Michael Francis, 27, grew up in West Baltimore. Now, he wants to teach in Baltimore County.
“I relate to the students coming up in the school system,” Francis said.
That’s why he attended the teacher job fair at Arbutus Middle School on August 1, the first of 13 recruitment events held by Baltimore County Public Schools to fill vacant positions before the first day of school.
Prospective teachers, like Francis, and other hopeful school employees visited tables run by representatives from each county school or district office. There, they learned about open positions and jump-started the application process.
“It's showing you that people aren’t just, you know, slapping these online ads on for jobs,” Francis said. “People are actually coming in and talking to you and telling you, you know, face-to-face. It's just more personable, makes it feel more like a realistic goal.”
Tiffany Bond is the assistant vice principal at Loch Raven Technical Academy. She said the in-person recruitment event is ideal for finding an individualized education plan (IEP) coordinator for her special-education-focused school.
“We're looking for someone that can be part of our community,” Bond said. “You really get a good sense for who a person is and what they're passionate about when you can sit down and talk to them.”
Director of Communications Gboyinde Onijala said Baltimore County Public Schools currently has 334 vacant positions, down from 574 vacancies at this time last year.
Throughout August, the district is hosting open houses at specific county schools in need of teachers and staff. There will also be recruitment sessions for bus drivers and cafeteria and grounds workers.
Madison Booker, head of the arts department at Windsor Mill Middle School, said most job fair attendees were looking for positions in technology services and department support — not teaching.
“It's always great for teachers to have support within their classroom,” she said. “But so many people, I feel like they're not tapping into the fact that they might just be the perfect teacher.”
Booker said five people came to her table during the first hour of Tuesday’s event. But she hopes to see more teacher candidates at future job fairs.
Mark Johnson, who leads the science department at Randallstown High School, said these events simplify the hiring process for both candidates and employers — bypassing the difficulties of individual scheduling.
“I think this is just good to bring the institutions together that need candidates, and it gives candidates a chance to find the best fit,” he said.
To find more information about the recruitment events, visit Baltimore County Public Schools’ website here.
