School staffing vacancies in Baltimore County are fueling hiring blitz
ARBUTUS, Md. -- Maryland is among the many states struggling to fill their teacher workforce.
This struggle comes on the heels of two challenging years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teacher burnout, and early retirement has plagued the profession.
Now, thousands of positions are vacant across the state as the school year quickly approaches. County school systems have been holding hiring events to help fill the gaps.
Michelle Feeney, the principal at Arbutus Middle School said, on Thursday that people are making career changes and come to teaching later in life.
The school system is also working with people who are still finishing up their degree; they're qualified, but they can work while going to school. UMBC is right across the street.
"We are then able to recruit people and get a pipeline of student teachers with the idea that they will come in with all the support and do that on-the-job training with their colleagues and that will parlay into a position," Feeney said.
The school has several positions to fill, Feeney said.
"Our programs and our vision for our schools in our communities is something that is attractive to people," he said as Zoom interviews were conducted for two of the positions."We've been able to do interviews with people as I said as far away as Puerto Rico and the Philippines."
The summer began with 5,000 vacancies for school positions and support staff too, like bus drivers, cafeteria workers, etc. Thousands of those jobs have been filled.
In Baltimore County at least 450 people have been hired since March but hundreds more are needed so events like open houses and hiring programs are being held this week.
At Arbutus Middle School, applicants can head into the school Friday starting at 10 a.m. to apply.