The Manatee County School District is looking to bring more teachers on board after officials learned the district has 1,200 new students for the 2014-15 year.
Manatee County Superintendent Rick Mills is calling the growth in student population a positive sign for the Manatee County community, as the growth will mean more jobs for teachers.
The district is trying to finalize what teachers will teach where. They have just finished their 10-day count and found that they have 1,200 new students. With the increase in students the district needs to hire 50 more teachers.
This is sixth-grade English teacher Renee McGaha’s first year teaching at Buffalo Creek Middle School in Palmetto. She says when she got the call telling her she would be working in Manatee County, she was thrilled.
“I’m at the exact school I wanted to be," she said. "I am working with a really great staff I met through professional development over the summer and I'm so excited to be here.”
The growth is taking place in the elementary, middle and high schools. The only schools to see a decrease in students are the alternative education sites, which include programs like Florida Virtual School and Juvenile Justice Programs.
The school district will also be moving 22 teachers already on staff to the schools that will have more students.