When the doors opened in Fort Worth ISD this school year, nearly 300 classes still didn't have a teacher. They've brought that number down to about 170 at this point and are still working to try to get fully staffed.
"We're targeting folks who are ready to come back to work who have been hesitant due to COVID," said Raul Pena, Chief of Talent, Fort Worth ISD.
While many districts asked TEA for permission to have larger class sizes to get all students before a teacher, Fort Worth said 'no,' they wanted to keep class sizes small for better instruction. They've been shifting teachers around to fill the gaps.
"If a school was expecting to have 1,000 students and only 900 showed up, we staff the school for 1,000 students so then we close those positions and level out," Pena said.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
But now there's a new challenge.
Fort Worth ISD's Board of Trustees just approved the addition of campus monitors on every campus in the district regardless of campus size. These are people who will make sure doors are closed and locked, and safety procedures are followed.
"We truly believe safety and security is a shared responsibility on a campus. They'll be fixated on the role of the SROs or campus monitors but this year we're being intentional about communicating to staff, and students, safety is a shared responsibility. When you're walking down the hallway and you see a door propped open, shut the door. If you see someone who doesn't have an ID badge, stop them, redirect them back to the office," said Karen Molinar, Interim Superintendent, Fort Worth ISD.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
They will need 80 such monitors in addition to the 170 or so teachers they're looking for currently.
The district is holding another job fair Saturday, Sept. 10, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1050 Bridgewood Drive in Fort Worth.
Learn more about career opportunities in the District by visiting www.fwisd.org/careers.
For additional information, contact the Talent Management Department at 817-814-HIRE (4473) or email teachfortworth@fwisd.org
