Duval County Public Schools hosted its annual Teacher Recruitment Fair on June 12 at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, and more than 60 new teachers were hired.
The Teacher Recruitment Fair is an open interview event that provides future teachers with the opportunity to learn about the district's schools, network with other educators and possibly interview with any school that has open positions for the upcoming academic year in that candidate's certification area.
To kick off the fair, Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals welcomed the attendees and provided them with an overview of the school district.
During the main part of the event, principals and vice principals from the attending schools hosted a table that provided information about their school, as well as a list of any vacancies they had.
"We want to give future teachers the opportunity to meet and interact with school principals and administrators," said Jimminda Thompson, supervisor of recruitment and organizer of the fair. "Not only do they have the chance to find a job opening for next year, but the fair also allows them to learn more about individual schools and network with other educators in the district."
After meeting the principals, fair attendees were able to distribute their resumes to any schools they were interested in and set up an on-site interview time at schools that had current openings.
Candidates could interview with as many schools as time allowed. If a candidate was hired at the fair, his/her name scrolled on the ribbon board projection screen around the arena.
"We had an incredible staff and dedicated sponsors who really worked together to make this year's fair a success," said Thompson.
Sponsors of the fair were Capella University (Platinum Sponsor), Community First Credit Union (Platinum Sponsor), NOVA Southeastern University, Operation New Hope, National Preferred Employer Program, Duval Teachers Union, Kelly Services, Bank of America, Mid America Apartment Communities and the University of Phoenix.
Additionally, Community First Credit Union has pledged to reimburse the cost of fingerprinting for every person hired as a result of the Teacher Recruitment Fair.
Anyone interested in teaching in a Duval County public school who was not able to attend the fair may proceed with the
application process and schedule a district interview through the Human Resource Services Department by calling 904-390-2066 or visiting
http://www.duvalschools.org/static/wearedcps/.
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