The Unalaska City School District has to fill about six vacancies before the next school year.
Superintendent John Conwell made that announcement at a school board meeting Wednesday, following the Feb. 14 deadline for current instructors to sign their contract offers.
"We're thick into the teacher recruitment phase right now," said Conwell.
The district has posted job openings for junior high social studies, currently taught by Angela Finlay; high school English language arts, currently taught by Shawna Rudio; music and band, currently taught by Shannon Spring; junior high science, currently taught by Kasey Wilson; and special education, currently taught by Christie Morris and Marti Rookala.
Conwell said there may also be an in-district teacher transfer, though he didn't offer any details yet. He told board members that he aims to have more information by their next meeting on March 25.
"We'll have — hopefully — some more teacher contracts, because we'll be traveling to the job fair over spring break in Anchorage," he said.
This year, the district made contract offers to current teachers weeks earlier than usual, citing the job fair's earlier schedule and a shortage of candidates around the state.
Unalaska's teachers union declined to comment on the faster deadline. Conwell said he understood some instructors were concerned, but he wanted to ensure there was enough time to fill any vacancies.
