245 BPS teacher vacancies with two weeks until first day of school

BOSTON — The state’s largest school district is working down to the wire to fill 245 teacher vacancies.

Boston Public School students in grades 1 through 12 report to class in just two weeks on September 8th.

According to the district, there’s particular need for middle school science teachers, English as a second language teachers and special education teachers.

The district is also looking to fill more than 600 additional positions aside from teachers, including paraprofessionals, nurses, social workers and librarians.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu points out that some of these positions are new ones that were created to support students’ social and emotional needs.

Some parents remain concerned about what impact the vacancies could have on classrooms.

“I think a lot of kids are going to get short changed, and it’s something that needs to be addressed immediately,” said BPS parent Catherine Infantino.

According to Mayor Wu, the vacancies are not risking schools being able to open or classrooms being able to open.

“I know there are qualified candidates who are out there so I’m pretty confident they’ll find the teachers,” said BPS parent Kevin Green.

The city is not offering special incentives to attract new teachers and has been relying on hiring fairs and partnerships to fill open roles.

Mayor Wu said that the district has already hired nearly 1,000 teachers this year.

The city of Boston has nearly reached its goal for hiring bus drivers.

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