Manatee schools need teachers, bus drivers and custodians. You can apply at job fairs
The School District of Manatee County hopes to fill hundreds of open teaching and support positions this month.
There were approximately 150 job postings for teachers as of Monday afternoon, when employees were starting to submit their end-of-semester retirements and resignations, district spokesman Mike Barber said in an email to the Bradenton Herald.
Those positions may soon be filled after a virtual career fair scheduled for Friday morning. The event runs from 9 a.m. to noon and focuses solely on teaching positions.
To reserve a spot, visit the special link created for Manatee’s online teacher fair: Tinyurl.com/SDMCJobFair.
And for more information about Friday’s event, send an email to stromans@manateeschools.net or call 941-708-8770, extension 41052.
Starting pay for public school teachers in Manatee County was bumped to $51,630 after a recent agreement between the district and the local teacher’s union. That includes money made available by House Bill 641, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed last June, along with a $5,201 supplement provided to teachers through a voter-approved tax referendum.
The one-mill increase on property taxes — first approved by voters in March 2018 — is set to expire on June 30, 2022. The Manatee County School Board plans to ask voters for a renewal of the tax hike this November.
Manatee also planned to hold an in-person job fair to hire support staff, including bus attendants, school bus drivers, cafeteria managers, custodians, food service workers and vehicle mechanics. That event is scheduled for April 30 at the Wakeland Support Center, 1812 27th St. E., Bradenton.
The support fair is expected to run from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, call 941-739-5700.
Barber was unable to provide the number of open positions for each job title on Monday. As of that afternoon, there were more than 50 support jobs listed on the school district’s website, careers.manateeschools.net.
During a school board meeting earlier this month, Deputy Superintendent Doug Wagner said there would be a host of open support jobs during the April 30 event.
“We’re going to try something new this time,” he said. “We’re actually having a buddy system where people come in, we’re going to help individuals work through the computers so they can just apply and be interviewed right at the same time.”
This story was originally published April 19, 2021 at 2:54 PM.