Metro looks to aggressively fill teaching vacancies

Metro utilizes media to help fill teaching spots WKRN NEWS The hiring season is underway for school systems across the country, and the competition is fierce. This year, Metro Nashville Public Schools is pulling out all the stops to fill hundreds of vacancies in its classrooms. For the first time Metro is turning to television to help, with a public service announcement featuring Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. The Mayor says the city itself is a big draw. "I think we're going to be able to attract new teachers to Nashville... We have to be innovative. We have to think outside the box and we have got to be open, and that's what I want to do," he said. Another advantage for Nashville may be the starting salary which, at just over $34,000 for beginning teachers, is higher than in all the contiguous counties. School officials said the shortage of teachers is getting deeper, while the need to add more continues to grow. The baby boomers are beginning to retire and the younger generation is on the move, rarely staying in one job more than a few years. Metro needs to hire as many as 500 new teachers over the next few months, hoping to fill all the positions open by the beginning of the 2008 and 2009 school year. Dr. June Keel, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, said it won't be easy. She said, "The competition for teacher is increasing particularly as we lower classroom sizes because that requires more teachers. As we add special programs that requires teachers with specialized training. Areas like special education and math, it is extremely competitive; it is extremely competitive for teachers." The television campaign is one of several new initiatives the system is using. They have also placed ads in education journals and on education Web sites. On Saturday, at LP Field, Metro will hold its first ever invitation only job fair. Keel said, "We have invited those teachers we interviewed on our recruitment trips that we feel are really outstanding, that we would really like to work in our district." Principals from some of the highest need schools will be on hand to interview all the applicants and the school system is prepared to offer contracts on the spot. TO Watch Video Click Here: http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=8258675