Texas Border Business
EDINBURG, Texas – Over 300 community members seeking professional or paraprofessional employment in Region One schools attended the Annual Region One Education Service Center (ESC) Educator Job Fair, hosted June 8 at the Region One ESC Conference Center in Edinburg.
Region One area principals and personnel directors from over 20 school systems connected with participants on site and, in some cases, interviewed and offered contracts on the spot.
“The main goal of the Educator Job Fair is to support the schools we serve by connecting recruitment teams with job applicants interested in vacancies for the upcoming school year,” Region One ESC Human Resources Specialist Angelica Arellano said.
As an additional form of support to school systems, Region One ESC also included a paraprofessional/auxiliary job fair for the first time.
School systems in attendance included Brooks County ISD, Edinburg CISD, Excellence in Leadership Academy, Harlingen CISD, Hidalgo ISD, Jubilee Academies, La Feria ISD, La Joya ISD, La Villa ISD, Lyford CISD, McAllen ISD, Mercedes ISD, Mission CISD, PSJA ISD, Rio Hondo ISD, Roma ISD, San Isidro ISD, Santa Rosa ISD, Sharyland ISD, Horizon Montessori Public Schools, Triumph Public High Schools and Weslaco ISD.
School recruitment teams sought applicants to fill teaching, nursing, counseling and administration vacancies. Positions in the paraprofessional and auxiliary categories included transportation, child nutrition, instructional support, office staff, substitute teachers, safety, maintenance and custodial.
Ericka Villarreal, director of talent acquisition at Harlingen CISD, said the Educator Job Fair connected the district with credentialed candidates in areas of need, such as special education.
“We met with a lot of individuals that would fit in with our culture,” Villarreal said. “We got to experience the human aspect of recruitment, and applicants got to learn about what it is like to work at Harlingen CISD in person. You can go to a website and read about what a district has to offer, but it’s different when you hear directly from an employee.”
According to Arellano, several attendees of the Educator Job Fair were hired on the spot.
Jacqueline Rojas of Edinburg was the first participant to be hired by a school system at the event. She joined Hidalgo ISD as an 8th grade English teacher at Ida Diaz Junior High School.
Rojas said she earned her substitute certification with Region One and gained substitute experience at PSJA ISD before seeking a teaching position.
“I did not expect to get hired so soon,” Rojas said. “Although I’ve worked in a classroom before as a substitute, I’m excited to gain professional experience as a teacher.”
Individuals interested in working at a Region One school as a professional or paraprofessional are encouraged to view open positions by visiting www.esc1.net/employment.
