not be returning.” When districts/ administrators get these notices, it helps them make decisions on staffing early before the legislated “notice” date. If one or two teachers are retiring, this allows administrators to retain one or two of their new probationary teachers.

Most large districts and states (and many small ones) are under the guidelines of bargaining agreements with the teacher’s union. These agreements most often have seniority language which mandates the steps administrators must follow when it comes to changing staff size for the following year.

Seniority Issues / Tenure

With the protections that come with tenure, the new teachers are the first ones let go due to decreased enrollment or budget issues. Another item that has come about because of bargaining between unions and administration is the “probationary period” prior to becoming tenured. In many many districts this language allows administrators to non-re-elect teachers without giving a reason. This language often causes distress for new teachers. I see and hear new teachers say “they didn’t even tell me why.” Well, to be blunt, they don’t have to.

Because being “let go” is an emotional time, most administrators opt to give “no reason” instead of risking saying anything that may “come back to bite them” at a later date. This is because employees have employment rights from their state (and the federal government) in addition to those negotiated with your union. Employers cannot let you go due to race, gender, disabilities, etc. Administrators DO NOT want to be accused of doing any of this, so they most often opt to “not give a reason.”

I’m going to take a segue to mention that this very circumstance is why I caution probationary (new) teachers from becoming political or vocal in regards to union issues or being overly vocal when critical of the district or administration. While it may not be fair, it is a reality that some administrators use this “not giving a reason” strategy to not re-elect teachers that they deem may become problematic or combative in the future.

Was it Because I Need Improvement?

If you are wondering if you were ‘let go’ because of your inexperience as a teacher; whether your pedagogy or classroom management needed improvement; be assured that in most cases this is not the issue. If a (good) administrator was concerned about either of these, he/she would have spoken to you and had you work with a mentor teacher on these items earlier in the year.

Is it Best to Resign or Be Non-Re-Elected?

There are varying thoughts on whether it is best to resign or take the “non-re-election” as you leave. There are pros and cons to both. Let’s begin with the basics; if you are non-re-elected, it means you have been laid off by the district and you qualify to collect unemployment. For some teachers this is their only option because their family MUST have the money from unemployment benefits. However, you must now list this as your reason for leaving the district on future job applications. If you are certain it is due to enrollment, you can list this with your reason (if the application has a space for explanations).

As a former administrator, I always recommended to my teachers that they resign instead of being “non-re-elected.” I told them this would enable them to script their response on job applications to fit what they wish it to say. You can say the drive was too far, you wanted to try another district, or any other reason. An application with non-re-elect can make some administrators question why you were let go.

Some would say that administrators only tell you this so the district doesn’t have to pay unemployment for you. I can honestly say that in all three of the districts where I was an administrator, this was never mentioned or discussed. I never used that as a reason for my suggestion to resign; I was always thinking of the best interest of the teacher. Why cause hiring committees to wonder why you were “let-go?” BUT, as mentioned earlier, if your family needs the money, that’s a different story.

What Do I Do Now?

So, most of you are wondering what to do now? What are my next steps? Begin looking for another job. Stay to finish the year with your current students. Decide what you will tell your students, their parents, and other teachers. Don’t tell students and parents too early; two weeks before the end of the year is soon enough. Apply in many districts. Keep in mind that some interview early, and others later in the summer. Additionally, THIS IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER, some districts won’t know they have an opening until just before school starts because some teachers wait until the last minute to decide to retire or resign on their own. Some want to be sure they are paid during the summer, others just haven’t made up their mind yet.

Another important bit of information is that schools often get an influx of unexpected students and have to hire another teacher or two within the first two weeks of school. I had this happen many years when I was a principal. Some years I had to create a combo class – see my article about combo classes here: How to Teach Combination Classes!

So, don’t get discouraged if you are not hired by the beginning of August. There is still hopes for openings. But once August rolls around, prepare for a back-up-plan. I suggest you apply to substitute teach in your two favorite districts (or the closest ones) so that you have some income coming in and you have your foot in the door at that district/school. Many teachers are hired from being a great sub in that school. Use this time to become friends with the office staff and principal. You never know when they will need a teacher.

Hang in There; You’ve got this!

Until Next Time,