Columnist Bill Hanlon: Recruiting teachers hard job for Clark County School District

Bill Hanlon

Saturday, Sept. 26, 1998 | 10:24 a.m.

THE CLARK COUNTY School District is known around some parts of the nation as a predator district because of its need to hire more teachers. The question is: With knowledge of a pending teacher shortage in key areas nationwide, can Clark County successfully compete for new teachers?

While the district puts the best face on its ability to hire the cream of the crop, there is clear acknowledgement that a crisis is developing. The district has three or four applicants for every job. Therefore, there is an assumption that the district has choice. But the district is finding the applicants have a greater choice, and it is seeing an increase in the number of applicants not accepting contracts.

Teachers have become a hot commodity across the nation, especially in the areas of math, science, special education and second languages. To hire the best, districts and states are trying to woo the best with money as an incentive.

In Dallas, the district paid each of its 900 recruits a $1,500 signing bonus. Can Nevada or the Clark County School District compete?

Across the United States, teachers are receiving higher salaries, bonuses, housing assistance, low-interest loans or student loans.

States and local districts are scrambling to find ways to attract and retain teachers. It's been projected that schools will need to hire 2 million new teachers over the next 10 years.

With the valley's growth, the district currently has a teacher shortage that is sure to grow. Why would prospective teachers from Texas come to Las Vegas when they can earn $2,500 more per year and pick up another $1,500 as a signing bonus?

As part of an incentive program in Baltimore, new teachers can receive $5,000 toward closing costs on a home within the city and $1,200 in moving costs. And yes, teacher salaries increased. Other states offer to pay the $2,000 to $3,000 cost of becoming nationally certified. And, if they become nationally certified, they get up to $5,000 as a bonus or a increased salary.

Nevada's relatively low salaries, overcrowded schools and a statewide testing frenzy is making Las Vegas a less attractive place. The number of tests that new teachers have to take in the first couple of years might also be making the recruiter's job more difficult.

UNLV has been asked to step up production of new teachers from the 400 it currently graduates to 1,200 a year. That will take a few years to accomplish. The district, university and community college are working hard to find alternative ways to get people into teaching. But once they are in the field, the community has to find ways to keep them there. It's been estimated nationwide that 51 percent of new teachers leave the profession within five years.

With a changing market, the Legislature is going to have to come up with more dollars for teacher salaries and incentives so that Clark County can successfully compete for new teachers.

Rather than putting the best face on this situation -- especially knowing student achievement is closely tied to teacher preparation -- students and the school district will be better served by telling the public that the district is finding it more difficult to compete for new teachers.