CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Chesapeake Public Schools is no exception to the staffing shortage experienced not only statewide, but also across the country.
Right now, the Virginia Department of Education is reporting that for the 2022-2023 school year, school divisions experienced a shortage of more than 3,573 full-time teacher positions. Chesapeake Public Schools is looking to fill 40 of the positions.
In addition to the 40 teachers, the school division is also looking to fill the following:
- 20 secondary teachers
- 70 bus drivers
- 25 School Security Officers (new positions)
- 30 custodians
- 9 nurses
- 50 school nutritionists
- 6 school psychologists
- 14 IT workers
Dozens of people showed up within the first hour of the job fair Thursday morning.
"We do have a number of vacancies, especially in special education, in secondary schools. We're looking in math, foreign language, and computer technology positions," said Mindy Green, Chesapeake Public Schools' Human Resources Assistant Director.
Green said Chesapeake Public Schools went through a salary study to ensure competitive pay. She said the average salary for a teacher with a bachelor's degree is $53,303. Teachers with a master's degree would have a slightly higher salary offer at $56,503.
Green said they don't want to rush the hiring process in order to get the right people in the positions.
"We definitely value our employees who make a difference in the lives of our children and families here in Chesapeake, so it's very important that we have a screening process in place where we have a great candidate pool of qualified candidates to fill key roles," Green said.
One of the people who showed up is Antionette Church who loves working with children.
"I do... a lot. I have a huge heart," Church added as she stopped to speak with us during her application process.
Church worked as a custodian for Chesapeake Public Schools in 2014. She left due to personal health reasons, but she recently learned she wanted to come back when she was talking about the idea with her daughter.
So, Church applied for the School Security Office (SSO) position. About 25 of the SSO positions were created to enhance security at elementary schools in Chesapeake.
"There's a lot of stuff that's going on in schools and less security, and when you have more people, you have a better chance of catching and grabbing hold of something before it gets worse," Church said. "So, this opportunity, being at a job fair, it was a key thing for me...so I didn't hesitate."
The job fair ended at 4 p.m. Thursday. If you missed the job fair, you can find a list of jobs available and how to apply here.