Job seekers turned out with resumes in hand, looking to impress at the recent Albuquerque Public Schools Job Fair.
The school district said it has 700 jobs to fill before schools return for the fall session in a couple of months, including positions for 76 elementary school teachers and 214 educational assistants.
The vacancies are manageable because, according to Todd Torgerson, chief of APS’ Human Resources and Legal Support Services.
Working for the school district is now considered more attractive after the state Legislature recently passed a 40% boost to EA salaries to a minimum of $25,000.
“We hope that will help on recruiting and retaining our educational assistants,” Torgerson told KOB 4, adding there were high needs for school police officers and bus drivers. “We have 30 openings,” Torgerson told KOB 4.
The district had 40 bus driver openings to fill this time last year, which is viewed as a sign of progress. “We’re at $20 an hour – $20 plus an hour right now,” Cory Brook, an APS Transportation Safety supervisor said. “It’s a seven-hour guaranteed split shift. So, you get weekends off, holidays off, you can even get summers off, or you can actually work in the summer for extra pay too with that.”
The job fair proved to be a successful way to attract applicants. “We’re getting people in, so it’s working out really well,” Brook said.
Another department with a major employment gap is special education which services 50,000 students in New Mexico. APS, through the recently created Special Education Office, is looking to fill 180 positions in special education over the next few months.
The Office of Special Education will not only evaluate teaching candidates, but also guide students and their families through elementary, middle, high school, college, and even the workforce.