Reply #2: Wow, interesting blog I found. Nail on head about true cost of TFA [View All]

[madfloridian]

http://www.geekpalaver.com/2011/10/18/teach-for-america-inc-is-not-worth-the-expense/

"This morning Crystal Bonvillian ran an interesting article about the Huntsville City School board’s plans to hire up to 110 new Teach for American, Inc. teachers over the next three years. These hirings will cost the system $550,000 or $5,000 for each new teacher. Yet this money represents one-quarter of the total cost associated with recruiting, selection and professional development of a Teach for America teacher. The actual cost for all 110 of these teachers will be closer to $2,200,000 over three years.

Mr. J. W. Carpenter of TFA claims that 75% of that cost will be covered “through donations from the private sector.”

Let’s think about this for a moment.

The Huntsville City School System is projecting approximately a four million dollar deficit in its general fund operating budget at the end of the 2012 fiscal year. In order to address that deficit, the board has voted to reduce new teachers’ salaries to the state minimum. Additionally, the board has voted to freeze all STEP raises for all teachers/employees. And yet this same board is considering a proposal to spend $550,000 dollars over the next three years with a private company just to hire 110 new teachers? And this money is on top of the amount that these 110 teachers will be paid by the system?"

Very true indeed.