KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis covers Kansas City, Missouri, including neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. Share your story idea with Megan.
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Hickman Mills School District in south Kansas City, Missouri, is making a final push to fill 60 open positions before students return to school next month.
The district hosted a job fair to attract qualified candidates for both teaching and support staff roles.
"When everyone is resting on their vacation, we are continuing this recruitment process," Dr. Dawn Smith, director of HR at Hickman Mills School District, said. "We're here for students, and to be a part of their success."
The district is particularly focused on filling teaching positions in high-demand areas.
"Our highest need right now is certified staff, so science, math and special education, but classified is instructional para professional and food and nutritional services," Smith said.
Among those recruiting at the job fair was Kendra Moore, who coordinates the nutrition department at Hickman Mills School District and has proudly served as a "lunch lady" for more than 20 years.
"I call it the most valuable position, besides learning and giving education," Moore said.
Moore sees her team as essential to student success, ensuring children have the nutrition they need to learn.
"My job is to make sure they are eating as soon as we open the doors, they see us," Moore said.
"We love it when they see us and say, 'That's my lunch lady,'" Moore said. "They know us from our smile, from the food we present to them."
Moore says her staff serves as a first line of defense against hunger, which can be a significant barrier to learning.
Many job candidates at the fair were community members looking to make a difference in their neighborhood schools.
"It takes a village to keep children on the right track," Daishae Hargrove, a job candidate, said. "Their reputation has increased over the years, and we truly feel it's a welcoming place, so being able to support those local teachers and be a helping hand with the children."
Smith emphasized that Hickman Mills offers competitive compensation to attract quality staff.
"We're the second highest paid, we have competitive salary and benefits, we provide real-time professional learning," Smith said.
Teachers at Hickman Mills can earn between $46,000 and $90,000 annually, while support staff positions pay $17 to $30 per hour.
Smith says she values hiring from within the community.
"Some of our candidates are some of our community members who, to me, are an asset," Smith said. "What better place to live and be in the neighborhood that you're in."
Hickman Mills is also looking for a full-time superintendent, after recently naming Dennis Carpenter as interim.
KSHB 41 Reporter Megan Abundis is speaking with former superintendent Yaw Obeng on Thursday to learn more about the school district's sudden separations, and what Obeng says was a dismissal "without cause."
Other Kansas City metro school districts are also working to fill positions before the new school year:
- Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools hosted a career fair at Mount Carmel Church of God in Christ, seeking teachers for early childhood through secondary levels, plus support staff, including paraprofessionals, custodians, bus drivers, and cafeteria monitors.
- North Kansas City Schools has more than 140 openings for support staff and eight teaching positions. They will host a classified hiring fair on July 29 from 3-6 p.m. at their Professional Development Center.
- Olathe Schools will host a job fair on July 31 from 3-6 p.m. at Olathe South High School for non-teaching positions.
For more information:
- Olathe School District: https://www.olatheschools.org/humanresources
- North Kansas City School District: https://www.nkcschools.org/careers
- Kansas City, Kansas, Public School District: https://www.kckschools.org/hr
- Hickman Mills School District: https://www.hickmanmills.org/careers
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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