New York public schools have 1 million students but only 75,000 teachers VIDEO CNN's Maria Hinojosa talks with teachers and administrators. Windows Media 28K 80K

August 30, 1999
Web posted at: 1:00 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT)

By Correspondent Maria Hinojosa

NEW YORK (CNN) -- In New York City public schools, a teacher shortage will likely reach crisis proportions within several years, according to Randi Weingarten of the United Federation of Teachers.

The school system has 75,000 teachers, but that number could soon dwindle by half.

"We expect 30,000 to 40,000 of them to retire or need to be replaced in the next few years," Weingarten said.

Recruitment remains a difficult task. Besides overcrowded classrooms, inadequate resources and a crumbling infrastructure, the school system has one of the lowest pay scales for teachers.

Average salaries for other jobs far exceed those for teachers in New York, according to the American Federation of Teachers. An attorney can expect more than $70,000, an engineer $64,000 and a systems analyst $63,000.

The school system suffers from overcrowded classes and a crumbling infrastructure

The national average salary for a teacher is $39,000. In New York City, it's less than $31,000.

"My niece just came out of college. She works in the garment industry. She already makes, with her bonus, more than I do with three masters degrees," said Eileen Cuff.

Cuff taught in New York City schools for 20 years but, like many city school veterans, decided to quit for a better paying job.

This September she will teach in a suburban school, "making over $80,000 doing a job that is far less strenuous."

Trying to avert the crisis, the city's board of education is actively recruiting, taking steps such as sending videos to college graduates in the United States, Puerto Rico and other countries, including Spain and Austria.

Austrian Andrea Unger likes the pitch, calling it "a big opportunity to come to the city and to learn American-style."

But many find the lifestyle a difficult one. Fifty-five percent of New York City teachers leave their jobs within five years.

The top school system official worries about the shrinking number of teachers, but is equally concerned with the ability of those who are hired.

"The issue is at least partly how many, but the other half of that is at what quality?" said Rudy Crew, the New York schools chancellor.

Unfortunately for the students, the school system doesn't have much room for selectivity.

"What the city is forced to do is to hire more and more warm bodies for classrooms. And it is dead wrong for our students," says Weingarten.

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