CHESAPEAKE, Va — Chesapeake Public Schools said they are still looking for 58 new teachers. They also have other positions like bus drivers and school nurses open too ahead of the fall.
To try and recruit the right talent, human resources have changed some of their incentives to include competitive pay, tuition reimbursement and safety training for the new teachers.
Mindy Green, the assistant director of human resources for recruitment and diversity, said they have hired 300 educators for this upcoming school year, but there are still some vacancies, including 18 secondary teachers in math and tech education and 40 elementary teaching positions.
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Green said over the last few years, there has been a shortage, which is why the school has been advertising online, on TV and even in movie theaters.
"There are a number of positions that we're still looking to hire, and we've been fortunate to use different methods of recruitment to reach different target audiences, so I was pleased to see some of our advertisements were making movies," adds Green.
Two of their most recent hires are twins Brittany and Brianna Charity, both new third grade teachers for Truitt Intermediate School.
Green says the school district made an effort to bump up the pay for new and existing teachers while also providing them opportunities to continue their education and receive mental health care if needed.
Given instances and acts of violence seen in schools here in Hampton Roads and across the country, News 3 asked the twins how they felt about receiving safety training starting next week. They said feeling safe was non-negotiable before signing on.
"Just to be safe is a major priority for me because I want to have a safe space in my classroom, and I want to have a school that is safe as well," explains Brittany Charity.
This year, Chesapeake Public Schools is bringing in more school security officers and partnering with the sheriff's office to ensure teachers like Brianna and Brittany can keep the focus on the kids.
"These kids need a positive role model in their life so that way they know they can be better than their circumstances," explains Brianna Charity. "They can be better than what's going on around them, and being a positive role model that's exactly what a teacher is."
If you think a classroom setting is right for you, you can click the link here to find an application.
