Dallas Schools Recruiting Oklahoma Teachers

As Oklahoma's largest school district in the state works to fill a $30 million budget hole, next year districts from outside the state offer open job opportunities.  Districts like Dallas have called out to Oklahoma educators and enticed them with better salaries.

On Tuesday, Oklahoma City Public Schools announced an additional 10-million dollars in cuts because of the state budget shortfall. Earlier this spring, the first round of cuts started with a reduction of 200 plus teaching jobs.

Dallas ISD says its looking across the country to try to fill open positions within the district.

Its latest recruitment comes as Oklahoma schools face a major budget crisis which has led to staff and resource cuts.

“More recently we know that there are folks that are losing potentially losing their positions and yes we'd loved to offer them you know that opportunity here,” said Meredyth Hudson, Dallas ISD Human Capital Management Executive Director

For the last few years, Dallas Schools has hired anywhere from 1,800 to 2,000 new employees a year. Many of those openings are for teaching positions.

An opportunity that offers first time teachers with no prior experience a starting salary of $50,000 compare that to the same position at Oklahoma City Public School which offers only $34,000.

“I think the Dallas offer is really, really nice especially for Oklahomans. The pay is great,” said Madison Johnson, OU education major.

But it's not enough to make Madison Johnson search for a job across the Red River.

“I will stay in Oklahoma. Oklahoma really needs it. The kids I’ve met with really need it,” she said. 

But for other Oklahoma educators in need of a job now, Dallas’ promise might be enough to lure them to make a move.

Dallas ISD says timing of the recruitment drive and our state's $1.3 million budget  shortfall is entirely coincidental.