HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The Hillsborough County School District is looking to recruit more ESE teachers.
“We need good people. We need people that can connect,” said Scott Richman, Supervisor in Professional Learning for Hillsborough County Public Schools.
The district wants to find the right people who have a desire to work with kids who have unique abilities.
“Teaching is a profession that takes a very special person, someone who connects with students. Teaching ESE students, or exceptional education students, takes someone who really can connect with kids and help them overcome their unique challenges they may have, and of course, that makes it difficult to recruit folks in those areas,” said Richman.
Right now, nearly a quarter of the district’s vacancies are for ESE teachers, which means officials are looking to fill around 120 open positions in special education.
“It’s always an ongoing need. Colleges just aren’t putting out enough ESE teachers, as most people are aware of. And so we have to find alternative ways to get folks in who have that desire and can make that connection with students to help them reach whatever goal it is they set,” said Richman.
That’s where the district’s STEP initiative comes in, an accelerated special education teacher preparation program for people who don’t have a background in education.
“If you have that desire to work with children every single day and to help our students with special needs grow and achieve and find success, then hey, we’ve got a position for you, and we can help you get to that goal,” said Richman.
That means anyone can come to the upcoming information sessions to potentially get a job as an ESE teacher.
- Feb. 26, 1 p.m.
- Feb. 27, 6 p.m.
- March 18, 1 p.m.
- March 19, 6 p.m.
The informational session will be at the Instructional Services Center: 2920 North 40th Street Tampa, Room 102.
“It’s an opportunity for you to come out and hear what it is to be an ESE teacher and talk to people who have been ESE teachers and really hear what it takes to become a classroom teacher,” said Richman.
To register, click here.
