Specialization makes the difference at Teacher Job Fair
| Saturday, Mar 13 2010 07:43 PM
Last Updated Saturday, Mar 13 2010 07:43 PM
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Mostly credentialed teachers, several hundred, came out for the Kern County Teacher Job Fair, including, Quinlan Chaves, center. It took place at University Square, downtown.
Several hundred turned out for the Kern County Teacher Job Fair, Saturday, at University Square. This is the county's largest gathering of school district recruiters in one location.
Credentialed or Intern-Eligible teachers were invited to attend the Kern County Teacher Job Fair, Saturday, at University Square on K Street. Despite possible teacher layoffs brought on by a stressed California budget, postitions still need to be filled in some areas.
Other than reinforcing her opinion that it's time to get a more specialized teaching credential, Saturday's annual Teacher Job Fair did little to lift Charity Schuck's spirits.
For eight years now she has been unable to find anything beyond a substitute teaching position. And as she waited in another long line to be interviewed at Saturday's event, the 35-year-old with only a multi-subject credential was losing hope that she'd get her own classroom this fall.
"It's a drama, I know," she said.
Her experience was fairly representative of the dilemma facing many of the 300 or so out-of-work teachers who attended the Kern County Superintendent of Schools event on K Street downtown.
Many of the positions advertised Saturday were for teachers with single-subject credentials in math, science, English or special education. School districts hoping to fill those kinds of jobs mostly had short lines; districts looking for multi-subject credential teachers tended to have much longer lines.
Even so, recent layoffs and an influx of applicants from other areas meant the three dozen school districts in attendance Saturday had an ample pool of talent to choose from.
Lost Hills Union School District was there advertising for one elementary-level special education position -- and got nearly 70 applications. District principal Veronica Gregory said most were from qualified, fully credentialed teachers.
Greenfield Union School District had a total of four openings in science, social studies and English.
"We had quite a few (job-seekers) for all the single-subjects," said the district's assistant superintendent of personnel, Kenneth R. Chichester.
"We had some good applicants today."
That's something of a turnaround from years past. Event coordinator Sylvia Treanor, administrator of human resources for the county Superintendent of Schools, said local districts typically struggle to find fully credentialed job candidates.
She acknowledged how frustrating it must be for teachers without specialized credentials. But she pointed out that universities represented Saturday were offering such credentials.
One of these was National University, which is based in San Diego but has a campus in Bakersfield. Admissions advisor Steven Herrera spent the morning telling teachers about the school's online master's degree in special education.
Although the program isn't inexpensive -- he estimated the cost at $22,000 -- there are grants and loans available.
Sandra Perez has a special education credential, and even she was having trouble keeping her hopes up Saturday.
The funding that supported her last job ran out, the 36-year-old Bakersfield resident said, and now she worries that she may need an elementary-level credential in addition to the one she already has that covers junior and senior high school.
In years past that wasn't a problem because of all the job openings, she said. Districts used to ask her to come work for them.
Not any more.
"I'm having to recruit them rather than vice versa," she said.
