LISD will hold an in-person job fair on March 25 from 9-11:30 a.m. in the Hawk Arena. The event is led by LISD’s human resources department and will showcase all schools and organizations in the district. 

Once just a teacher job fair, the in-person job fair will cater to potential teachers, paraprofessionals, auxiliary workers, librarians, substitutes, retire-rehires and part-time educators.

“Everybody is making an impression on each other,” lead counselor Justin Fields said. “I would think as a person who’s applying for jobs, as well as a person who would be hiring people, that it would be great to actually have a [face-to-face] interaction. And maybe the interaction goes so well on both sides that potentially an interview is set up, or they actually do the interview then. They may even extend a job offer.”

The pool for possible applicants has noticeably depleted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For that reason, the job fair is slightly more competitive than it used to be, with there being a major shortage in positions such as bilingual teachers in elementary schools and special education teachers. 

“[For instance], each year they might have had 100 people apply, [with maybe only] 10 positions [available] — in that instance the district can be really choosy,” Fields said. “After [COVID-19], maybe instead of 100 applicants, it’s 30 or 40. We’re just trying to see if we can find and attract the best people we can. What used to be very easy to fill is not as easy.”

Fifteen students will be working with HR to help set up the stands of each department and school attending. They will be able to gain three hours of community service from this and also enjoy free breakfast with the rest of the staff.

“It’s [HR] who is putting this event together, but we need help, so of course we partnered with [principal Amy] Boughton,” director of recruitment and retention in LISD Alex Rivera said. “We found all of the different little logistics and then came up with a great idea to have students help. We wanted to be of service to [the] principals [and] provide that option for students to be waiting and say, ‘This will be at your table, you’ll park your car, come on in, have breakfast and when you get there your stuff will be waiting for you.’”

Principals typically find out what positions they may need to fill in the upcoming school year around this time of year, but due to there being a lower number of applicants compared to previous years, it’s not only a matter of how many applicants the school will get, but who will fit with the school.

“For what it’s worth, just in terms of hiring and stuff, I’ve worked in three different districts and two different states at this point in my career, [and] I think this district is a really good place to work – [on] the professional side of things but also the student side of things,” Fields said. “There’s so many interesting and cool students everywhere. I know Mrs. Boughton really tries hard to find the best people we can that can help programs grow. It’s never just about a person, [it’s about] trying to find the best people [that will work best with the students.]”

Job fairs are a very common event used to supply schools and departments with needed workers. Multiple districts will be having their job fairs March 25 as well, some even at the exact same scheduling-time of the LISD job fair.

“We’re very fortunate here in Lewisville, especially because of our school board and how closely they work with [superintendent Lori] Rapp,” Rivera said.  “We’re really lucky here [because the district has] such a strong vision about what’s best for students. The school board, Dr. Rapp and then it just goes down from there to my boss and all the other chiefs that are in charge. It’s kind of a big umbrella, and then it comes down and we just blanket you guys, all of the students, teachers [and] parents. With just this love and understanding of, ‘We’re not perfect but we’re always trying to do our best for all constituents.’”