NISD on track to hire more than 800 teachers
NISD Communications Department
August 10, 2007
With just days left before the start of the school year, the largest teacher recruitment effort in Northside history is continuing at a steady pace.
As of Aug. 8, Northside had hired 765 teachers and still had 37 vacancies left to fill. The majority will replace retiring or departing teachers, but more than 250 will fill new teaching positions to accommodate growth in the District.
“I think we’re probably looking at record numbers of new teachers,” said Jim Miller, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources. “I think we’ve been doing an excellent job considering the numbers we’re hiring.”
As student registrations continue to come in, the number of vacancies could increase, Miller said. Northside expects to welcome about 86,000 students on Aug. 27, the first day of school. That’s about 4,000 more students than last year.
In addition, Northside will open three new schools this year: Aue Elementary, Driggers Elementary, and Jefferson Middle School.
This week, the District’s newest staff members were indoctrinated into Northside during the three-day New Teacher Academy held at Warren and O’Connor high schools.
The new teachers learned about Northside programs and practices, attended staff development sessions, visited with their mentors, and got an overview of the “Northside Way,” from Superintendent John Folks.
“The challenges we have as a school district are many, but I can tell you the biggest challenge we face is our growth,” he said. But, “Northside is a large district with a small-district feel even though we’re the fourth largest in Texas and the 42nd largest in the nation.”
Folks also talked about the importance of character in the classroom.
“Every day you walk into the classroom, someone is going to look at you as an example,” Folks said. “We expect you to be good citizens, law-abiding, and responsible – which is what we expect of our students.
Northside recruits teachers from all over Texas and the United States. Some are brand new to the profession, while others are veteran teachers from other districts.
“I think Northside is the Destination District,” said Rubi Dehoyos, who left another district to join the staff at Meadow Village Elementary. “I’m most excited about meeting new students and helping them achieve their goals.”
Sheridan Peterson just moved to San Antonio from Arizona, lured by the beautiful Alamo city, the affordable housing market, and higher teaching salary. He earned his education degree in December and will begin his first full year of teaching at Carlos Coon Elementary later this month.
“I’m excited to start a year and end a year all by myself, to get in there and have my own classroom,” he said.
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