Alabama Governor urges teachers not to leave because of no budget

This from Alabama.com:

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Thousands of school employees will likely lose their jobs because the Alabama Legislature failed to pass a state education budget.

But Gov. Bob Riley promised to recall legislators to work on the budget and on Tuesday urged those school workers to hold off for a few weeks before looking for a job elsewhere.

"Please stay here and give us a little time," Riley said.

The Republican governor said he will call a special session most likely before June 1 to reconsider the budget and other related bills that were not passed before the 3 1/2-month-long legislative session ended at midnight Monday.

State law requires school systems to notify non-tenured teachers — generally those with less than three years of work in a school system — by the end of the year whether they will be retained for the upcoming school year. They can be recalled later if they want their old jobs back.

State Superintendent of Education Joe Morton said most school systems are wrapping up school this week and will send out pink slips to non-tenured teachers and school support workers because they don't know if there will be the money to hire them when classes resume in August.

Morton said many out-of-work educators will look for jobs in neighboring states and will never return to Alabama. "It will be devastating," he said...