SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - More than 130 recruits registered to attended the Elk Grove Unified School District Certificated Recruitment Fair on Feb. 22 at Valley High School.

The EGUSD forecasted a need to fill 200 positions in the 2025-2026 school year, according to the district’s website. 

EGUSD Human Resources Director Mark Vierra said that the event allowed the school district to interview and “gather the local teacher talent” in the Sacramento area and encourage them to work for the district. 

According to administrators, the district is recruiting for all certificated positions for multiple-subject teachers in elementary schools and single-subject teachers for secondary schools, which are middle and high schools. They were also looking for speech and language pathologists, special education teachers and administrators, program specialists and vice principals. 

“This recruitment event gives us an opportunity to get an early look at and jump on the hiring and recruiting process for our school district,” Vierra said. 

EGUSD Superintendent Chris Hoffman said that the staffing is currently strong and that when it comes to joining the Elk Grove school district, employees tend to join long-term. He called the district “a destination district.” 

Still, he noted that there had been some shortages in recent years, particularly in the special education department.

“One of the big challenges is the number of people going through the university levels to get their credentials and to be certified to teach,” Hoffman said. “Those programs have scaled back a bit and made things more challenging, so we’ve done a good job in recruiting existing staff from other districts to come here.” 

Applicants got the opportunity to sit down with an administrator in the district for an interview. If possible, the applicant would get a second interview with a contingent offer if it’s a high-need area or if the person met specific qualifications. The contingent offers were for teaching or administrative positions, as well as for high-need areas such as special education. 

The recruitment fair was held in the school’s gym, with many tables set up to cover educational equity, family and community engagement, substitute services and also to submit applications for elementary and secondary school positions. 

The event provided some entertainment, as it kicked off with a Tahitian and Māori dance performance from Elk Grove High School’s Pacifica Club. Midway through the event, the Asian Club from James Rutter Middle School performed a Vietnamese fan dance and a Hmong dance. 

Inside the school’s smaller gym, tables were set up with administrators from different schools to interview the applicants.

Zeta Pulse, vice principal for Elk Grove High School, said that at her school there will be some veteran teachers on the verge of retirement. The subjects included English, Social Science and Math, and EGHS was looking for potential candidates for those subjects. She said that this recruitment fair was an opportunity to get to know some of the candidates before the formal interview process.

“I have interviewed two separate candidates, both very different,” Pulse said. “One had a lot of experience and the other was brand new. So, you look for potential and how they would fit in your community, not just for Elk Grove High, but for the district in general.”

Special education teacher Kelsey Cooper said she taught that subject for 15 years and came here from Long Beach. Cooper said that she was exploring her options as far as moving up to Northern California because of family needs as she has family in the area.

Cooper felt that she had a lot of assets and strengths to bring to the district.

“I love my job working with special needs kids and watching their growth and the impact that can be made with not just the students, but also with their families,” Cooper said. “I think that that would be an asset to the district.”