Local public school systems are getting ready for the 2023-24 school year with a hiring blitz.
From Fairfax County — the largest school district in Virginia — to Montgomery and Prince George’s counties — the largest and second-largest districts in Maryland — there are job openings ranging from principals and teachers to custodians, nurses, bus drivers and food service workers.
At Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, two big buildings hummed with the activity of job hunters and hiring managers Wednesday. At times, a line stretched outside, as up to 2,000 preregistered and walk-in applicants explored the job options.
“This is an opportunity for individuals who are interested in multiple positions within Prince George’s County to have an opportunity to come and meet with our hiring managers, particularly our principals, to perhaps find an opportunity to join us either as a teacher, paraprofessional,” said Pearl Harmon, the director of operations and staffing for human resources at Prince George’s County Public Schools.
Harmon said the district is also looking for bus drivers, nurses, food service workers and “just about all the critical positions that are needed to support our students in our schools.”
Public school systems recommend that people in search of jobs visit their career pages online. Because of the large size of the districts, there are plenty of opportunities. Prince George’s County estimates that it has about 1,500 job openings.
“We do have about 18,000 permanent employees and about 2,000 or close to 3,000 temporary employees. So we’re always having an opportunity for anyone to join our district,” said Harmon.
At the job fair, which PGCPS calls “Hiring Palooza,” classroom teachers could be seen interviewing with principals, and some were immediately recommended for hiring.
“There’s also opportunities for custodians to interview and be recommended for hiring on the spot, for services individuals as well,” said Tiffany Doster, the county school system’s chief teacher recruiter.
Offering her pitch to prospective classroom teachers, Doster said she finds the school system a family environment.
“I absolutely adore it … I live in the district, I work in the district … my children go to school in the district. I feel like it definitely is a place to grow your career, build your teaching capacity,” said Doster.
The competition is sharp among the school districts for school bus drivers.
“Bus drivers, as we know there is a national shortage, is a very challenging position to fill, primarily because while individuals may be interested in a bus driver position, not too many people have a [commercial drivers license] and also you need to have a student, school bus driver and passenger endorsement,” said Curtis Eugene, senior human resources partner, overseeing hiring of support staff for Prince George’s County.
The need for bus drivers is so great that Eugene said the school system is ready to shepherd applicants through the process, including paid training.
