La Salette Educators Enter Competitive Michigan Job Market

Editor's note: This story is part of a weeklong series about the impact of the Archdiocese of Detroit's decision to close of Our Lady of La Salette Catholic School and Academy in Berkley, which served pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students, at the end of the 2012-2013 academic year.

After losing her second teaching position in the Archdiocese of Detroit since 2005 due to school closures, Sheri (Mawilai) Boura is considering whether to change careers.

She is among a dozen staff members who lost their jobs at the end of the 2012-2013 academic year when Our Lady of La Salette Catholic School and Academy in Berkley was shuttered.

"I love teaching and I love education but it's really tough for teachers in Michigan right now," said Boura, a 1992 La Salette graduate who formerly taught at St. Mel Elementary in Dearborn Heights, which closed in 2005. "A lot of people I know are leaving the state to teach." 

Boura, who took some nursing-related courses in college before choosing to go into education, said she is considering whether to pursue a career in health care in hopes of finding more stability.

La Salette Principal Dan Terbrack, a 1994 graduate of the school, agreed that the in-state market for educators is competitive.

"The staff is all out looking for jobs, including myself," he said. "It's obviously tough to find a job in education in Michigan right now."

The La Salette employees' names will be put on a list to be given priority consideration when jobs open at local Catholic schools, said Joseph Kohn, director of public relations for the Archdiocese of Detroit.

"Remaining, we have 95 Catholic schools within the Archdiocese – 71 grade schools and 24 high schools," he said. "Our total enrollment for the recently ended school year was 30,000."

But, Boura said her experience at La Salette is irreplaceable.

"Being able to educate kids in a Christ-centered environment, it means so much me. It's more than educating the mind; it's spirituality. It's building your whole character, a well-rounded person," she said tearfully. "Teaching here is unique. It will never be the same. It could be great at lots of places but it will never be La Salette."