Socorro ISD hoping to entice more substitutes by increasing pay

EL PASO, Texas -- It's a problem many Borderland school districts are facing -- staffing issues. The Socorro Independent School District is no different and its increasing benefits in order to get you to apply.

SISD Chief Academic Officer Lucia Borrego said the biggest challenge has been offering competitive pay.

"We can't expect to pay a worker minimum wage when somebody at fast food chain is making a lot more than that," she said.

But thanks to ESSER federal funding, the district has been able to increase pay for substitute teachers and school nurses, something the district is in dire need of.

Substitute nurse pay went up from $225 to $275. Substitute teachers now only need 30 hours of college credit and can get a starting pay of $100 a day.

"We have to see that our students are important and that they have a quality substitute teacher in the classroom is very important. So we wanted to make sure that we were competitive and that we were drawing the best. And then of course, once we hire them, we give them an orientation, and we help them and we train them so they're effective in that classroom," Borrego said.

Positions are open at campuses throughout the district.

It's not just substitutes, Borrego said bilingual and special education teachers are the hardest positions to fill.

SISD is also looking for cross guards/cafeteria monitors, support staff like custodians, instructional aides, child nutrition services and transportation employees.

Other benefits for employees, include salary increases, weekends and holidays off, paid sick leave, health benefits program, an employee health clinic, and training for support staff. Stipends are also available for people with specialty certifications.

"We're trying to bring more resources into the campuses so that we help students, not just academically but also social emotional learning...there's lots of needs there," Borrego said.

To search for job openings, click here.

For more information you can call SISD Human Resources at (915) 937-0000.