The Houston Independent School District (HISD) kicked off the hiring and recruiting season with a first-of-its-kind job fair on Saturday, February 24, at Sharpstown High School. More than 450 candidates attended the event to learn about working in the District’s New Education System (NES) and non-NES schools.
The Campus Hiring Kickoff featured presentations from District leaders, including Superintendent Mike Miles; a panel discussion and Q&A session; live NES instructional demonstrations; and on-the-spot interviews for current openings and future positions.
“HISD is building an elite team to serve our students—so if you’re an effective teacher or one who is ready to grow as an educator, we want you to join us,” said Chief Human Resources Officer Jessica Neyman. “In turn, we pledge to support you. At HISD, we provide higher-than-average compensation for teachers at our schools across the board—and in our NES schools, we offer some of the highest teacher compensation packages in the U.S. This makes a significant difference in a teacher’s paycheck today and in their retirement payout in the future.”
In HISD, first-year teachers at non-NES schools will earn a regionally competitive $64,000 for the 2024-2025 school year.
NES schools pay teachers and staff even higher salaries and differentiate compensation based on the subject and grade level taught as well as rigorous teacher and leader evaluation systems. Average salaries for high school NES teachers, for example, start at $82,816, and go up to $88,816 for a teacher with five or more years of experience.
Campuses in the NES receive extra resources and are built around a staffing structure that supports better work-life harmony and allows teachers to focus on their core work. In addition, schools use a specific instructional model to help ensure all students get the targeted support they need.
On Saturday, teachers interested in working at an NES campus were able to see live instructional demonstrations from NES teacher-leaders who taught lessons in English language arts, math, and Art of Thinking—a class focused on teaching critical-thinking and problem-solving skills and how to assess, evaluate, and effectively use information.
During the latter portion of the event, principals and other campus leaders interviewed candidates for current and future openings, and extended several job offers. HISD’s Talent Acquisition team plans to host more job fairs in the coming months.
“If you want to work in a district that is transforming the education system and that will value and also raise expectations for you and kids, this is the place to be,” said Superintendent Miles.
To learn more about the NES, visit HISD’s newly launched webpage here.
To apply for an open position with HISD, visit www.HoustonISD.org/careers.