Wednesday, March 7, 2001
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Wednesday, March 7, 2001 |
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School board looking for (quite) a few good teachers By DAVE
HAMRICK
If you're a qualified teacher, the Fayette County Board of Education wants you. Faced with increasing competition for teachers in metro Atlanta, the school system is planning its second job fair of 2001 this Friday, and is offering $1,000 signing bonuses for critical specialties that are needed most, including math, science, special education, middle grades math and middle grades science. The Fayette system is not only seeking to replace numerous positions that will be vacated due to normal turnover, but also has authorized 54 new positions to keep up with the growing student population, along with new state-mandated teacher/pupil ratios. And while the demand is increasing, the supply is not increasing as fast, says Judy Byrd, director of human resources for the school system. "If we had the same number of students, we would need more teachers," said Byrd. "But we're finding that Georgia is not producing the number of teacers we need to fill the classrooms," she said. "There is a shortage of teachers throughout the nation in certain areas, and that tends to be magnified in the Southeast where we are growing so rapidly." Approximately 65 new prospective teachers were interviewed by the Fayette County School System during the first job fair of the year at the LaFayette Educational Center Feb. 9. The second of three planned fairs will be Friday at the LaFayette Educational Center in Fayetteville. Although the number of teacher candidates for the February fair was less than previous years, interviewers say they were impressed with the quality of applicants as well as the wide variety of certification fields they represented. "The fewer number of applicants is indicative of the current supply of teachers in the metropolitan Atlanta area," said Byrd. "Fayette County is competing in a tight job market for quality teachers." While teachers in all disciplines are being sought, the Fayette School System is offering a $1,000 signing bonus in the targeted specialties where shortages are more critical. Additionally, current Fayette teachers can also benefit by helping to recruit teachers. Any certified staff member, other than an administrator, who recruits an applicant signing a contract in Fayette County will earn an extra day of personal leave during the 2001-2002 academic year. Individuals interested in applying for various teaching positions with the school system are being asked to submit applications for employment and to call the Human Resources Department, 770-460-3535, by today to schedule interviews. For those who cannot attend March 7, a third and final job fair for the 2001-2002 academic year will be April 20. Information about the school system, salary, benefits, test scores and community may be obtained from the Fayette County Board of Education Web site, www.fcboe.org, or phone the Human Resources Department.
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