CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – 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.
That’s why the district is holding a job fair from 5-7 p.m. Monday at Fleming Island High School at 2233 Village Square Parkway.
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Clay County Superintendent David Broskie said the district needs to hire about 170 teachers, which is “normal” for this time of year.
“Every school district has a shortage of teachers and Clay County is no different,” Broskie said.
The district posted a flyer that says applicants could potentially walk away with a job secured.
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.
It’s ranked 16th in the country, according to the National Education Association. The NEA says, overall, Florida teachers are among the lowest paid in the country. It released a new report just last week saying the average salary for teachers in Florida is $53,000. Only West Virginia ranks lower.
News4JAX has reported on recent teacher shortages. According to Brown University, there are a little more than 55,000 teacher vacancies in the country, and that number could rise. That works out to 19 vacancies per 10,000 students.
In April, Duval County Public Schools announced hundreds of public school positions could be eliminated as the district struggles with funding.
About 2,800 teacher vacancies have been filled in Florida since the start of the school year. Teachers shared their thoughts with News4JAX about why there’s a teacher shortage in Florida. They said money, the hours, and politics.
Young people are also not going to school to become teachers anymore. The Pew Research Center says the number of bachelor’s degrees in education has declined over the last few decades.
Broskie said he knows this time is difficult for teachers but said his district wants them because they are valuable.
“Just to be honest, being a teacher is a tough job; it’s never been tougher. But it’s also never been more important than it is right now,” Broskie said. “I think society, social media, all of that makes the world a little bit more challenging than it was previously. And so it becomes more difficult for teachers, but you know what, we’ve got some great ones.”
Broskie 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.
“We hire about 75% of teachers now that come out of some other college other than the College of Education,” Broskie said. “It’s really a calling, and we’re looking for some good people to come and care about kids.”
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.