ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Rochester City School District is working to fill nearly 100 open positions with a recruitment fair held Tuesday at Mercantile on Main.
“We have a lot of entry-level positions that are open, and paraprofessionals and food service and custodial and cleaner roles, but we also have some teaching positions still open,” said Dr. Christopher Miller.
Miller, the district’s chief of human capital, said they began the summer with 250 vacancies. He expressed hope that the fair would help reduce this number further.
Eighty teachers retired and more than double that number resigned after the last school year. Most vacancies are for paraprofessionals who assist licensed teachers and teaching assistants. Special education is facing a shortage of ready-to-go teachers.
“Certainly we’ve had a fair number of vacancies with that have come up in the teaching ranks because of special education,” Miller said. “Particularly at the secondary level, it’s a hard to fill, high shortage area across our region, across the state and across the country because people aren’t going to school to become special education teachers.”
Some positions can be hired on the spot. “We will interview, and conduct an interview with candidates who are interested in joining us in that entry-level paraprofessional position,” said Miller. “And we will hire right on the spot for those that meet our qualifications.” The district is also hiring substitute teachers, offering flexible schedules for retirees or those seeking part-time work.
Miller explained that events like the Mercantile on Main allow the district to connect potential teachers with principals who have vacancies.
Miller said the district struggles to find fully certified teachers. During the hiring fair, candidates could meet with principals and potentially be hired within days. Even if all vacancies are not filled by September, students will still have mostly permanent teachers.
“When we need to we will resort to hiring long-term substitute teachers who may be certified in a different area,” Miller said. “They may be hired to teach science, but they’re certified in math, or they may be certified in social studies. And they’re going to help out with special education.”
Miller addressed the challenges faced by the education sector, noting a decline in students pursuing education careers. He called for support from policymakers and educational institutions. “What we see is that high school students, college freshmen and others, the number of folks that are going into that pathway has diminished,” said Miller.
To address this, RCSD is offering tuition assistance and guidance to paraprofessionals and teaching assistants to help them become certified teachers. The district has developed over 250 teachers through this program.
“Our key strategy is to both engage with our community, bring people into the school district, and then help them to grow, to become teachers,” said Miller.
The recruitment fair is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. August 12.
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