Broken Arrow Public Schools Holding Job Fair, Hiring Teachers To Fill Vacancies

Broken Arrow Public Schools is holding a teacher job fair Thursday, March 28, where potential teachers could essentially get hired on the spot.

With teacher shortages being common all over the state, the Broken Arrow school district is no exception.

The district typically hires around 150 new teachers every year across the 31 schools in the district. This is necessary to make up for teachers who leave at the end of a school year, and to try and fill in the vacant spots that weren't filled before the school year.

A lot of times, it's still not enough. Going into the new year with teacher openings creates difficulties both for the teachers there and the people filling in.

"I think an issue it causes is sometimes we will have to have long term subs. And for kiddos, they want to come into the classroom and see that same teacher every single day. That creates that family atmosphere, 'I'm here for you' culture," said Christina Dixon, BAPS Director of Communications.

Dixon gave one example of unfilled openings at the high school where the school has been short three math teachers. Other teachers and substitutes have filled in to make sure students get the care they need.

However, she said that's a general teaching position and is concerned that more specialized teaching positions like special education teachers will be harder to fill if the district is having issues filling general positions.

"There is a high need of special education teachers. I think with the difficulty of the job, the amount of paperwork those teachers have to go through, those are the harder to fill positions. So I think 10 to 12 is what we're needing in the special needs department," Dixon said.

The teacher job fair will take place March 28 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Education Service Center. CLICK HERE for more information about BAPS.