The Escondido Union School District wants to be the place where job applicants can walk in for an interview and walk out with a job offer.
The district is having more trouble finding employees now than Superintendent Luis Ibarra said he's ever seen in his nine years with the district.
"It’s not just us, it was all districts across the county. You just have to go out and about, in malls you see jobs wanted, at restaurants," Ibarra said.
At Farr Elementary School, Principal Su-yan de Santiago hasn't been able to find a bilingual teacher's assistant, so he's had to find ways to make sure the work gets done.
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"It’s difficult to find or fill out a position," Santiago said. "Luckily we have a strong team here and all hands on deck and everyone steps in to support each other — library, front office, myself, our team."
Ibarra said the district had to take a closer look at how it was hiring new staff members.
"We looked at our recruitment cycle and it used to take between three and four weeks to recruit from beginning to end. It was a long process, and you and I both know you can go to McDonald's or any store and come out with a job, so we had to change our process," he said.
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Changes Ibarra said were implemented in November have led to more hires, and they're still looking for dozens more for the district’s 24 schools.
"You can walk in into a recruitment event and walkout with and offer of employment in one day," John Albert, Human resources and assistant superintendent
They also have a partnership with Palomar Community College, where thanks to the P3 Program, high school students start their education career while in school.
"They’re working full time as a parent educator and they’re also taking classes with Palomar College on our school site, earning an AA degree that the district pays for,"
Passion for education is the primary quality the district is looking for.
