LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky’s largest school district is continuing efforts to push its short-staffing woes in the opposite direction.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) will host a job fair inside the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center, Friday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The district said it is accepting applications for almost every position with some being: transportation, housekeeping, nutrition services, security and, of course, all sorts of teaching jobs.
JCPS entered the 2022-23 school year amid a wave of resignations and retirements. According to a personnel action report from July 2022, the district accepted 118 certified-teacher resignations and encountered 83 of its personnel retiring over the summer.
School leaders acknowledged it was a crucial loss for the school district but said a majority of their concern right now pertains to a few key positions, none which they emphasized more than filling bus drivers openings.
Carolyn Callahan, JCPS’s chief of communications, said the district needs to hire approximately 60 drivers in order to fill its current, condensed bus route schedule. Beyond that, JCPS would need to hire 60 more drivers to reach its fully-staffed number of 920 bus operators.
“These are opportunities that folks really can achieve. You might think ‘I would be a really great bus driver, but I don't have my [Commercial Driver's License]’ or ‘I would be a really great school safety officer, but I don't have prior law enforcement experience,’” Callahan said. “That's okay. We will train the right people, but we need to get the right people in those spots.”
She said the goal of the hiring event is to be as accessible and accommodating to those interested - no matter what certifications, degrees or prior experience they do or don’t have.
“We're just hoping that anyone who's interested will take some time to come down and walk through the process when people see what jobs are available to them and apply to become a part of JCPS,” Callahan said.
She said those who plan on attending should come prepared with a resume, professional references, a birth certificate and social security card.
Anyone interested in going to Friday’s job fair can, you can find more information here.
For a look at JCPS current job openings and applications, please click here.
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