DeKalb Teachers to Pay Fines for Breaking Contracts

“Teachers are pretty upset about it,” says David Schutten, the president of the Organization of DeKalb Educators. “DeKalb is facing a crisis in terms of retaining teachers.”

At a recent board meeting, district officials complained that several teachers violated their contracts by not showing up at the beginning of the school year.

Schutten says some DeKalb teachers get better offers from other districts after they’ve signed their contracts. He says DeKalb is one of the lowest-paying school systems in metro Atlanta.

“As long as DeKalb is so far behind in salary, there’s not much of an incentive to stay in DeKalb County,” he says. “Even if we get four furlough days back- which is the school board’s goal – maybe even a small cost of living increase, it’s still going to be years before DeKalb is competitive again.”

Schutten says teachers aren’t the only ones who should be penalized for backing out of a contract. He says administrators who hire teachers away from their districts should be accountable too.