Milford Schools hold job fair to recruit substitute teachers

During this job fair, Kopanza said he made eight job offers on the spot.

The August job fair focused on support staff positions and, according to school staff, the job fair scheduled for October 6 is focused on substitutes.

School staff reported having many supply positions in various fields, working only a few hours a day or the entire school year.

The job fair begins at 9 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m. at the Parsons Complex at 70 West River St.

“Our primary focus for the upcoming ‘Replacement Job Fair’ is to bolster our pool of available staff as we enter the fall/winter months when the need for replacement staff typically increases,” said Kopanza. “The goal, always, is to keep our schools 100 per cent staffed, and through the use of substitute teachers, we are fortunate to be able to do that.”

MPS has replacement positions for classroom teachers at all levels. A bachelor’s degree is required for this position, and candidates with teaching skills and previous teaching experience will be given preference. Other positions requiring substitute teachers are a building teacher (10 month position), district professional learning at the elementary level, and paraprofessionals at all levels.

The school district recently increased the pay rate for substitute teachers, with a rate of $105 a day for substitute paraprofessionals and $140 a day for substitute teachers, Kopanza said.

Overall, the school system had 49 openings as of September 29, including two primary teaching positions, one secondary teaching position and one middle school teaching position.

“We would also like to thank Subway World HQ for their enthusiastic support of our project,” Kopanza said. “We loosely call it ‘Subs for Subs,’ and the company will be donating a variety of Subway food items that will be free to all fair attendees.”