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CMS hiring teachers, bus drivers, food service personnel and more ahead of Camp CMS

The school district is offering bonuses to teachers for the summer program.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) is staffing up ahead of the start of Camp CMS on June 14.

According to the school district, Camp CMS is a free, full-day summer experience for K-12 students with in-person learning Monday through Thursday, plus physical activities and enrichment.

It will also offer in-person social-emotional and instructional support to CMS students who need continued learning due to the impact of remote learning.

The district held a career fair from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Spaugh Administration Center, looking for teachers, bus drivers, food service personnel, and support staff positions.

CMS is hiring approximately 2,300 teachers for Camp CMS to teach major content and special areas of enrichment, such as art, music, and PE.

As of Tuesday morning, the district had already hired almost 2,200 teachers.

Jazmin Love, who was a teacher’s assistant at a high school this past school year, said she was hired to teach elementary school art at Camp CMS.

"I think they [students] need art. They need PE,” Love said. “I think they need any of those extracurriculars cause everyone's not into the same thing, but it is a way for them to express themselves."

Love said she saw the frustration and challenges students faced with virtual learning over the past school year and wants to be part of the solution to energize students to keep learning.

"If they really know that someone is rooting for them, they're genuine and supportive in their learning, then I think that'll give them all the push that they need to get everything done,” Love said.

Dr. Catherine Ohmstede, a pediatrician at Dilworth Pediatrics and physician leader at Novant Health, said the last school year has been a challenge for some parents and students.

"A lot of children did fall behind this year,” Ohmstede said. “It was very hard to adapt to virtual learning or hybrid learning, and for a lot of children going back and forth disrupted their routine in a way that was very hard to find consistency and to learn."

Ohmstede said parents face a tough decision choosing whether or not to send their child to summer school, with some students needing to catch up in the classroom and some needing a break till the fall.

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“I would encourage parents to really think about why their child might have fallen behind and talk to their child about what they feel like would be the best way for them to be successful in the coming school year,” Ohmstede said.

No matter what parents choose for their child, Ohmstede said balance will be key in preparing students for the fall semester.

"I think the most important things about this summer will be to know your child and ask your child what they need and make sure you're meeting them where they are,” Ohmstede said, “to strive for balance between learning and fun and to make sure we continue learning all summer long."

Camp CMS will run June 14 through July 29 with a one-week break between July 5 and 9.

CMS is offering teachers a $1,200 bonus for three weeks or a $2,500 bonus for six weeks, in addition to a teacher’s regular state rate of pay.

Contact Kendall Morris at kmorris2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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