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Valley school districts seeking substitute teachers at job fair Tuesday
CANFIELD
The second Regional Substitute Teacher Job Fair Tuesday will offer information to those interested in substitute teaching.
The fair is part of a supplemental program to battle both the national and regional shortage of substitute teachers.
The shortage coincides with the unemployment rate being down, affecting candidates for the substitute pool – the more permanent jobs people have, the lower the unemployment rate falls, but there becomes a lesser need for temporary associates, said Angie O’Brien, lead recruiter at Rachel Wixey & Associates, an agency that aids in placing full-time and substitute staff.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mahoning County’s unemployment rate has fallen from 10.4 percent in 2010 to 5.6 percent in 2015.
Cheryl McArthur, who is in charge of human resources and business operations at Mahoning County Educational Service Center, said where there used to be one substitute teacher for every three teachers four years ago, now there is one for every six. This even is part of a regional substitute recruitment effort.
Anyone with a bachelor’s degree, a degree in education or credentialed and retired teachers can attend in Room 36 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Joyce Brooks Center in the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center, 7300 N Palmyra Road, Canfield.
The Mahoning Valley Regional Council of Governments provides a software program to this fair to connect evaluated substitute teachers looking for work with districts. MVR-COG serves substitute teaching opportunities in Austintown, Boardman, Campbell, Canfield, Struthers, Youngstown Community School, MCESC and the MCCTC.
Canfield Superintendent Alex Geordan said he’s always open to welcoming new temporary staff to his team.
Although Geordan said he doesn’t think Canfield is in an emergency-type need of substitute teachers, he uses these opportunities to guide substitutes, sometimes through mentoring by himself or other staff members.
“The temporary basis gives us the opportunity to see what they can do,” Geordan said. “You never know, a short-term absence could turn into a long-term absence or even a retirement at some point. ... And no matter what profession you go into you need to find replacements for people who are absent.”