CCSD plans to declare critical labor shortage amid 1K+ teacher vacancies

Joshua Peguero
·2 min read
9

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The Clark County School District is taking action to stop the flow of teachers from exiting the district.

As of February of this year, the district has 1,316 teacher vacancies. CCSD entered the school year with 1,131 openings.

The CCSD Board of Trustees is planning to declare a critical labor shortage with less than 20 school days left.

“It’s really upsetting because when you think about it, that means that there are still over 35,000 students without a licensed educator in front of them,” Clark County Education Association President Marie Neisess said.

According to CCSD data on vacancies, there are currently 389 openings for elementary teachers and 272 for special education.

Neisess said she warned that the district educators were planning to leave amid contentious contract negotiations.

CCSD and CCEA agreed on a historic deal in December.

“We are wanting to be optimistic of the new salary schedule,” Neisses said. “It’s highly competitive. In the fall, it will be closer to $60,000 and the high end $142,000. We’re hoping that retains some of our educators, as well as recruits other educators from across the nation.”

8 News Now previously reported that Title I schools in North Las Vegas had the highest number of vacancies entering the 2024/2023 school year.

Cheyenne High School had 30; Johnston Middle School had 25; and Swainston Middle School at 18.

CCSD is seeking to hire retired teachers to help with filling the openings, and Nevada Revised Statute 286.523 allows them to do that, if they declare a critical labor shortage.

According to the district, it’s also having a hard time attracting and retaining substitutes.

“I love most of the things about teaching but I really enjoy working with the kids,” Mark Nekoba said.

Nekoba recently retired from Gunderson Middle School. He said his license doesn’t expire for another 10 years, and this declaration may end up helping him.

“I’ve been out of it for six months, I’m just itching to get back in. Preferably here, and if not here, then somewhere else. Maybe a different state,” Nekoba said.

If trustees approve declaring a critical labor shortage at Thursday’s school board meeting, it will last until June 2026.

Below is a list of the positions with the highest vacancies, according to the district.

  • Science – 86

  • Math – 101

  • Pre-Kindergarten – 190

  • Special Education – 272

  • Elementary – 389

CCSD provided 8 News Now with a statement on the vacancies.

“Due to the nationwide teacher shortage impacting school districts, the Clark County School District (CCSD) utilizes creative recruitment strategies to recruit, hire, and retain qualified candidates to fill vacancies.

The critical labor shortage waiver allows recently retired personnel to return to the classroom to begin serving in those positions without delay. These efforts eliminate hiring barriers for qualified educators looking to return to the profession after retiring. Potential candidates will undergo the traditional hiring process including background checks.“

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