Do you love children? Are you committed to making your community better? If these questions strike a nerve, please consider your public school district as an opportunity for employment. Now more than ever, students in our schools need you.
The field of education offers more than just a job; it offers a chance to make an impact in your community, shape future generations and find personal fulfillment. Working in schools is a rewarding experience. By joining the education workforce, you become part of a team dedicated to supporting students, families and the broader community. You also have the opportunity for career stability and options for personal and professional growth.
Right now there is a shortage of staff in our schools. We need bus drivers, substitute teachers, and classroom and lunch aides. When these positions go unfilled, we struggle to serve children as our communities expect.
We all want well-trained teachers, but when there are no substitutes, we struggle to cover classes to provide professional development programming. We want students to get to school on time, yet when we can’t fully staff bus drivers, routes take longer. Each role plays an essential part in making our schools run smoothly and ensuring that every child is safe, supported and set up for success. Your unique talents could make the difference in a student’s life.
Finding teachers has become increasingly difficult. Unfortunately, public sentiment about the teaching profession took a tremendous hit with the implementation of teacher evaluations tied to student scores. This misunderstood topic has had the unfortunate impact of decreasing enrollment in teacher-preparation programs. Coupled with an increase in the number of teachers needed in our area, we now have more positions than teachers to fill them.
School districts on Long Island and in New York City have continued to work toward lowering class sizes, requiring additional elementary teacher positions. In addition, New York state began funding for full-day prekindergarten programs in our public schools, creating additional new teaching positions in a short time. Areas of need, such as special education, mathematics and specialized sciences such as physics, have more positions to fill than certified staff available.
Positions in education generally fall into two categories: certificated and non-certificated titles. Most student-facing positions require certification, and include teachers, social workers, psychologists and school and district administrators. Non-certificate positions fall under Civil Service and include most positions that do not have instructional interactions with students.
School districts have a wide variety of positions. Your skills may be transferable even if you’re trained in a field other than education. The district office includes a variety of departments, such as human resources, payroll, business, operations and technology. If you like working in customer service, there are a variety of office options in the main school office or at the district office. Do you enjoy driving, have a skilled trade, a nursing degree or a background in law enforcement? Consider support staff positions that include bus drivers, nurses, cleaners and custodians, maintenance workers, groundskeepers, cafeteria support and security.
Most school districts on Long Island and in New York state advertise job openings on olasjobs.org. This is a one-stop shop for finding a job in education. Applicants can create an account, complete an application, upload relevant information and apply to posted jobs. You can search for instructional and non-instructional positions, and search a region or a specific school district.
Information about teaching certification in New York can be found on the NYS Teach online services website. You can look up the requirements to see what the job-specific qualifications are. For non-certified positions, you can find more information about qualifications at the Nassau County Civil Service website.
If you’re passionate about helping others, now is the time to step up. Even a part-time or support role positively influences a child’s education. Schools thrive when people from all backgrounds bring their skills and compassion to the table. Explore your local school district’s employment opportunities, and encourage others to join you in making a difference. We need you!
Judith A. LaRocca, Ed.D., is superintendent of Valley Stream Union Free School District 13.
