It is the first day back to school for many students across the Bay area in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee and Citrus counties.

On Wednesday night, parents of Hillsborough County students got text messages from the district, giving them a heads up to expect the buses could run very late on the way home for the first couple weeks of school.

They know the dismissal process will be slow.

And like many kids today, Jackson Cardona is stepping into the brave new world of middle school.

"I'm excited to meet my new teachers and have a locker," the new sixth grader said, admitting he is, "Pretty nervous."

Jackson's little sister also has butterflies about starting second grade.

"I'm excited too, but I'm scared," Mariella Cardona said.

Nervous excitement is all part of the first day of school. And for Hillsborough County Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Eakins, nothing is more important than a safe start.

"So we know it's going to be an exciting day and we have to make sure we are on the lookout for the safety of all our students on day one," he said.

There are challenges ahead. The district has already trimmed hundreds of positions and the superintendent says more job cuts are likely.

And new schools buildings are need to keep up with the 212,000 students already enrolled and that number is climbing.

However, each year has its hurdles. Thursday's goals is to start strong. Just ask Rylan, a kindergartner.

"I bet it's going to be really fun," he said.

Polk County schools are also hustling and bustling for the first day back.

However, they may arrive with a big problem, as there is not enough teachers for all the classrooms.

In fact as of Wednesday afternoon, there were still more than 100 classrooms without teachers.

Robert Massing is fresh out of college and says he cannot wait to teach students with special needs at Denison Middle School in Winter Haven. He is one of the many teachers the district recruited from out of state.

"I felt right at home when I first visited and I knew from there, I really wanted to be here," he said.

The Indiana native says the fact that Denison Middle School is a turnaround school does not scare him.

"My professors always told me, 'Go to the schools that need the help. Go to the schools that are rising up and be that change. Be that change for the student that needs it,'" Massing said.

Polk County Public Schools Associate Superintendent of Human Resources Teddra Porteous said the district went on 62 recruiting trips up north. It led to her staff hiring 300 teachers, with Massing being one of them.

She said the universities in Florida are not producing enough education graduates to keep up with the demand.

“One of the things we had to do this year was go out of state. Because the problem is, not only are we competing with the other 67 school districts, we’re also competing with businesses, private entities that want to hire teachers that can pay them a better salary,” Porteous said.

The district hopes it will be able to hire them in time.

When teachers are not hired before the first day of school, a long-term substitute teacher will fill in.

The district encourages anyone who loves children, has a clean record and a bachelor’s degree to apply.