Josh Peterson

By Nadia Ramlagan, TN Public News Service

The coronavirus pandemic has altered the teacher recruitment and hiring process, and to help connect school districts with job seekers, the state has created an online platform to speed things up.

It’s called the Tennessee Teacher Jobs Connection.

Commissioner Penny Schwinn with the state Department of Education says teachers now can submit their information online and have it sent directly to districts with openings. She says she hopes the platform will aid rural areas, which struggled to recruit educators even before the pandemic.

“We know in our rural communities it can be more challenging to find teachers, especially in those hard-to-staff positions of science, and math and special education,” Schwinn states. “And so, when you think about making sure every child has access to an excellent education, if they don’t have that critical teacher in the building, then our rural schools and communities are having to move teachers around.”

Schwinn says all 147 districts in the state will receive submissions from job candidates on a weekly basis. Interested schools will then contact applicants directly to discuss opportunities and request more information.

Traditionally, Schwinn says, job-seekers had to search for schools with openings and travel to those locations, which is now a less likely option with social distancing requirements.

Teachers can bypass those steps using the Jobs Connection.

“It allows teachers to get their information to districts, and districts to know which teachers are available to make hiring a lot more efficient, especially in this digital and distance format,” Schwinn points out.

Tennessee currently employs more than 65,000 public school teachers, and hires hundreds of new educators and staff each year.

)Last week, Duck River Electric Membership Corporation shared a portion of the $60,000 Project HELP contribution with the Coffee County Good Samaritan Association to assist members struggling to pay electric bills amid the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Duck River donated $30,000, matched by $30,000 from TVA.

For three decades, DREMC’s Project HELP program has assisted many members who were unable to pay their electric bills, and the program continues to help those in need.

(Pictured at the check presentation are, from left, DREMC President and CEO Scott Spence, Coffee County Good Samaritan Association Director Fay Jones and DREMC Manchester District Office Supervisor Janet Layne.)

Poll workers are needed for the upcoming Aug. 6 elections here in Coffee County.

The Aug. 6 election consists of state and federal primaries, as well as the county general election and municipal elections for Tullahoma and Manchester.

Poll officials perform tasks such as greeting voters, answering questions, processing voters, explaining how to cast ballots and counting votes. Regardless of your political affiliation, any voter is eligible to apply. You must be a registered voter at least 18 years old, not be a candidate or relative of a candidate, be able to read and write in English. Poll officials are compensated for working during early voting and on election day.

To sign up, visit www.coffeecountyelectioncommission.com or email votecoffee@coffeecountytn.org

The Winchester Police Department is requesting assistance in identifying the individuals in the photos below. The vehicle they were in is in the attached photos, also. If you recognize the subjects please contact Detective Ryan Fuller with the Winchester Police Department at 931-967-3840. Anonymous tips can also be made to Crime Stoppers 931-962-INFO(4636).