PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The School District of Philadelphia is still hiring teachers, with three weeks to go before the start of classes. Looking to fill out its teaching corps, the district hosted a hiring event on Monday at school headquarters.
Prospective teachers came with resumes and optimism. About 95% of the district’s teaching jobs are filled. That’s on pace with this time last year. But that still leaves a few hundred positions open, especially for special education, science and math teachers.
Makalah Lawton, a Central High School graduate, has a degree in history and experience as a math coach. She was a teaching assistant in Washington, D.C., and now she is looking to return to Philly as a full-fledged teacher.
“I’m pretty open. I was a product of the School District of Philadelphia, so I’m actually looking to give back in the same way that I was given to,” Lawton said. “But I really want to focus more on the elementary/middle school sector.”
Eric Borowsky of Upper Dublin has 10 years of experience as an SAT tutor. He also showed up at Philadelphia school headquarters Monday in the hopes of landing a teaching job with the district.
“Math and English. I taught both doing what I was doing for the SATs, so I have a wide variety of disciplines,” he said.
“I’m looking to do something new, and there seemed to be plenty of jobs available. And I think I have something to offer.”
As of last week, the district had filled 77% of its bus attendant jobs, 88% of its school climate staff and 92% of its food service workers. A hiring fair for school support staff is scheduled for Wednesday in Mayfair.