Need a job? Nassau County school districts want to hear from you
FREEPORT, N.Y. -- Staffing shortages are plaguing school districts nationwide and here at home.
It's not just teachers needed. They need support staff.
As CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported, schools in Nassau County are offering up hundreds of job openings.
If you're looking for work, school districts are looking for you. In all, 35 of them shared their available positions at a job fair for school support staff in Freeport on Wednesday.
"Everyone is looking for the same thing. We are looking for aides. We're looking bus drivers. We're looking for maintenance workers," said Dr. Bob Dillon, Nassau BOCES district superintendent.
The backbone of the school system is in such short supply, districts are struggling to staff cafeterias, nurses' offices, and security.
"We do have days where we can't fill those positions and we really have to pull staff from different classrooms," said Jaclyn Guidice, assistant superintendent of the North Merrick School District.
Staff shortages from the pandemic have snowballed amid a wave of retirements, and, now, higher wages in other fields. Union representatives say a starting salary of $15-$18 per hour for non-instructional monitors just can't compete.
"I lost employees to corporations like McDonald's, Starbucks, Target. They can go to other industries and get either better pay, better hours, part-time benefits," said Robert Jimenez of New York State United Teachers.
School districts are limited by how much they can sweeten the pot.
"We are all working within a 2 percent tax cap within our communities and it makes it very challenging to raise the hourly rate," Island Park School District Superintendent Vincent Randazzo said.
"We are struggling to take a look at where we can find the funds necessary to rebuild our staffs," Dillion added.
So they're pitching the vacation time, pensions and "medical benefits, dental benefits, life insurance," said Dr. Peter Nicolino, assistant director of HR for Nassau BOCES.
And the intangibles, like the rewards of working with children. One unemployed store manager wants to pivot to a school setting.
"I want to be able to influence the next generation," job applicant Rob Wilson said.
"It makes you feel good, helping kids that need help," applicant Sophia Kisseleff added.
If a match was made at the job fair, officials said interviews would be scheduled immediately. Job seekers could be employed by the new year.
If you missed Wednesday's job fair, you can reach out to any of the following school districts directly, or to Nassau BOCES:
- Baldwin
- Bellmore
- Bellmore-Merrick
- Carle Place
- East Meadow
- East Rockaway
- East Williston
- Elmont
- Floral Park
- Franklin Square
- Garden City
- Glen Cove
- Great Neck
- Hempstead
- Hewlett-Woodmere
- Hicksville
- Island Park
- Jericho
- Locust Valley
- Long Beach
- Manhasset
- New Hyde Park
- Garden City Park
- North Bellmore
- Oceanside
- Seaford
- Sewanhaka
- Syosset
- Valley Stream
- West Hempstead
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