CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — There will be plenty of new faces among those welcoming Corpus Christi Independent School District students this school year.
CCISD's Chief Human Resources Officer Debbie Cruz said the district's most recent hiring event, on June 12 brought 174 new employees on board.
"Really, every single position is really critical to the success of day one for our students. We want to be ready to welcome each and every student on their first day of school," Cruz said.
In her 14 years with the district, Cruz said it was the most successful hiring event she's seen, but there are still plenty of spots to fill.
"We hired about 200 new teachers over the summer, but we still have about 150 teacher vacancies remaining. That's pretty consistent nationwide with the teacher shortage that everyone is experiencing," she said.
Those numbers are based off an increase on projected student enrollment and the district's Pre-K expansion program.
Cruz said that depending on the number of students that show up on the first day, that number could change, and that's when the district would make adjustments to hires.
The district will continue recruiting for both full-time and part-time positions throughout the school year. That includes teachers, paraprofessionals, and support staff such as bus drivers, cafeteria staff, and custodians.
Recently, the minimum hourly rate for their auxiliary positions was raised to $13/hr to try and help with those recruiting efforts.
Along with teachers, Cruz said paraprofessionals are one of the most sought-after positions applicants are looking for.
"We've really seen an increase in that, and we're really excited about that because they are really critical to ensure student success by working cooperatively with students in the classroom," she added.
Most of the paraprofessionals in the district already have their bachelor's degrees. Cruz hopes that by working closely with them, they'll be able to get involved in the districts "Grow Your Own" program which would help them become certified as teachers and possibly promoted.
The district will continue recruiting for both full-time and part-time positions throughout the school year. That includes teachers, paraprofessionals, and support staff such as bus drivers, cafeteria staff, and custodians.
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