BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — School might be out for the summer, but Bakersfield City School District is already preparing for fall classes. BCSD officials said there are nearly 100 jobs they need to fill before the students head back to the classroom.
Inside one of BCSD’s schools, Chavez Elementary, Haylie Ezzeell counts the student entering the cafeteria, “You ready? Yeah? Go! One, two, three, four.”
It’s lunchtime and Ezzeell is one of the school’s nutrition assistant managers.
“Can you wait? You’ve got to wait. Hold on boys, boys wait.”
Cafeteria nutritionalist is one of the nearly 100 jobs available in the Bakersfield City School District. And the district is using the summer to get ready for fall classes.
BCSD employment office supervisor, Maria Stout, said, “Everyone always thinks the summer is the slow part of the school year, it’s actually the busiest time of the year; picking our resources, we’re gearing up, we’re hiring people, we’re interviewing everyday.”
Maria stout said the available jobs range from minimum wage entry-level jobs all the way up to six figure administrative positions.
“The qualifications vary depending on the position,” said Stout, “but we do have a lot of entry-level positions in our custodial department, in our nutritions, in our transportation department, even here in clerical. So if you have the will and the want to work with their students we have a job for you.”
For Ezzell, working with the students is her favorite part of the job. “I was having a bad day one time and the kids they could tell and he just gave me a hug. I didn’t really know who he was, and he just gave me a hug, he was like have a good day. And I was like you too. And I really needed that.”
Another perk for Chavez Elementary School staff, is working school schedules allows them to have a similar day as their own children.
Fellow school nutrition assistant, Antoinette Ramos, “We start together and we finish together. So we don’t have to worry about taking my two older ones to daycare. I just bring them here with me. We start we leave at the same time so, it’s so convenient for me to have them here.”
Stout said the best way to apply for one of Bakersfield City School District’s jobs is to apply online at www.BCSD.com.
“Under the employment section, you’ll find a list of all of our job postings, we update them every week on Thursdays, so you’ll get the latest and greatest on there,” said Stout.
Stout outlined the application process, “So the next step is you’ll receive a confirmation email saying we received your application. And then we’ll screen the applicant. And then we’ll contact those that closely meet the qualifications for this position. And once we invite you to the interview if all goes well we call you and offer you the job.”
If you do get offered a job, Ezzell said promotions come with hard work. She started as a substitute teacher, before getting promoted three times within her first year and a half to becoming an assistant manager.
“If, you know, if they really are determined to want to move forward then they can. I wanted this. I wanted to move up. And that’s why I moved up. So I think it all depends on how determined you are to move up.”
For Ezzell, that hard work helps the students in the Bakersfield City School District grow.
