July 11th, 2024 – On July 11th, the Clovis Unified School District (CUSD) held a job fair for people looking for paraprofessional and instructional assistant positions within the District.
On-the-spot interviews for these positions were conducted for those interested, and attendees were encouraged to bring a high school diploma along with either college transcripts with at least 48 units taken, an associate degree or higher, passage of the CBEST exam, or passage of the paraprofessional test.
Dawn Corley, an Assistant Director for the Special Education Department, spoke to the necessity of paraprofessionals and instructional assistants for keeping up with the special needs students within CUSD.
She explained that there are around 4,000 students with special needs for the District, and to support these students, thirteen new programs in special education are being opened, and these positions are always open to individuals to serve within those programs.
Zinger-Corley, as one of three Assistant Directors, is responsible for the hiring process with paraprofessionals and overseeing the elementary school areas specifically.
She explained, “I think the overall thing is just to make sure that we support our students and so we’ll do just about anything to make sure we recruit good people.”
Amiee Moreno, an administrative secretary within the department, also had a few pieces of advice for prospective applicants.
She explained that some of the best qualities in candidates are being able to work with students, and that there is a continual need for people to fill those roles.
Moreno also added that in addition to being able to work with students, the applicants that stand out the most are “passionate about [the job], love kids, love being a part of it … and have a lot of skills.”
Some of the applicants that stood out to Moreno were previously caretakers, which especially applies to those desiring to work within the severely disabled classrooms at CUSD, and those who have family members who worked within the system.
A surprising detail about the positions is that they are open to many people without a college degree – especially because the role requires a high school diploma as well as one additional form of documentation, not all of which include attending college.
The paraprofessional test is conducted every Monday for $10 at the Adult School and study guides are offered as well. There is no limit to the number of times someone is allowed to take the test, so they can keep taking it until they pass.
The roles are also open to people with busy schedules, making it an ideal fit for students, especially Child Development majors, or people with busy schedules.
Moreno and Zinger-Corley also expressed their being happy in the roles they serve within CUSD. Corley stated, “The best thing is that I feel valued and myself … I just feel very supported in Clovis [Unified].”
Moreno added to this statement, saying that her favorite thing was “seeing [the students] coming to school and the joy that they have about coming to school and the things they get to do.”
Though the job fair has already taken place, many of those working within the department hiring for these positions expressed that they are always hiring for these positions. Those interested can contact fill out an application on the District’s website or on EDJoin.com.