Monday marks back to school for thousands, but districts still hiring teachers
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Summer is not officially over yet but for thousands of students, summer break has come to an end.
Children all across the area will be waking up for the first day of school Monday.
It's a big day for people with children headed back to school and for people who don't, give yourself extra time. On Monday, you can expect more cars on the road as well as school buses
Drivers should not only watch out for school buses but for children loading and unloading from those buses
And for parents who have children who ride the school bus, make sure your child knows their bus number for getting to school and back home.
This year, the Wake County Public School System made changes to its bus routes. In all, 52 routes were eliminated to deal with driver shortages.
RELATED: Some Wake County parents still have COVID concerns heading into school year
And some students will start the year without their permanent teacher in the classroom, but district reps told ABC11 that they are still hiring to fill vacancies.
WCPSS said nearly 97% of all teaching positions are filled. In Durham, there are approximately 141 teacher openings at the district's 55 schools.
"We're feeling pretty good," said Dr. Pascal Mubenga, superintendent of Durham Public Schools. "We're really excited. We're ready to open up our schools tomorrow. We may have averaged about two or three openings in every classrooms. But we have a plan how to cover those classrooms. We have some retirees that are coming back willing to help. So we are really ready, and we're feeling pretty good."
Parents who spoke with ABC11 said there is a mix of emotions as their child is preparing for the school year. There is a lot of excitement but a little anxiety.
RELATED: Durham Public Schools partners with Merck on new student resource
