Philadelphia school district looks to hire 800 teachers

The cash-strapped Philadelphia School District is looking to hire at least 800 teachers to make sure there’s a teacher in every classroom this fall.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the district wants principals to have their teaching staffs chosen by June 30 as part of a new early-hiring strategy.

District spokesman Fernando Gallard says officials want to prevent the problems that occurred last fall when nearly 200 teaching positions were left vacant in October. Many remain empty.

The district says it wants to have 5,000 applications so it can choose teachers from the best candidates.

Union leaders lauded the effort but cautioned that it would be difficult.

The district says it has received 1,000 applications since the 2016 recruitment drive began at the beginning of the year.

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Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer, http://www.inquirer.com