By ROD ZOOK
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — It is not that unusual for school districts to have shortages in staff and even instructors during the year. The pandemic has increased the challenge to find workers.
Hutchinson USD 308 is still short several instructors, especially in the elementary areas, which Superintendent Mike Folks says is rare. But the district is also in need of a new plumber and assistants to help run pre-K programs, along with kitchen staff.
Human Resources Director Dr. Dawn Johnson says they are going to have to find ways to recruit the necessary workers.
“We’re going to have to get better at it,” Johnson said. “If you’re a young person, you know about all of those things. There’s LinkedIn and Facebook and some other places that I’ve heard of other administrators posting vacancies.”
Johnson said they have people calling them about openings they’d like to fill.
“We often get hits back from people who are interested,” Johnson said. “And then we’ll follow up with them, which has been very helpful.”
The district is also attending job fairs around the area to recruit potential employees.
The district does not bus students, so that is not as big of a problem as in other districts. Buhler USD 313 and other surrounding districts have had to scramble to find enough bus drivers for normal routes and activity transportation.
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