KILLEEN, Texas — Killeen ISD launched a new hiring incentive as they continue to face a teacher shortage.
Currently, with the district being about 280 teachers short, they're trying new ways to get more people hired.
"Typically we have about 60 to 65 being a large school district," Superintendent Dr. John Craft said.
This year, new employees hired on or after Sept. 1 receive:
- $1,000 Full-time Professional
- $500 Part-time Professional
- $500 Full-time Hourly
- $250 for Part-time Hourly employees
Thursday the district welcomed 15 new teacher candidates at Nolan Middle School.
As new faces come in, some old faces are here to stay.
During a time when many are leaving the profession nationwide, Arnold Murphy has been teaching in Killeen for six years.
"The kids man I love them, I love them to death," Murphy said. "I just kind of go back to what I'm in it for and that's for the kids. I know that a lot of them have struggled with the pandemic and everything just trying to be able to listen to them and have that empathy towards them."
Murphy said he's not going anywhere and he encourages those who've been considering becoming educators to go for it.
"Best job in the world. It's the most rewarding and just being able to make an impact in our world... it starts with our kids. They're our future," Murphy said.
Dr. Craft said there are several reasons for the shortage that's plaguing education not just at KISD.
"It's hard to pinpoint what variable or variables contributed to this number of vacancies that we're seeing currently. I think the pandemic obviously had some impact," Craft said.
The district is still looking for new teachers and encourages those interested to apply. To search for openings and apply visit, http://BIT.LY/KISDJOBS