Teachers who wish to remain on Oakland's Castlemont, Fremont or McClymonds high school campuses next year will have to reapply for their jobs -- or, more precisely, for a different position with more responsibilities, a shorter summer and more money for the additional time worked.

The Oakland school district administration informed its employees of the plan late last week, explaining in a memo that the new positions "symbolize our commitment to create a high quality school with high quality teachers that can significantly accelerate student learning ..."

The new position has been named "Accelerated TSA," which is short for teacher-on-special assignment.

Norma Verdugo, who teaches Spanish and Advanced Placement Spanish Literature at the Castlemont Busines