By Brandon Shields
Managing Editor
Jackson-Madison County Schools hosted a job fair on Thursday, March 21, at Liberty Tech High School.
This was the first in a series of fairs the district will host this spring.
“This is a different way we’re doing it this year instead of having one fair for everyone, we decided to divide it up into different areas of positions,” said Diane Hicks-Watkins, the chief human capital officer for JMCSS. “This fair is more focused on the academics openings in the district – teachers, teachers’ assistants, principals.
“Then we’ll have two more fairs in April focused on the operations side of things for our openings.”
The other two fairs will happen at North Side and South Side on different days.
“We decided to do those on different days and in different places to give people hopefully a more likely chance of being able to make it to one or both of the fairs,” said Rekia McClain, the director of talent acquisition for the district.
JMCSS will hold an Operations Recruitment Fair with opportunities in food service, maintenance, technology, transportation and safety and security, bookkeeping, attendance secretaries, nursing and janitorial, Monday, April 8 at North Side High School (3066 North Highland Avenue) from 3-5 p.m. and Wednesday, April 10, at South Side High School (84 Harts Bridge Road) from 3-5 p.m.
Superintendent Marlon King gave a report on the ability of the district to recruit and retain teachers improving overall in the past four years because of raises and other investments made into the teachers.
Hicks-Watkins said one of the more underestimated investments this past year has been a big help.
“The younger generation is willing to forego higher pay for better hours or simply better working conditions,” Hicks-Watkins said. “And when Dr. King made the investment that he announced last year in the We Care program where the district will encourage its team members to take care of themselves physically and mentally and then reimburse them for those efforts was as big of a tool in retention as any pay raise or benefit improvement.
“Employees are people, and people want to feel needed and appreciated, and we want them to take care of themselves. That’s how much we appreciate them.”
Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news
