St. Paul Public Schools offers $5,000 hiring bonus to relocating teachers

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota is facing a severe teacher shortage, but administrators at one local district feel they have a better handle on the situation this year than last year.

At Highwood Hills Elementary School in St. Paul, Principal Dr. Fatima Lawson said she had openings in almost every classroom a few months ago.

"At first, I was nervous. I was pretty much I would say shaken when I first saw the pool, as terrible as it was," Lawson said.

Now, she's down to two open positions. She credits that to the district finding ways to stand out amid the statewide shortage of teachers.

St. Paul Public Schools said it has more than 300 open jobs. At Thursday's job fair, the district expected around 100 candidates, some flying in from out of state. Eligible teacher candidates relocating to Minnesota may also be eligible to receive a hiring bonus of up to $5,000 under the Come Teach grant, according to district officials.

In January, a report showed learned 84 percent of Minnesota school districts were impacted by the teacher shortage.

"We saw (the teacher shortage) last year. We're seeing a little bit of that again this year. But I do believe the efforts that's been made to focus on more creative and innovative ways of recruitment has helped," said Daveanna Tarpeh, a recruitment and diversity specialist at St. Paul Public Schools.

Hard-to-fill positions may be eligible for a hiring and retention bonus. Those positions span across several areas, including sciences, social work, physical education, and math. Special education remains one of the hardest areas to find qualified candidates.

"It's not just getting the license, you have to have the temperament. You have to have the patience, that demeanor, to work with our students with special needs. And it takes a very, very special person to do that," Lawson said.

Dr. Lawson is still trying to find the right fit for early childhood special education at her school but said it's difficult when every district is competing for the same set of teachers. 

"We all want the best, and rightfully so, and the pool is pretty limited. So it's like a rat race," she said.

The district is planning future job fairs for clerks and paraprofessionals.