The school year may be starting to wind down, but school districts are still searching for more teachers in the classroom.
Job fairs have not been well attended, and many classrooms still have long-term subs.
Schools have decided to join forces in a massive job fair bringing 60 school districts together with open minds for anyone with an interest in teaching.
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"We’ve seen a definite decline in the number of attendees who attend face-to-face job fairs, it's slowly climbing, but it's a very slow climb," said Ashley Brown, Executive Director of Human Resources, Little Elm ISD.
Schools are in fierce competition for the few teachers out there. Some districts wait to release their salaries publically until other districts do, to try to offer better pay. But now they’re trying something new.
"It makes sense to work smart and not against each other," said Ricardo Lopez, Superintendent of Garland ISD. "There's no way one employee can look around to all these jobs fairs, let’s make it easy."
Carter In The Classroom
Focusing on unique things school districts are doing to help children succeed.
Sixty school districts around North Texas are coming together in Arlington to hold one massive job fair, Monday at 9 a.m. at the Esports Stadium in Arlington.
Register for the NCTASPA Teacher Job Fair
They're working together at a time when so much political rhetoric, out there paints public schools and specifically teachers in a light that's not the best. It's something the districts say they're addressing head-on.
"Because of all that rhetoric going on outside our schools and even sometimes in our board meetings, it’s important for NCTASA (North Central Texas Association of School Personnel Administrators) and public schools to demonstrate how important public school is and the teaching profession is," said Brenda West, Executive Director of Human Resources, Highland Park ISD.
With so few college graduates majoring in education, especially at the secondary level, schools are looking for career professionals to come into the classroom.
"I kinda wanted to do this all my life and honestly couldn’t afford to," said Steve Coy, who recently retired, and then applied and was hired as a teacher in McKinney ISD.
Alternative certification programs are out there to help people transition into a role in the classroom. District leaders say many people started substitute teaching during the pandemic as they lost work and then realized how much they enjoyed the profession, they're hoping others will do the same.
Registration information for the job fair is online, or you can arrive Monday morning at 9 a.m. at 1200 Ballpark Way in Arlington.
