CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Many school districts across North Carolina are continuing to deal with teacher vacancies. 

But some districts are in need of non-instructional staff, such as bus drivers and custodians: 

• Alamance-Burlington School System confirmed it needs at least 20 bus drivers 
• Wake County Public School System job opening site shows 38 openings for non-teaching support staff 
• Buncombe County Schools is looking to fill 21 transportation based jobs, according to it’s job opening site 

In Union County, the district says it’s looking to fill several vacancies in the custodial roles. 

Juan Fernandez, the custodial manager for Union County Public Schools, said custodians are key with helping to keep the schools safer for staff and students.

“The cleaning environment helps a lot with student and staff,” Fernandez said. “To come in and have the education, they need safety.” 

Fernandez says overall, the district has seen major improvements with filling positions, but it still need to hire numerous custodians

“We still have about 24 positions we need to fill, so we can have their floaters we need for when people are out or medical leave,” Fernandez said. “We need to have floaters to cover those spots when someone is out.” 

Fernandez is calling on qualified applicants to apply and join the custodial team and make a difference like his current employees are doing daily. 

“We ask for people who want to work with a positive attitude and willingness to work as a team,” Fernandez said. “Make this place safer for students and staff. There’s a saying ‘team UCPS.’ Everyone has to work as a team. The principals, the staff, we have to work as a team to have an impact on the students. That goes for every department.” 

Joshua McNeal is a lead custodian supervisor for UCPS.  

“A great job,” McNeal said. “I enjoy working here.”

Custodians like McNeal have kept school districts statewide safer, especially after the pandemic hit. 

“We all worked as a team,” McNeal said. “We wiped down tables, we did what we had to do to take care of our children. Sometimes, we be shorthanded and don’t have enough help but we always get it done. I love my job.”

Anyone interested in becoming a custodian is encouraged to apply on the UCPS website.