The Anne Arundel school system is taking the lead in the region in recruiting special education teachers and occupational, speech and physical therapists through a virtual job fair.
“Based on our most recent teacher survey, we found that over 50 percent of new hires submitted online applications,” school system spokesman Bob Mosier said, referring to all new hires.
Finding qualified candidates for the therapist positions is difficult because many people choose to work in hospital settings, said Vanessa Bass, senior human relations manager.
General special education teachers, meanwhile, are harder to recruit because these positions often require a greater workload than traditional teaching positions, officials said.
The school system decided to start the virtual job fair last month to get a head start for dipping into the candidate pool before traditional job fairs begin in the spring, Bass said.
“We recruit 365 days a year,” she said.
“And you can?t afford to do it any less for these critical shortage areas.”
Other Baltimore-region counties have an online application for teachers and other employees, but Anne Arundel is the only one targeting these hard-to-find applicants.
Superintendent Kevin Maxwell?s proposed 2009 operating budget includes more than $3 million to fund 44 special education positions, including additional teachers, paraprofessionals and occupational and physical therapists.
Last year, the school system was given the task of funding occupational and physical therapists instead of the county because it can more efficiently get students the services they need, Mosier said.
The virtual job fair will continue until Jan. 30.
