ST, LUCIE COUNTY — St. Lucie Public Schools, like many other school districts across the state, is struggling to hire workers, specifically bus drivers, food service workers, and maintenance workers.
On Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the district will host a job fair at district headquarters in Port St. Lucie to hopefully hire 20-25 new employees per each position.
"Before you can educate a child, you have to get them to school safely," said Dr. Rafael Sanchez, Executive Director of Human Resources, St. Lucie Public Schools. "Before you can educate a child, you've also got, their bellies have to be full, so that they can focus and do a good job in school."
Sanchez said 70-73% of students in St. Lucie County use free and reduced lunch, making the role food service workers play even more critical.
Applications can be completed on site, along with fingerprinting and background checks.
Only a GED or a high school diploma is required to apply.
"What's interesting about our bus driver positions is that we can train you to become a bus driver and hold a CDL license," said Sanchez. "Where typically in other organizations you would have to go and obtain that license. We'll train you to get that license."
The district is also looking to hire substitute teachers.