Largest school district in Central Texas hosting job fair

KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX) - The largest school district in Central Texas is hosting a job fair Saturday morning, and they’re looking to fill positions for the current school year and the next.

Superintendent Dr. John Craft said they are looking to fill a number of positions, from teachers to bus drivers to educational aides and more. Dr. Craft said there are a number of critical shortage areas, including bilingual teachers, self-contained education teachers and bus drivers.

Dr. Craft said jobs fairs have been successful for the district in the past. Killeen held a job fair earlier this year and hired around 50 people from that event alone.

“The job fair really provides a really closer look at what the district has to offer,” Dr. Craft said. “It’s much more intimate. The candidates actually get to visit with the campus and or department staff, and we don’t always have that opportunity.”

There are a number of positions currently available that Killeen is hiring for. Dr. Craft said at the job fair, there will be on-site interviews and in some cases, people will be able to begin work in a matter of days. The district is also looking to hire people for next year, especially with the opening of Chaparral High School.

“Usually we ended up hiring anywhere between 400-500 new teachers to the district, somewhere between 50 and 100 bus drivers,” Dr. Craft said. “There is just a plethora of opportunities at all different levels of profession.”

Gina Brown, principal of Chaparral High School, said she is looking to fill her staff with people passionate about the job.

“While I want the people that I hire to be well versed in their content area, that’s not the most important thing I’m looking for,” Brown said. “The most important thing I’m looking for is how are they going to build relationships with students, because if you can’t build relationships with the typical student nowadays, it doesn’t matter how much you know.”

Dr. Craft said there are a number of incentives for new hires. The district is continuing it’s up-to $1,000 sign-on stipend for employees hired this semester who work through May 27. The district is also going to fully fund, up to $5,000, to pay for people working toward a teaching certification. Dr. Craft said there is also a referral bonus for Killeen ISD employees that starts at $500.

The job fair is at Harker Heights High School from 8:30 a.m. untill noon. More information and the link to register is available on the district’s website.