PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) are hosting district-wide hiring events amid staffing shortages. On Thursday, the school system will host the "PGCPS Hiring Palooza," with the goal of recruiting people for a variety of open positions.
The Hiring Palooza will take place at G. James Gholson Middle School from 4-6:30 p.m. The school district is looking to hire bus drivers, classroom teachers, custodians, food service assistants, nurses and substitute teachers. The county is looking to fast-track hiring, due to ongoing county-wide shortages.
To encourage new hires, the school district is offering stipends to certain positions. Special education teachers will receive a $2,000 stipend, career and technical education for credit teachers receive $1,500, and paraprofessional toileting and tube feeding workers receive $450.
In addition, PGCPS is offering pay increases for all substitute teachers, with some earning nearly $100 more daily from last year.
PCGPS has been hosting numerous career fairs this summer, including:
- A bus driver recruitment event July 20
- A teacher recruitment event July 19
- A drive-thru hiring event July 6
There will be additional virtual events and mixers for job candidates to attend between late July- Aug. 31. Attendees are encouraged to make appointments for career fairs and register early for ideal time slots.
These recruitment events are intended to fill positions due to staffing shortages in schools. Prince George’s County is not the only district experiencing this problem. The entire DMV region has been dealing with lacking staff numbers since the beginning of COVID-19.
Schools have seen mass resignations during the pandemic as teachers cite being overworked and underpaid. Last fall, Prince George’s County saw a substitute teacher shortage due to COVID-19 concerns, vaccine requirements and uncertain work conditions.
WUSA9 previously reported statistics on teacher resignations across the DMV. In Maryland’s Montgomery County, 1,070 teachers have resigned since Jan. 2022, leaving the county searching for 488 new hires.
With inadequate teacher staffing, students may see larger classroom sizes and fewer available specialized classes. A shortage of bus drivers, nurses and custodians will also impact schools’ day-to-day operations.