Job fair for school support staff draws hundreds
Jennifer Kirby, left, director of human resources for Great Neck schools, chats with job-seeker Victoria Fann of Freeport at the job fair Wednesday. Credit: Danielle Silverman
Daniel Rehman has been looking for a year and a half to hire a school nurse, and as of Wednesday, the position remained open.
To help fill that vacancy, as well as some other support staff roles, the West Hempstead schools superintendent came to a job fair for school support staff at Freeport Recreation Center Wednesday to recruit.
“We figured we'd give it a shot to see who we can meet, you know? Trying to change your luck a little bit to fill the positions,” said Rehman as he sat behind a table with hiring signs and materials spread out on it.
West Hempstead was one of three dozen districts in Nassau County at the job fair hosted by Nassau BOCES. More than 200 people attended the event, the first of its kind in Nassau. The schools are recruiting for similar noninstructional staff: teaching aides, bus drivers, security guards, custodians, cleaners and monitors.
“They are the foundation that make the schools work,” said Robert Dillon, district superintendent for Nassau BOCES. “Without them, it's very difficult to open a building, keep a building going and have special ed classes.”
School systems across Long Island have struggled with widespread shortages of bus drivers and substitutes during the pandemic. School officials said they are also having a hard time recruiting and retaining other support staff members.
“A lot of the jobs are part time,” said Edward Kemnitzer, assistant superintendent for instruction and personnel at the East Williston school district. “Here, you are part time. And then a full-time job pops up at another district, you move on. So we've seen a lot of turnover.”
Even with full-time positions like the school nurse Rehman is looking for, pay and benefits play a role.
“The salary is not great compared to if you were like an ER nurse,” Rehman said. “We've had a couple of people and they quit. They're like: ‘No, we don't want to do this work. It's too much work for the money.’”
Districts already post their openings online, but organizers said an in-person networking event helps elevate awareness for those job opportunities and connects job seekers with the HR staff.
Victoria Fann, 20, of Freeport, stumbled across the job fair when she came into the recreation center to renew her membership.
Holding pamphlets and handouts in her hands, Fann said she’s considering the teacher aide job and also was collecting information on other positions to pass along to others.
“I like to tell my friends: ‘Hey, they are hiring for this,’” she said. “People really need it.”
Brandon Mejia, 19, of Inwood, came with a handful of resumes in his backpack and the hope that the event would lead to a job.
“Times are hard now, so I better start helping with rent and basic needs,” said Mejia, a student at Nassau Community College who worked throughout high school and his summer break this year.
While he could look for a job at a deli, Mejia said he’s looking to work in school because he wants to become a teacher one day.
“I remember my teachers,” he said. “It's fun to know how teachers have the creativity to teach kids and [help them learn] about how the world works.”
Dandan Zou covers education for Newsday. Previously, she worked for a community newspaper in Maryland and a personal finance magazine in Washington, D.C.
