UISD searching for its next generation of teachers

LAREDO, Tx. (KGNS) - The school year is quickly coming to an end and while many are thinking about that summer break, one local school district is getting ready for the next school year.

The end of the school year is rapidly approaching, and with that comes the inevitable exit of some teachers; however, UISD is making sure to stay ahead of the game.

“People retiring, people just moving from one location to another. We’re a very fast-growing school district, we’re one of the largest employers of the city. So, we have a lot of opportunities, and we feel like who best to fill our teaching positions,” said UISD Human Resources Coordinator Cindy Villarreal.

UISD is the 24th largest school district in Texas and has over 40,000 students.

In preparation for the next school year, UISD invited its substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, and auxiliary staff to learn more about how to become accredited teachers.

Some of the requirements educators must meet are, a bachelor’s degree, an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher and they must not be currently enrolled in an ACP program.

Joel Diaz, who is currently a substitute teacher, said learning about the many options available has motivated him.

“I was kind of discouraged with the GPA and stuff like that and now that I know that there’s ways that we can actually be a teacher without having the GPA, or where we’re supposed to be with what they’re asking, now it’s kind of encouraging,” said Diaz.

After becoming a substitute teacher, Diaz said it has solidified his love to work with kids and pursue becoming an educator.

“It’s been gratifying actually. Kids are great, I have my own kids, so something like that actually helped me a lot, I’m good with kids as well. Now it’s like kids are giving me giving me encouragement in order to go along the ride into teaching,” said Diaz.

The next step for Joel Diaz is to get into one of the programs and hopefully become certified to be a teacher in the 2024-2025 school year.

According to UISD, this initiative started this year and so far, it’s the third presentation they have held for UISD employees.

If you currently work for UISD and were unable to attend the presentation, the district encourages you to contact the human resources department to get a hold of the information.

You can also stop by their offices located at 201 Lindenwood Drive.

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