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School districts still searching for employees

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Posted at 4:50 AM, Jul 27, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-27 13:04:27-04

MESA, AZ — As districts gear up for a new school year, local districts are still looking to fill key positions.

"So, right now, Mesa is struggling getting teacher applicants,” Justin Wing, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for Mesa Public Schools, said.

According to Wing, there’s a lack of people looking to work in education.

"We do have teacher vacancies. We can’t fill them,” he said. “If we get an applicant today, we're going to contact them today and hope they're a quality, qualified applicant."

According to the district’s website, they’re looking to fill hundreds of positions including teachers and bus drivers.

As ABC15 previously reported, some districts in the area are looking to hire more bus drivers.

"We can run all of our routes with the bus drivers we have as long as we have our current, our substitute drivers, and the other transportation employees in the department,” said Dr. Michelle Otstot, Paradise Valley’s director of Human Resources.

Paradise Valley Schools has nearly 400 jobs posted on its website.

Otstot said they’ve hired 15 international teachers to help with the vacancies.

"So that's been a real relief to us and an exciting opportunity for all of our students,” she added.

Both districts have different incentives to attract new employees.

For more information visit Paradise Valley's website or Mesa's website.