HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla — Jazlynn Johnson beams with charisma and passion — two traits that work well when you want to be a teacher.
“I’m good with kids all the way from preschool all the way to high school, but my ultimate dream would be high school English teacher,” she said. “I want my kids to have a creative outlet in order to express themselves because a lot of them don’t have that right now.”
She’s currently working with individual families who hire her to teach their young kids but she’s ready to get back to a full-time position in a classroom of her own in a county she’s called home her entire life.
“A lot of babies in my family have just been born and I wanna make sure to help fill the education system for them and they be like, oh I want to go where auntie J teaches! They can come to me if they need anything,” she said with a smile.
Hillsborough County Public Schools is looking to hire roughly 486 teachers but if that’s not for you, there are positions in just about every facet. 100 custodians, 150 student nutrition employees, and more than 130 school bus drivers. Those numbers change daily depending on the need, according to the district.
But the biggest need is certainly in the transportation department where the bus driver shortage has made it hard to get kids to and from school on time every day.
“We do a lot of double backs, a lot of very creative routing and in combinations and things so it’s really it’s been a very stressful few months,” said James Beekman, the General Manager of Transportation at the district.
He says job fairs like the one the district held Wednesday are starting to pick up with more applicants coming in to drop off their resumes. Even folks who may not have thought about being a bus driver.
“One of the applicants who is going through the process was actually a mom that said look I read about it, my kid is in school, I have the time, why not!” Beekman said. “Why not be a help in the issue with the shortage of the drivers.”
Training includes getting your CDL, managing kids and driving a 40 FT bus. Beekman says they will help you get there.
“If someone’s out there and they’re saying oh my gosh I don’t think I can do this I think it’s too much, will get you through the process,” he said.
You can track online when the district will have its next job fair, plus apply for open positions.
