Latest news with #Pantin
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
SCCPSS addresses teacher shortage, nearly 150 vacancies
CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) – The Savannah Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) needs more teachers with officials reporting that they have nearly 150 open positions. SCCPSS officials told WSAV the system has a little over 2,700 teacher positions, with 149 vacancies. Now, they said that retention and recruitment are at the top of their priority list. Superintendent Denise Watts held a presser on Wednesday, commenting on what the system is looking for. 'We are in the season of hiring, attracting and also retaining, as well as recognizing highly effective staff and continuing to have an effective workforce,' Watts said. It is shortage that Executive Director of Talent Service, Michel Pantin, said is leading to changes in the way some schools are teaching children. 'Sometimes we have substitutes,' she said. 'Sometimes principals are leveraging technology to teach in multiple classes. Our principals are really working around the schedule in their building to meet the needs of the students that they serve.' It is a dramatic change that Chief of Human Resources Ramon Ray said they started to notice shortly before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. 'We had our issues with colleges producing certified teachers,' Ray said. 'So then now we are trying to also fill that gap' Filling those gaps mean having a different approach. Ray and Pantin told WSAV 'retention is the new recruitment.' Listening and addressing teacher issues are just some ways they plan to keep teachers in the classroom. 'We get into teacher burnout,' Pantin said. 'Teachers have voiced many concerns about more is being put on our plate and nothing is being taken away. Our Office of School Leadership and our Office of Instructional Excellence have worked together to make sure that we're not putting more initiatives…' The biggest change the system wants to make for teachers is making sure their salaries are competitive with schools statewide. 'So, we're competitive, particularly at the lower level,' Ray said. 'We looked at some of the data, we kind of fall off on the ladder and as you get to the 15-year mark. So hopefully with the compensation study, we'll be able to, you know, have the recommendations to kind of level out things so that we're not only competitive in the beginning, but we're also competitive throughout which we are in some areas.' Ray also said they were able to hire 58 educators at Saturday's hiring fair, with over 100 in attendance. This is just another strategy they are using to bring people on board. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBC
25-02-2025
- Climate
- CBC
N.L. snow crab stocks remain healthy, but there is a threat to growth: DFO
Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab stocks appear to remain healthy, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) said Tuesday during its annual stock assessment report. The latest assessment suggests the 2024 biomass of commercial-sized snow crab, which measure at a 95 millimetre shell width, remains near the same level as the year prior. Snow crab landings were recorded at over 56,000 tonnes in 2024. "Fisheries landings increased from a 25-year low in 2019," said DFO biologist Julia Panting. "There were increases in total allowable catch and consequently landings in all assessment divisions in 2024, except for 3K." The DFO established a new biomass index for exploitable snow crab that takes data from trawl and trap surveys. The stock assessment says this new model reduces "the impact of recent gaps in survey data" by using a single-time series. The department also uses post-season surveys, reported commercial catches and logs, as well as collaborations with the Torngat Joint Fisheries Board and the FAA to assess snow crab stock. Threat to growth However, the assessment indicates poor stock growth over the next two to four years because of environmental conditions like warming oceans. Snow crab thrive in cold water with a narrow range of temperatures, and a warming climate can stunt production, growth and survival. It typically takes a male snow crab nine to 13 years to reach the legal commercial size. Pantin told reporters that the amount of small size crab has declined to nearly the lowest levels ever observed. However, Pantin said, most existing biomass are at a generally healthy level. Assessment divisions 3K on the northeast coast of the island and 2HJ near Labrador have experienced declines in the exploitable biomass. "As exploitation rates have come down in some of the recent years, you know, these environmental conditions, it's really something we're going to continue to monitor in the future assessments," said Pantin. Fisheries and Oceans Canada's next steps include taking advice from industry and Indigenous partners to develop 2025's total allowable catch. The department will also hold advisory meetings.
