FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – In a week, by way of a job fair, Broward County Public Schools will be looking to fill 1,200 slots by the beginning of the school year.
Susan Rockelman, talent acquisition director for BCPS, said the positions range from classroom teachers to industry teachers to nurses, custodians, and bus operators.
The school district is hiring about 430 teachers. The starting salary is $47,500. A college degree in education is not required.
“We can hire you and give you those tools and coaches in order to help you become an effective teacher while you’re in the classroom,” Rockelman said.
BCPS is among the school districts in the country that are facing teacher shortages. COVID-19 is one of the reasons, but the pressures of the politics of teaching and the low salaries in an ever more expensive area make teacher recruitment a challenge.
Dayna Foster, who has training in finance, is a new BCPS mathematics teacher. She has been teaching Algebra II for less than a year. She said it’s tough but rewarding.
“I have always wanted to be a teacher,” Foster said adding, “For me, it’s always whenever you see like that lightbulb and it just clicks.”
Last year, there was a shortage of school bus drivers. BCPS is looking for 174 now. The starting hourly pay is $16.50.
“The job allows you to have quality of life, you work in the morning, you have a split in the middle, so you can go to school, you can have another job if you choose to,” said Simone Clowers, the transportation assistant director for BCPS.
BCPS is holding a career fair on July 29. For more information or to register, visit this page.