As a result of expected budget cuts, Joel I. Klein, Chancellor of New York City schools, has told principals to stop hiring teachers from outside the system. Schools must look instead to a pool of available teachers internally. The 1,100-member internal pool consists largely of teachers that have lost jobs due to closings and downsizings. The order has raised some concerns, since many of those teachers came from poor schools and received unsatisfactory ratings according to an independent report. The rule significantly reduces the number of new teachers that will be hired in September, reserving spots only for outside teachers in particularly high need areas. The cutback includes reducing hiring from Teach for America by about half.
See "Schools Chief Bans Hiring of Teachers From Outside", Javier C. Hernandez, The New York Times, May 6, 2009