HAMPTON, Va. - Hampton City Schools employees set up outside West Hampton Community Center on Saturday in an effort to recruit ahead of the new school year.
The pop-up hiring event ran from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., advertising bonuses of up to $5,000 for new hires who could help fill vacancies which include food service positions, bus drivers and instructional assistants.
“We will hire on the spot," said Shari Huggar, a Staffing Specialist leading the effort. “This is all for our kids. We want to make sure that we get quality people for them."
According to Huggar, it was the third hiring event of this style where school division employees set up a tent outside for all to see. Huggar calls it a 'back-to-basics' approach.
“We’re outside near the street and we’re in a neighborhood so it was just a thought, just to think outside the box a little bit. Maybe if we made ourselves accessible to people in the neighborhoods, maybe they would be able to come and interview," she said.
And the effort seems to be working.
Huggar says bus driver vacancies are now in the single digits after the three events.
News 3 cameras also caught several people coming up to the site to fill out applications and interview for the open positions.
According to Huggar, assistant principals are also on standby in case they need to be called in for an immediate interview.
While Saturday's event didn't necessarily focus on teachers, News 3 is told events like it has attracted teachers in the past.
On Monday, the school division reported 115 teacher openings, joining a number of other local districts battling ongoing shortages. Those interested in applying for a teaching position within Hampton City Schools should visit teachhampton.com.
To apply for other openings, click HERE.
