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Minority Recruitment Committee Meeting <br />August 7, 1999 <br />Page 5 <br />it may be that they should start talking about recruitment in the schools <br />and encouraging vocational kinds of careers by placing more emphasis <br />on that. It may be something that we can start doing earlier on in the <br />schools like making firemen more visible in that area, and she pointed <br />out that there are police officers at the schools, and that may have <br />been good for recruitment in the Police Department. <br />Chairman Fisher pointed out that other entities are having the same <br />problems with hiring minorities as the City of Paris, and after talking to <br />members of the Texas Municipal League, GOC, and to black people and <br />everyone is having these same problems. Councilwoman Fisher said <br />it was her opinion that the City of Paris is going to have to hire a <br />recruiter and go out and get one person at a time. That the City might <br />have to pay relocation fees along with moving fees to get a qualified <br />minority for some of these positions. <br />Mr. High stated that the problem is one of supply and demand. That at <br />one time they simply looked for qualified minorities applicants, but now <br />they are looking for minorities applicants period. Mr. High said at <br />PISD their recruitment efforts represent visits to 100 colleges and <br />universities. They have their own website where applicants are able to <br />apply over the phone. They offer study guides once they find those <br />people to make them qualified for the position for which they are <br />applying. Mr. High said they go to job fairs and there are those in the <br />areas that they take advantage of such as Jarvis, Wylie, and Texas <br />College, and when the district goes the Plano Fire Department is there <br />Tyler Fire Department is there, and there are various and sundry fire <br />departments from this area. There are also EMS representatives from <br />this area such as Marshall, Longview and Tyler. Mr. High said there is <br />not a great amount of expense in doing this, but he did not see the City <br />of Paris. Mr. High stressed the need to recognize the fact that if you <br />are going to encourage and hire minorities, you have to go get out <br />there and find them, and you have got to encourage them to make <br />application. You will have to supply study guides to get them ready for <br />the civil service test, and to even supply a tutor for those applicants. <br />Mr. High produced a typical recruitment package that they take with <br />them to the job fairs. Mr. High pointed out that kids like favors and <br />