Juneau School District begins school year with more than 90 open positions

The Juneau School District started off the school year with more than 90 open positions.

Of those, close to half are certified staff – positions that require a license like teachers, counselors and speech therapists. There were also openings for paraeducators, school nurses and administrative assistants.

According to staffing reports presented at a board meeting earlier this week, a quarter of the district’s paraeducator positions remain unfilled. Paraeducators are also known as teacher aides or assistants. This includes special education paraeducators, literacy paraeducators and those for various KinderReady programs.

Superintendent Frank Hauser said the shortage means the district has to make tough decisions like moving employees to different buildings in order to meet the speci