Limestone County Schools will host a job fair on Thursday, April 13, from 5-7 p.m. at the Athens State University Carter Gymnasium. 

The school system has noticed a decline in qualified candidates for certified positions.

“We are seeing a decline in the pool of applicants applying for teaching jobs in Limestone County, which is an alarming trend we have to watch closely. I believe the more rural areas of our state are suffering far worse with staffing shortages than North Alabama,” LCS Executive Director of HR and Operations Bill Tribble said.

LCS doesn’t necessarily have a staffing shortage, however.

“Overall, our district is in good shape when it comes to staffing our schools. Obviously with the great job market in North Alabama, it has made staffing challenging. Our area of greatest need is our classified positions in our schools,” Tribble said. “Jobs such as Child Nutrition Staff, Instructional Assistants, and Bus Drivers still seem to be the most challenging positions to fill.”

He went on to say, “these are typically our lowest paying jobs; however, last year our Superintendent and Board Members made a commitment to give all our employees a 6 percent raise, which included our classified staff. That did put those employees’ salaries above many other school districts around Limestone County.”

Th event will offer recruiting for all areas of employment. All levels of experience will be considered.

A previous version of this article included an incorrect date for an Athens City Schools job fair. They have already hosted their 2023 job fair in March.