A virtual recruitment fair Monday is one way Lee County Schools District is looking to fill 400 open teaching positions for the 2023-24 school year, including 80 at two new facilities in Lehigh Acres.
The Lemuel Teal Middle School, originally Lehigh Acres Middle, will reopen after its closure in 2021. Amanecer Elementary School will be the county’s first primary center with Cambridge curriculum.
Suzette Rivera, the director of recruitment for Lee schools, said the addition comes after population growth in the east zone. Each school will enroll up to 900 students.
During the event, candidates can speak with principals and hiring managers through the chat or video feature and schedule a formal interview for a later date.
“It's one of the most amazing careers,” Rivera said. “You work with students. You help shape them. You help mold them, and you help them become these adults in the world one day, which I don't think you can find that with any other job.”
The district is also hiring school counselors and instructional support professionals, or paraprofessionals.
Teacher and student counselor candidates must meet the following criteria:
Teacher and student counselor candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Hold a valid standard teaching certificate (Florida or out-of-state) OR
- Expected to graduate from a college of education by August 2023 OR
- Hold a bachelor’s degree in an area where certification can be obtained or any degree major and a passing score on a subject area exam AND
- School counselors must hold a master’s degree in the proper area
The district’s biggest need is for special education teachers and elementary education. But the county is looking for teachers in all subject areas and grade levels, and applicants do not need to have a degree in education.
“We call those teachers career changers, and you're paid just the same as a teacher,” Rivera said. “We can help guide you through that certification process if this is something that you feel like is your calling.”
Rivera said that all new instructional staff will have support. “Once you become a teacher, you are assigned a mentor, so you are given somebody that works with you one on one, which is not something you find in other professions,” she said. “You’re not doing this alone.”
Applicants can register through Sunday at leeschools.net/careers/work_in_lee. For those unable to attend the recruitment fair, the district email is careers@leeschools.net.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.