The education recruitment organization Teach for America, together with Hartford Public Schools (HPS), will visit Puerto Rico on February 19 and 20 to interview and inform prospective teachers about job opportunities in Connecticut, where Puerto Ricans make up 8% of the population — that's over 300,000 residents.
In a conversation with El Nuevo Día, consultant Daniel Díaz Rivera confirmed that the initiative has already helped recruit around 60 Puerto Rican teachers in Connecticut and Georgia over the past few years, with 95% still in their roles.
Teach for America, a nonprofit made up exclusively of educators, is dedicated to recruiting university graduates to serve as teachers for two years in public schools with limited resources, all with the purpose of addressing educational inequality.
The program welcomes candidates with a bachelor’s degree in any discipline, including those set to graduate this May.
Over the course of two years, the initiative will not only provide participants with a salary but also cover the cost of teacher certification and a master's degree, which can be completed during the program.
Participants may be placed in any of the public school districts across Connecticut, depending on their area of interest.
In fact, New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) are led by Puerto Rican superintendent Madeline Negrón, who was born in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. NHPS includes 41 schools serving a diverse student population of 19,000.
About 50.5% of the students are Hispanic or Latino, primarily of Puerto Rican descent, 31.4% are Black, and the remaining students are White, Asian, or Native American. Moreover, 8.7% of teachers come from nonwhite ethnic backgrounds.
Díaz Rivera explained that the areas with the greatest demand are Special Education, Mathematics, Science, Technology, and English as a Second Language (ESL).
In Connecticut, the average starting salary for new teachers and those working toward certification is $56,000 a year, while the average educator salary is $86,511, one of the highest in the United States.
This is largely because Connecticut is among the states with the highest cost of living in the nation. Depending on the teacher's education or experience, the annual salary could reach up to $102,000.
Hartford Public Schools are also recruiting specialized teachers, offering a $5,000 incentive and a 3% base salary increase for those who relocate to the city.
Participants also receive a health plan, life insurance, mentorship from the staff at their assigned school, portable equipment, and "a good pension," along with other benefits.
The initiative aims to diversify the Hartford school community, comprised of 39 campuses and 16,000 students, 85% of whom are Black, Hispanic, or Indigenous (mainly Jamaican and Puerto Rican), and 21% of whom are not fluent in English.
Ready to apply?
Both in-person orientation and recruitment sessions will take place at two University of Puerto Rico (UPR) campuses:
Job Fair at UPR Bayamón
- Date: Thursday, February 19
- Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Location: Student Center Multipurpose Room
Spring Job Fair at UPR Mayagüez
- Date: Friday, February 20
- Time: 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Location: Rafael A. Mangual Coliseum
- Registration
The recruiter encourages interested candidates to register in advance by calling 1 (203) 787-2783 or emailing dhiramdiaz@gmail.com.
They can also complete this form.
Díaz Rivera also shared that the New Haven school district will attend the Annual Job Fair at UPR Río Piedras on March 25 to recruit teachers. Additionally, NHPS is working on an agreement with UPR Mayagüez to expand professional opportunities for educators across both territories.
