More Students Than Expected Creates Sudden Need For More Teachers In Multiple North Texas School Districts
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Several North Texas school districts are putting out the call for additional teachers, but they don't consider it a bad thing.
"That is an amazing problem to have," says Jeannine Porter, Ed.D, Irving ISD's Executive Director of Employee Services.
Irving ISD says they've enrolled an additional 600 students at the elementary level this fall.
That's enough to fill a small school.
Rather that complain, district leaders see the unexpected boom in enrollment as a celebration of the district's success.
Dr. Porter says the district's B+ state rating, plus dozens of campus distinctions have gotten the community's attention.
"Our families are finding out about this and they're coming back," says Dr. Porter. "They may have felt the need to explore other options in the past; but, they're coming back because they're hearing about the huge gains that we're making."
Dallas ISD school leaders say the largest district in North Texas is also experiencing an enrollment boost this fall.
They're looking to hire an additional 250 teachers.
The welcome mat is also out in Fort Worth schools.
"We'd like to have on board another 100 teachers," says Clint Bond, a district spokesperson. Fort Worth ISD will host a job fair on Monday, saying they hire year 'round to plan for retirements and hard to fill positions.
"The areas that we are traditionally short are in science, math and bilingual teachers. So, we are always looking for people with those skills," says Bond.
Irving ISD will host a teacher job fair on Tuesday.
DISD is hosting a hiring fair next month.
Hiring more teachers has become an urgent task as more parents give their neighborhood schools a second chance.
"We don't view it as a problem at all," says Dr. Porter. "It is our opportunity to educate students and that's what we're all about in Irving ISD."
