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Teachers Ponder Job Prospects as Districts Come Recruiting

Restaffing of gulf coast schools seen as problem if educators leave the region.

Teachers who have been uprooted from their districts by Hurricane Katrina are facing a bewildering job market, waiting to hear when their schools will reopen as they ponder resettling to accept offers from far-flung locations.

Some educators are accepting temporary positions close to home that offer little long-term security. But teachers who are able to move are being courted by districts with long-standing need for personnel.

In many cases, the hiring has raised questions about pensions, tenure, insurance, and logistical issues. Some short-staffed districts were making significant accommodations last week for displaced teachers, including granting them tenure...