There are still 850 teacher vacancies across the city's nearly 1700 public schools.  If they aren't filled by October 29, schools may lose the money budgeted for those positions .

That's according to the Chancellor Klein's weekly memo to principals, which also advised that most vacancies must be filled by teachers now in the "excessed teachers pool." These are teachers who lost their jobs due to schools closing, or staff cuts, but who continue to receive a full salary, even though they are not in the classroom. There are 1700 teachers in the pool, 200 morethan last year at this time.

Despite reductions in the school budgets this year, the city managed to avoid laying off teachers, even as it imposed some hiring restrictions.

These restrictions "will remain in place, and for most subject areas vacancies must be filled with internal staff," the memo says. "Within these limitations, you may still hire whomever you choose."

Exempted from the hiring restrictions back in June were special education, bilingual special education, and speech teachers.

The hiring restrictions run contrary to the mayor and chancellor’s moves to grant more autonomy to principals. They are necessary, the chancellor maintains, because they helped "avoid deeper cuts" yet still allow principals to "retain hiring power, even if they limited the talent pool."