FWISD Looking for Teachers

District not adding jobs, but filling open spots

As students get ready for the start of class, the Fort Worth school district is still looking for teachers.

The teaching positions are not additions to the district, but are open spots that were not filled by people in a teacher pool that was created after the end of the last school year.

"We are asking for bilingual teachers, special education teachers, any teachers with those certifications," district spokesman Clint Bond said.

Despite tight budget conditions, the Fort Worth Independent School District did not lay off any teachers after the last school year. Instead, many teachers were placed in a pool to move elsewhere in the district to replace teachers who retired early or left.

"That pool has been diminished to the point that we know we have some of these openings coming up, and it's time to reach outside the district," Bond said.

Steven Poole, United Educators Association executive director, said it is sign that the district's leadership and budgeting is on the right track.

"This year alone, they had to eliminate close to 300 teaching positions," Poole said. "Instead of overreacting and cutting people, they let the process play out and see how many people retired, and this is where we find ourselves."

Teachers aren't the only ones finding themselves back on the job. Half of the approximately 80 auxiliary employees, or non-teachers, who were laid off have been rehired. More could soon join them.

"Now we have some other auxiliary positions that have come open again because people have decided to go elsewhere or find something else to do," Bond said.

The employees who were laid off will get first chance to be hired into a position -- likely not their old job, but something with the district.

Poole credits the situation to how the employee groups and the district could work together.

"When we work hand-in-hand, there's not a problem that can't be solved, and this is a testament to that," Poole said.

Poole and the district hope to have all the teachers in place by the start of school on Aug. 27.

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