DAYTON, Ohio — Many school districts across the country are dealing with staffing challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dayton Public Schools is hoping to fill some of its needs.

At a job fair Thursday, candidates were encouraged to come in to interview and start the application process for open positions such as administrators, teachers, classroom paraprofessionals, bus drivers, custodians and more.

Candidates did not have to pre-register and were asked to bring their resume.

While Dayton Public Schools has historically hosted job fairs, this year is the first time it's happened monthly. Officials with the district said it’s a way to get ahead of the challenging job market.

“Just trying to stay out in front of things," said Dave Harmon, chief of human resources with Dayton Public Schools. "Always trying to have a backlog of people that we can call in case there’s an opening and 'Hey we interviewed you last week or last month or whatever it might be, thought you were a great fit, but maybe we didn’t have a spot at that time.'”

The school district is hosting another job fair at the end of March to continue to find qualified candidates to work with their students. 

For more information on upcoming job hiring events and open positions with DPS, click here.