Teacher Voices Frustration Over Hiring Freeze

Recently, a teacher confronted New York City School Chancellor Joel Klein over a hiring freeze.

Does the current climate lend itself to finding more online solutions? I've been hearing about pressure being put on budgets that lead to the cutting of teacher positions, these freezes on new hires, and most pressing of all, halts on spending for teacher development.

Why is professional development one of the first choices in the budget bloodletting? Intuitive logic would tell us that if you are keeping the teacher from developing his or her skills, you are making them less integral to the teaching curriculum, thereby fulfilling a maligned sort of destiny -- cutting salaries or positions.

Seems like a type of cycle.

This will be one of the topics at the Education Industry Investment Forum held in Phoenix, Arizona March1-3. 2010.