Hundreds compete for Central Oregon teaching jobs

As one school year winds down, it’s time to begin preparing for next year. Hundreds of teaching hopefuls gathered under one roof Monday at the Deschutes County Expo Center for the Central Oregon Teachers Job Fair.

Teachers waited in line for their opportunity to interview with principals from 10 school districts across Central Oregon.

About 400 applicants attended the job fair in hopes of landing a teaching job next fall. Teachers from several states and even other countries were on hand. Each applicant had the chance to interview with two schools of their choosing.

“We’re hiring dozens and dozens of teachers. Whether that’s three or four dozen or 100-plus, we just don’t know,” said Bend-La Pine Deputy Superintendent Jay Mathisen.

Mathisen explained there is a high demand for special education teachers and language teachers. The job fair gives school officials an opportunity to meet applicants face to face, rather than making the initial cut by a resume alone.

“We’re looking for people with positive attitudes and (a) strong work ethic (who) believe that all students can learn,” said Redmond School District Director of Human Resources Lynn Evans.

Younger students even helped with the recruitment process by giving their input on job candidates.

“Some were really interested in talking to us, and some just walked by and didn’t say hi. It was interesting to see who could be our future teachers,” said fifth-grader Hadley Brown.

The school with the most job openings was the new Redmond Early Learning Center, which will open this fall. Evans said an interview with Learning Center officials was the most requested.

District officials said they were pleased by the caliber of applicants and say they have more than enough qualified applicants to choose from. They were especially impressed by the skill level of recent graduates and said they are well prepared.

“Students who are just graduating with their teaching credentials are more and more prepared to step into their classroom in their first year,” Mathisen said.

Despite the heavy turnout, the districts say they’re hiring fewer teachers this year because not as many teachers are choosing to retire.

The next step is making the difficult decision of who to hire.