JCPS staff heading to Puerto Rico to recruit teachers to fill hundreds of positions

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- JCPS is making waves to address a growing teacher shortage by offering positions to teachers in Puerto Rico.

It's a problem in classrooms across the U.S. -- not enough teachers to occupy the classrooms. To tackle the issue, JCPS' creativity has taken flight, traveling more than 1,800 miles to Puerto Rico. It's not the first time the state's largest district has recruited from there.

Cheryl Amador, a kindergarten teacher at Goldsmith Elementary, is one of 20 teachers that were recruited by JCPS in 2017. Before moving to Louisville, Amador -- who has a master's degree -- taught for 11 years in Puerto Rico.

"I love teaching," she said. "That is my passion."

Since Puerto Rico is part of the United States, it's easier to become certified to teach in Kentucky.

"I love being in the classroom, walking inside and seeing those happy faces of my kids," Amador said.

JCPS staff participated in job fairs to attract Puerto Rican teachers in 2017, which created a pipeline of employees. That pipeline was halted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program is now back up and running, and staff fluent in Spanish was scheduled to leave for the island territory on Monday to find more teachers.

Dr. Aimee Green-Webb, the Chief of Human Resources for JCPS, said the district is looking for people with degrees in teaching, whether or not they currently hold a teaching job.

"We are also attracting folks who have their teaching degree but may not also have a job in Puerto Rico so we want to make sure to let them know that Louisville is a perfect opportunity for them," Green-Webb said.

With more than 300 open teaching positions, the district believes this is a creative way to fill the gaps.

"This is another effort to bring support to our students we know this will not only benefit students of Hispanic backgrounds but it will benefit all students, and benefit the teachers," Green-Web said.

Amador is glad she made the move.

"I started here with a Rank 2, so I started with a really good salary compared to what I was earning in Puerto Rico, so we were able to buy our first house."

According to a news release, the average salary for a JCPS teacher is $73,600.

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