“One of the most important things we do is try to get the best teachers for our kids,” said Principal Donald Schels of Shepaug Valley School at the job fair CEA hosted April 27. “So we’re just happy to be here and make sure we’re conducting the widest, deepest possible search to get the best candidates for our kids. And we came across a lot of really nice ones here, and we hope that that can yield some relationships going forward.”
Schels was joined at Derby High School by district representatives from ACES, Bloomfield, CREC, Derby, East Windsor, Granby, Groton, Hamden, LEARN, Milford, New London, Thomaston, and Torrington–all looking to fill current and future openings for certified positions amidst a statewide teacher shortage.
“CEA decided to host a job fair for the first time this year to make make sure our aspiring educator members and current members who are searching for new jobs find positions that are the right fit for them,” said CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey. “I’ve spoken with many highly-qualified teachers here today who are energized about the opportunities they’re learning about through the job fair.”
“This is an exciting opportunity. What’s unique about this fair is it caters to current teachers,” said Jennifer Brown, human resources coordinator for Granby Public Schools. “That’s a unique opportunity that we definitely wanted to take advantage of because it is hard to find teachers right now.”
Gail Jorden, president of the Bloomfield Education Association, said that her district currently has over a dozen openings for the current 2023-2024 school year. “Our students deserve better. They deserve certified people, in the seats, ready to go.”
District representatives consistently cited a particular need for special education teachers and related services staff. Scott Sadinsky, the assistant director of Human Capital Development for ACES, said, “Of our three-hundred-or-so certified staff, well more than half are special education, and that’s one of the bigger shortage areas in the state, so it’s very much a need area for us.” Similarly, Brown said that special education “is a very high-needs area,” adding that “it takes a special skill set and a special passion to really succeed in that position.”
“Wellness has become an increased need since the pandemic, I think probably because a lot of students had been home and not in school around peers and other adults. So I think the need has increased tremendously,” said Christine Pemberton, the executive director for talent and human resources at New London Public Schools. New London currently has around 61 vacancies, many of which are in special education and related service roles.
At the fair, district representatives had the chance to meet with over 200 current and soon-to-be-certified teachers looking for jobs.
The first half-hour of the fair was reserved for members of CEA’s Aspiring Educators program.
Molly Marandino, who is graduating from Eastern Connecticut State University this spring with a master’s degree in early childhood and special education, says that she heard about the job fair through CEA. “I’m so grateful. My freshman year of college I was a part of CEA Aspiring Educators, but then I stopped getting the membership. I’m so grateful that I signed back up because they have so many resources, especially during the job search. I’m looking into so many different places – it’s such a helpful resource.”
William Kampfman, who will graduate from UConn next month with his master’s in Curriculum and Instruction, echoed Marandino. “I joined the CEA Aspiring Educators program in the fall of 2023 when I started my grad school program. It’s been great–the resources and supports that they offer with the online webinars and, obviously, this job fair.”
Many of the current teachers in attendance were from districts facing school closures, deficits, or budget cuts, such as Bridgeport, Stratford, and Shelton.
“They’re saying teachers could be potentially laid off, and some teachers have said that they’ve gotten terminated already,” said Andrew Gecaj, a social studies teacher with eight years of experience in Shelton Public Schools. “The layoffs could be starting this week, so I have no idea if I’m being shuffled to the middle school or if I’ll be staying until the end of this school year. I honestly have no idea—no one knows.”
Other teachers had recently moved to Connecticut from other states.
“I just moved here from California, and I’ve been looking for a position in Connecticut,” one attendee with over a decade of experience as a special education teacher and instructional coach shared. “I’m really excited to start teaching here. I’m finding there’s a lot of school districts to look at—just very exciting stuff.”
“I spoke to one person who was like, ‘We’re relocating from North Carolina, we just came up last night, and I happened upon this,’” said Julie Christianson, the supervisor of science instruction for CREC. “A National Board-Certified Teacher. That’s what we need, we need to have those connections.”
District representatives and job-seekers alike were delighted with the event.
“I’m thankful for the union for putting this on,” Christianson continued. “The amount of candidates here who are looking for jobs who are already teachers and coming with more experience is something that we really need. So it’s exciting to be here and have so many folks who are dedicated to being teachers.”
“Districts have been really great to talk to. I’ve been able to give them my information, get their information,” said aspiring educator William Kampfman.
“There were a lot of educators,” said Christine Pemberton of New London. “Some that were still in college finishing up their program, some that are currently working in other districts—some of the districts that are actually in budget season and have announced that they’re eliminating positions. And we met some amazing people today. We’re setting up interviews this week. I’m so happy that we have this event.”
“This is the best hiring event I’ve been to in Connecticut this year,” Pemberton added. “This is exactly what we need—we need educators that are prepared to work and ready to work.”
“I have so many different applicants to look at. It was totally worthwhile,” said Gail Jorden. “I highly encourage you to attend the next CEA career event—it was worth it for me!”
