HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – The Horry County School District said it is in a better position to fill vacant teaching positions than last year.
The district currently has 98% of its open teaching positions filled.
The number of vacancies has fallen from 80 to 69 within one month.
The district said it is proud to welcome 284 new teachers this school year, nearly 100 of whom are Coastal Carolina graduates.
HCS spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier said the district’s partnership with CCU, where student teachers gain experience in Horry County classrooms, has been a successful way to fill open positions.
Despite all the new hires, some positions, such as those for mathematics, science and special education teachers, are still difficult to fill, said Bourcier.
However, Bourcier said that the substitute teaching company Kelly Education is helping to keep classes afloat by finding substitute teachers to fill vacancies.
“The ability to provide this additional service has taken a huge burden off our school administrators and teachers,” Bourcier said. “We certainly couldn’t do what we do without our substitutes.”
Bourcier said they have a permanent Kelly Education staff member in the district office to expedite the process if a replacement is needed.
She said they are also working with McLeod Health and its professionals are stepping in to help while the district tries to hire two more athletic trainers.
The situation is different when it comes to filling vacant bus driver positions.
Currently, 75% of the open bus driver positions in the district are filled.
The number of vacancies for bus drivers has increased slightly from 50 to 56 since July.
Bouricer said they would not slow down in recruiting any time soon.
“Recruitment used to last for a specific period of time, but now it runs year-round,” Bouricer said. “It’s a little different for teachers because they sign their contract from July 1 to June 30, but for bus drivers, janitors and even nurses, the process runs year-round.”
Bourcier said the district is hosting a job fair for transportation and janitorial positions in August to help with recruiting.
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