BY BRAD A. HODGES
SALISBURY POST

When recruiters for Rowan-Salisbury Schools visited Bloomsburg, Pa., earlier this year, they told Jen Fitch about Rowan County’s fair weather and abundant history, arts and recreation.

Fitch later visited Rowan County personally and toured Corriher-Lipe Middle School. She decided to accept a job at the Landis school as a seventh-grade social studies teacher.

“I visited twice and really like the principal there,” Fitch said, referring to Suzette Davis.

Fitch is one of 190 new teachers entering Rowan-Salisbury Schools this year. This morning the educators took a break from a week of workshops for breakfast at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.

“This is a nice way for the chamber to say we’re glad they’re here,” said Bob Wright, executive director of the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce. The chamber and school system have hosted the annual event for more than a decade.

“We’ve got a great new batch of teachers this year,” said Dr. Wiley Doby, superintendent of schools. “I’m really pleased.”

This week, teachers have studied classroom management and laws concerning children with disabilities and special needs.

About 20 of the new teachers are lateral-entry, meaning they’ve left other careers to work in education for the first time.

Robert Harrison, a former UPS truck driver who lives in Davidson County, has helped children at YMCAs in Lexington and Greensboro. He wanted a full-time job working with youth — and found it teaching social studies, geography and world history at West Rowan High School.

“I think some of my friends think I’m crazy because I’m taking a big pay cut, but this is what I want to do,” he explained this morning.

John Reeves taught seventh-grade social studies at China Grove Middle School last year as a substitute. A Methodist minister for more than 30 years, Reeves wanted a change of career when he and his wife moved from Jacksonville, Fla.

“We’ve always enjoyed teaching, so this was a natural,” said Reeves.

Others have already taught in other school districts.

Mike Turner, a former teacher in Middlebourne, W.Va., will teach North Carolina history this year at Southeast Middle School.

Wanting to be closer to his mother in Mooresville, he chose the job here after visiting several Piedmont school systems.

“I think I got lucky, moving here into a brand-new school. The principal, Dr. (Ron) Turbyfill is such a great guy.”

The Rowan-Salisbury school system has raised its stakes in hiring teachers in recent years.

It sends recruiters on dozens of trips each year to states as far away as Wisconsin and Indiana.

New Rowan-Salisbury teachers receive a $600 advance, which is deducted from the school system’s local supplement to teachers’ state-paid salaries. Teachers who move here also get reimbursed for relocation expenses and graduate courses.

Recruiters say larger school systems still get many teachers because they typically offer starting bonuses of $1,000 or more. And North Carolina still ranks below the national average for teacher pay, though it is improving.

The Rowan-Salisbury school system still has about 20 teaching positions left to fill in its 30 schools.

Contact Brad A. Hodges at 704-797-4266 or bhodges@salisburypost.com .