Several Project LIFT schools on Charlotte’s west side are trying to fill about twenty highly-paid teaching jobs. Those teachers won’t have their own classes but will rotate between classrooms, coach beginning teachers, and work in small groups with students. The jobs come with as much as a $23,000 salary boost.
Ranson IB Middle School has used the staffing model for the past two years. The school’s principal Allison Harris says it allows all students to benefit from the knowledge of veteran teachers. She says beginning teachers especially appreciate the help.
"They can tell the difference because they have someone right there alongside them, coaching them developing them as they really learn the landscape of education and how to become a great teacher," says Harris.
Schools cover the bigger salaries by increasing class sizes by one or two students. Project LIFT expects to employ a total of 55 of these special teachers next year.
Seventeen other CMS schools started using these positions this school year. They’re expected to expand to more schools next year.