Clay County District Schools ‘excited’ to fill vacancies at teacher recruitment fair

The superintendent of Clay County District Schools said they’d like to have nearly 200 teacher vacancies filled by the start of the next school year.

David Broskie, the superintendent of CCDS, said the district needs to hire about 170 teachers.

“Every school district has a shortage of teachers and Clay County is no different,” Broskie said.

He described the situation as ‘normal’ based on the time of the year that the career fair is happening.

The district posted a flyer that says applicants could potentially walk away with a job secured.

Clay County District Schools teacher recruitment fair at Fleming Island High School (Clay County District Schools/)

It also lists the starting salary, which Broskie called competitive.

“I think Florida has done a great job at promoting the starting teacher salary which $48,250 is a good starting salary for teachers and very, very competitive. And I think we provide decent compensation for specialized programs also,” Broskie said.

News4JAX has reported on recent teacher shortages. According to Brown University, there are a little more than 55,000 teacher vacancies in the country.

Teachers gave their thoughts on why there’s a teacher shortage in Florida. They said money, the hours, and politics.

That number of vacancies in the state could rise.

In April, Duval County Public Schools announced hundreds of public school positions could be eliminated as the district struggles with funding.

Broskie said he knows this time is difficult for teachers, but said his district wants them because they are valuable.

“It’s never been more important to be a teacher. Also, we’re looking for people who have a passion for kids,” Broskie said.

He said you don’t have to have a degree in education if you’re looking to become a teacher.

They’ll have people on site who can assist with that.

“Historically over the last five years the number of people that are involved in college of education programs and go a traditional route. Say we hire about 75% of teachers now that come forward, come out of some other college other than the college of education,” Broskie said.

The fair will take place Monday, May 6 from 5-7 p.m. at Fleming Island High School 2233 Village Square Parkway Fleming Island, FL 32003.

News4JAX asked the district what happens if the positions aren’t filled and is waiting for a response.

Click here for more information about the fair.