While testifying on Gov. Wes Moore’s bill on the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, Maryland State Superintendent Carey Wright was asked if the state is exploring the hiring of federal workers who’ve been let go or may be facing layoffs.
Maryland State Sen. Cheryl Kagan noted that she’d asked Wright about the possibility during a Jan. 29 hearing in Annapolis, and said to Wright: “I wonder if you could give us an update as to any steps that you’ve taken or any preliminary plans that you’ve crafted.”
“We are in the process as we speak of interviewing some of those candidates for positions,” Wright responded.
Wright said she’d like to see if some of those displaced federal workers would want to move into classrooms.
“So not just moving into a leadership role, which is great, but a career changer, possibly,” Wright said.
FCPS looks to bring out-of-work feds and contractors to the school system
As layoffs continue to sweep across the federal government amid a workforce reduction, Fairfax County Public Schools is offering recently let go federal workers and contractors a possible place to land.
“We have federal workers who’ve had a wide variety of experience, and we have a wide variety of both instructional and operational positions,” Fairfax Superintendent Michelle Reid said.
At an FCPS administrative office in Fairfax, a couple hundred people attended a job fair on Wednesday which focused on federal and state workers, who either need a job or are contemplating a change.
“We have openings available immediately for people who are seeking to enter the classroom, who are seeking to fill instructional positions, even for people who are seeking part-time opportunities while they’re looking for their next opportunity,” said FCPS Chief Human Resources Officer William Solomon.
Nicholas Vukadinovich, of Annandale, currently works with the financial department at the Department of Defense, and still has his position, but wanted to come and see what jobs in the school system are available.
Vukadinovich said despite having years of great reviews in his job, right now, he’s concerned that won’t matter when and if jobs are slashed.
“I could get an email one day saying I’m canned,” he said.
Vukadinovich is not a stranger to the school system — he previously worked as a biology teacher for FCPS before working for the federal government, a job he said he misses. Now with three of his kids in elementary school, he said he’s strongly considering a return to the classroom.
“The only reason why I didn’t make the steps sooner was because of the pay and those four kids that I have,” he said.
Emily Luper worked for a contractor which helped support the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID. She has been furloughed since late January, after many of the agency’s contracts were abruptly ended.
“It’s very discouraging to be taken away from a job that you think was your calling,” Luper said.
Luper just started the job in November and said she’s trying to be “resilient” as she searches for new work. She said some of the operational and administrative positions with the school system caught her attention.
Luper said the job market has been extremely difficult: “The job market was not great, even before all of this happened, but it’s definitely very, very oversaturated now.”
Another worker who attended the job fair, but didn’t want to share his name with WTOP, as he is still employed by the Department of Education, said he wants to be proactive in the case the department is shuttered. He said he was starting to look around for other opportunities now, because he realizes the search will take time.
“You need to have a plan B or plan C to have a seamless transition,” he said.
The school system is planning several more job fairs in the coming weeks, with the next one held virtually on Feb. 22. There will also be fairs at Lake Braddock Secondary School on March 8, a virtual meeting on March 22, and another fair on April 5 at Oakton High School.
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