WEST COLUMBIA, SC – Lexington Two held its annual Teacher Recruitment Fair on January 25, the first time it’s been held as a midweek event and the first time fully back in person in roughly two years.
The event was held from 4-6 p.m. at the Lexington Two Innovation Center, with roughly 120 teacher candidates visiting booths staffed with personnel from the district’s elementary, middle and high schools, as well as specialized programs.
“For our first midweek event, I could not have been more pleased,” said Dr. Angela Cooper, Chief Human Resources Officer, adding the district expects to hire roughly 100-115 teachers for the 2022-2023 school year that begins on August 15.
Dr. Cooper noted the district is planning an employee career fair this spring, tentatively set for 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, seeking to hire bus drivers, teacher aides, and other support positions. She said the district also is considering another midweek teacher fair.
Lexington Two is once again offering a $2,500 signing bonus for new teacher hires in special education, foreign language, and middle and high school English, math, science and social studies. The district also offers small classroom sizes, competitive salaries, mentoring programs, flexible support programs, state benefits and more.
This year’s recruitment efforts are taking place amid a teacher shortage in South Carolina and across the nation. Several media groups talked with Dr. Cooper about her perspectives on these issues. Here are some of the links to media coverage:
WIS-TV:
WACH-FOX57:
https://wach.com/news/local/lex-2-teacher-fair-held-as-sc-faces-teacher-shortage
West Metro News: