Teaching/School Districts

Submitted by artladybeck t3_11kzsqh in Washington

Greetings, I will be attending an educators job fair at the end of the month that will be hosting quite a few districts. The main areas I’m going to be focusing on will be Thurston County and Kitsap County.
I’ve done tons of research, looked at district report cards, checked out websites and social media pages, forums, cost of living, etc. .
BUT I would love to get opinions and recommendations on districts to check out and research more from people that actually live/work/go to school in those areas.

A little background: I am a 4th year art & CTE teacher- beginning, advanced, and studio draw/paint, AP art, CTE photography and graphic design, and the visual arts head. All credentials are transferred and I also have a sub credential just in case.

Thank you!

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Professional-Curve38 t1_jb9psfe wrote

In my opinion, start with where you want to live. I don’t know if you’ll have multiple job offers to choose from in art and CTE.

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artladybeck OP t1_jb9q6x6 wrote

Very true. I’m trying to cast a wide net in areas I like because art jobs are hard to come by.

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anti-zastava t1_jba7s7z wrote

Kitsap County is one of the most desirable districts and if they have an opening, you will most certainly have significant competition. Are you going to the job fair in tacoma by chance?

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artladybeck OP t1_jbae1yj wrote

That’s good to know, thank you. Yes I am! I heard about it through Olympia school district’s HR office.

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anti-zastava t1_jbaej30 wrote

Best of luck! Remember there are plenty of employers out there even if you don't get your first choice.

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artladybeck OP t1_jbagjzc wrote

I really appreciate that, thank you. I feel confident in what I have to offer and my experience but that doesn’t stop the imposter syndrome or doubt of job opportunities.

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Cybercoot43 t1_jbatg54 wrote

Bainbrige Island, North Kitsap and Central Kitsap all have good reputations and good facilities.

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Comfortable-Bed844 t1_jbekvrc wrote

No advice about locations but I would encourage you to apply for any postings, including pool postings, on their websites now.

When I arrived at the fair I thought schools would be doing on the spot interviews because that is how some of them advertise. It turns out that most of them scheduled the interviews with candidates who had previously applied but would be attending the fair. Some positions had been entirely hired by 10 am.

Washington school districts are currently facing budget shortages across the state and will be cutting teachers and condensing schools. Not to say you won't get a job but it will be more competitive than it has been in the past. It was already pretty competitive. Put your best foot forward and cast a much wider net than you think you need to if you're serious about moving here. Apply to every single school in a geographic radius where you would want to live. Create a list of at least 15 to 30 school districts and check their listings every day until then.

If you haven't yet applied for positions in Washington be aware that you will likely need three references for each school district. Those three references will receive a form to fill out for each and every school district. I had a list of 6 people that I sent them out to so that it wasn't as overwhelming.

Prepare for a lot of rejection. I was very qualified for my position and am endorsed in 4 subject areas. Over the course of 2 years I applied to 150 jobs in 18 school districts before landing my first leave replacement position. There is a strong preference for hiring teachers that come from Washington teacher prep programs and it it really tough to break into the market. This year will be much worse because school districts will be contractually obligated to hire back the teachers that they let go to balance the budget before hiring any new teachers.

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artladybeck OP t1_jbel5oa wrote

Thank you very much for such an in depth response. I will keep everything in mind you have mentioned and will make sure to be applying to whatever pools/positions open prior to the job fair.

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youngfan1 t1_jbazzl8 wrote

I work for the NTPS as a para educator and have had an overall positive experience. They pay the best for paras in Thurston County. A lot of the schools in NTPS are Title 1 which presents its own specific set of challenges but I would still definitely recommend it. Good luck.

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artladybeck OP t1_jbbf2t2 wrote

Thank you! NTPS were originally going to have a booth at the job fair but now won’t be. But I’ll still be keeping an eye on online postings since I’ve heard pretty good things about them.

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applecake-2867 t1_jbcx3qr wrote

Kitsap County Teacher here and I love it! I wish you the best. Be relaxed and positive during job fair. Be ready to answer questions about: 1) Equity in the classroom and 2) SEL (Social Emotional Learning). Just watch videos on YT so you get the context. Good luck on your search.

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artladybeck OP t1_jbedhgd wrote

Thank you! Those are both in my wheelhouse. I’m on the equity committee for my school and went through some trainings for that, and I have SEL integrated into my weekly lessons.

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