Job fair lends look into who's applying to become teachers

With the teacher shortage hitting the region hard, some districts have turned to job fairs to kick up some interest. And for Manatee County, it’s working. 

On Aug. 25, the School District of Manatee County hosted a job fair at its Wakeland Support Center — something the district is going to continue doing once a month until the number of vacancies comes down. Nearly 250 overall applicants attend the three-hour event, which included open positions for teachers, teacher assistants, bus drivers, bus attendants, cafeteria managers, food service workers, custodians and vehicle mechanics. A little more than 80 of those applicants were there for instructional positions, district officials say.