First grade teacher Carol Lombardi works on writing down her student’s lunch numbers while preparing for the first day of school at Hixson Elementary School on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018 in Hixson, Tenn.At least 10 classrooms started off the school year without a teacher in Hamilton County.
Currently, the district is covering these positions with substitutes or other support depending on the school’s principal, since the school year started Wednesday, according to district spokesman Tim Hensley.
As of last week, the district had filled 97 percent of all certified vacancies, with 10 classroom teacher vacancies and 17 school-level classified vacancies currently unfilled, according to Hensley.
However, more than 41 certified vacancies are listed online in the district’s job portal, along with three administrative positions and 126 classified positions as of Friday.
“To staff the vacant positions, we are continuing to source and screen candidates to submit to principals including utilizing candidates that had previously expressed interest in vacancies at other schools,” chief talent officer for the district Keith Fogleman said in a statement.