Efforts to recruit 400 teachers to Cincinnati Public Schools have netted 800 applicants so far, district officials said Wednesday.

        As plans for an employer-based home ownership program were announced as yet another recruitment tool, Deborah Heater, human resources director, said her office is now conducting 35 to 40 interviews a day.

        The districts needs 150 K-3 teachers to reduce teacher-student ratios and another 250 to replace teachers lost in annual turnover.

        For the first time, the district is offering $2,000 signing bonuses to teachers in shortage areas of math, science and special education. Teachers moving from out of state can qualify for a salary ad vance.

        The bonuses were offered after recruiters went to a job fair in Tallahassee, Fla., and “no one would talk to us,” Ms. Heater said.

        Job fairs, online recruitment and advertisements in newspapers, magazines and on radio also helped spread the word about Cincinnati teaching jobs.

        Cincinnati's efforts are not extraordinary.

        Boston schools offer a $20,000 signing bonus, paid out over four years. Other district's offer an extra $10,000 to new teachers.

        Cleveland school officials traveled to India last month to recruit science and math teachers.
       

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