District 47 to host job fair this week in efforts to fill paraprofessional and bus driver vacancies

Crystal Lake Elementary School District 47 will host a job fair Wednesday and Friday for paraprofessionals, bus drivers and substitute openings.

The job fair will be held 3:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday and 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday at the district’s administrative CORE Center, located at 300 Commerce Drive in Crystal Lake.

There are 18 open paraprofessional positions and 17 open bus driver positions, District 47 director of human resources Rob Bohanek said.

The district has an unlimited number of substitute open positions since they “always need more,” he said. Open positions for substitutes include teachers, nurses and paraprofessionals.

A few paraprofessional positions are currently in the process of being filled. Some staffing agency employees remain in the district, but they are being replaced by newly hired employees, Bohanek said.

“The past few years have been tough,” he said.

The Crystal Lake Association of Support Staff has said it plans on filing a complaint alleging District 47 violated the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act by using a staffing agency before bargaining with the union.

CLASS, in conjunction with the Illinois Education Association, announced the plan to file the unfair labor practice complaint in late August. They are still in the process of filing, Illinois Education Association Media Relation Director Bridget Shanahan said.

Under the union contract reached in January, paraprofessionals received a 5% raise this year, Bohanek said.

Bohanek said he hopes the district will be able to capitalize on the short-term changes made by the Illinois State Board of Education that allow anyone with a high school diploma to be eligible for paraprofessional positions until June 20, 2025.

CLASS President Stephanie Lieurance said she is happy to see effort put into hiring, but feels like it’s too little too late.

“Considering there is a staffing company who is paying twice much as our new hire rates and they can’t find people, I am not sure how a job fair will actually work to bring quality employees to this district,” she said.

Paraprofessionals are a “jack of all trades” that help children with a variety of disabilities, including behavioral, learning and physical, Shanahan said.

“They are what makes makes it possible for students with disabilities to go to schools and public schools,” she said.

District 47 has seen attendance of about 30 people for their job fairs in recent past years, Bohanek said. District 47 director of communications and public engagement Kari Firak said she hopes more people attend this year.

“These past couple of years have been different with COVID and everything,” she said.

People attending the job fair can fill out job forms and applications there. Human resources staff will be at the fair to discuss the open positions and conduct “mini interviews,” Firak said.

“Come with questions and an open mind,” Bohanek said.