Tacoma Public Schools offering hiring bonuses up to $5,000 to fill positions
Tacoma Public Schools is offering hiring bonuses to fill various roles across the district amid a statewide educator shortage.
The bonuses range from $250 to $5,000, depending on the job:
Nurses: $5,000
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs): $3,500 for licensed
Bus drivers: $3,500 for Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Class B certified, $2,500 for non-CDL Class B certified
Paraeducators: $500
Bus monitors: $500
Nutrition services: $500 (No high school diploma or GED required. District offering incentives to obtain GED.)
Noon hour (lunchtime) supervisors: $250
School support / contract tracing: $250
According to the district, $250 bonuses will be paid in the first paycheck. For bonuses $500 and above, half will be paid after 90 days of employment, and the other half will be paid at the end of the school year in June 2022.
The positions are traditionally hard to fill, according to the district.
“The competitive hiring environment has further increased the challenge of recruiting for these positions,” according to a press release by the district on Tuesday. “The district is hoping the bonuses incentivize strong candidates.”
Current employees are eligible for a $150 bonus for every candidate they refer and who is later hired into any district job. Retirees are eligible for a $250 bonus if they return.
The bonuses are funded by state Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.
District administrators, human resources employees and the school board are not eligible for employee referral bonuses.
Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Washington and states across the country were experiencing staffing shortages, according to a 2021 report on addressing the state’s educator shortages by the Washington State Professional Educator Standards Board.
“The pandemic has [exacerbated] this problem by creating unprecedented shifts in learning environments and unthinkable realities for students, families, and educators,” the report stated.
Earlier this month, Tacoma announced it was boosting pay for substitute teachers in the hopes of hiring hundreds. The district has temporarily changed requirements so that more people are eligible as emergency substitute teachers. Emergency substitute teachers are now required to have an AA degree, as opposed to a bachelor’s degree, and have at least five years of work or volunteer experience.
People can search and apply for jobs at tacomaschools.org/jobs.
This story was originally published October 19, 2021 at 11:06 AM.
