On Thursday, the start of a new school year is just 20 days away for some North Texas students. Right now, school leaders are working to find enough teachers to fill vacant positions.
This year there is intense competition for top talent.
For Ivan Pena, life changed suddenly, forcing him to explore new opportunities. Thursday’s Dallas ISD job fair came at just the right time: one month after receiving certification for physical education.
He made his way through a crowd of other hopeful candidates at Emmett Conrad High School, where the event was held.
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“I got laid off and put into consideration, 'what I want to do? What do I want to be happy for the rest of my life?' And so I was like, 'teaching is my next career,'” Pena said.
Dallas ISD is in stiff competition with surrounding districts to hire the best teachers and to do it quickly. For months, the district’s vacancies hovered in the hundreds.
Diana Castaneda, the manager of Dallas ISD's teacher recruitment, says the district has made headway and vacancies now sit around 300.
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“At some point in the spring we were over 500, even close to the 700 mark,” she said. “So now we are driving those results at a very fast pace.”
At the fair Thursday, there was more improvement with more than 80 job offers made on the spot, just over an hour into the event.
“We are very proud to hear that we are making those steps to make sure that we are reaching a milestone and becoming fully staffed,” Castaneda said. “Ultimately, that’s the goal and mission to make sure we have teachers in all of our classrooms.”
District leaders hope incentives like free pathways to certification will draw the best candidates. Still, most surrounding districts are hosting job fairs now as well.
With the start of the school year weeks away, the race is on to employ and retain a strong workforce.
For more information on career opportunities visit the Dallas ISD's careers website and search for job openings on the Texas Education Agency's website.
