DALLAS — Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a shortage of people willing to head into the classroom and teach.
It’s a competitive career that requires a lot of commitment and, sometimes, not enough compensation.
Many teachers also resigned during the pandemic, leading to a lack of teachers not only in Texas, but nationwide. Dallas ISD has about 300 teaching positions to fill. Educators are immediately needed for bilingual elementary, special education unit positions and secondary math and science.
Dallas ISD talent acquisition manager Priscilla Vega says the number of outstanding positions is “typical” for this time of year.
"The typical trend around this time of year is that teachers are transitioning to other school districts and moving and things like that," said Vega. "These are typical trends for Dallas ISD and I’m assuming other surrounding school districts as we gear up and prepare for the upcoming school year. While the number of openings is slightly higher than it was last year, we're actually lower than we were in the previous two years. I feel like we’re super prepared and ready for the first day of school."
In order to draw talented educators, Dallas ISD is offering a starting salary for novice teachers at $56,500. There are also signing incentives for critical shortage areas.
“For example, bilingual elementary teachers are eligible for a $4,000 signing incentive. [The] special education unit, also some career and technology, secondary math and science are eligible for a signing incentive of $3,000,” Vega said. “Dallas ISD offers an opportunity to really make a difference in students’ lives. We encourage individuals who are looking toward obtaining certification to reach out to us, as we also have an internal alternative certification program."
Dance teacher candidate Skylar Morgan recently attended a career fair with Dallas ISD and interviewed on-site. She says the district was where she wanted to end up, and that she is looking forward to her future.
"I absolutely love the environment that Dallas brings," Morgan said. "I'm from a small town about two hours away, so I've been coming to Dallas all my life and this is just where I wanted to settle. A lot of my family's here, and they have gotten some of the best education that I've ever seen through this organization. I'm hoping to get in this district and start my journey as a teacher."
Morgan was one of dozens of potential candidates eager to fill one of the 300+ open spots within the district.
"This is what you think about when you're in school, when you're educating yourself like, ‘When am I going to be able to do this for somebody else?’ So, listening to everything that [Dallas ISD] stands for is exactly what I want to be doing, which is why this was the perfect place for me to come,” Morgan said.
Alex W. Spence english teacher Atiana Jackson has been teaching in public school for four years now. She says her message to those potential teachers out there is to focus on building relationships with their future students.
“It's going to help you succeed in anything that you do in life, whether you're teaching or otherwise. So just focus on that and improving yourself, and everything else will fall into place, no matter what,” Jackson said. "Even in a pandemic, it doesn't matter, like, teaching is still teaching, building relationships is still building relationships, and that's what helps students succeed at the end of the day."
Dallas ISD will be holding its second career fair on August 5. If you have any questions, email futureteacher@dallasisd.org. Dallas ISD will welcome back its first batch of students at schools selected for School Day Redesign on Monday, Aug. 2.
The district has three different calendars this year, with the Intersession schools beginning on Aug. 9 and the base calendar schools starting Aug. 16.