State faces shortage of home-grown teachers

Benjamin Grove

Monday, July 12, 1999 | 11:23 a.m.

Education officials fear a lack of state funding could derail their plan to produce more teachers at Nevada colleges and universities.

The plan was designed around a partnership among UNLV, the Community College of Southern Nevada and the Clark County School District. Officials said they needed $3 million from the Nevada Legislature to create and expand a host of programs that would produce more teachers.

In one program students would have attended two years of community college, then finish their teaching degrees in two years at UNLV, picking up classroom experience in Clark County schools along the way.

But the Legislature did not approve the money.

"We do want to help the school district," University Regent Mark Alden said. "But the Legislature has said (the programs) are not a necessity."

The 11-member Board of Regents plans to review the future of the partnership programs at 10 a.m. Tuesday at CCSN's West Charleston campus.

The district needs 1,500 to 1,600 new teachers each year. So far about 900 have been hired for the upcoming school year.

However, in recent years UNLV has produced only about 350 teachers. That's forced the district to recruit in 42 states.

That's why the university, college and school district officials got together to work out a plan to "grow more teachers at home."

"We need more produced in Nevada. They're the ones that are going to stay here," George Ann Rice, personnel director for the district, said. "As competition heats up for a dwindling number of candidates, we're not going to be able to compete. We're not going to be able to continue going outside (Nevada) to find 75 percent of our teachers."

Another issue the regents want to clear up: Just exactly how many teachers does the university turn out each year? Some confusion has surrounded the precise number.

"We need to know what is being produced to make sure we are on track," Regent Thalia Dondero said. "I really wanted to get an accurate number."

Last year, the university graduated at least 447 new teachers, Eileen McGarry, director of UNLV career services, said. McGarry said 390 of those landed jobs with the Clark County School District.

UNLV Provost Douglas Ferraro said this year the university produced about 600 new teachers, up significantly over last year.

"We believe we're on target," Ferraro said. "Our ability to stay on target is challenged by the fact that we did not get the Legislative allocation to support the teacher initiative."

District officials, who are still scrambling to hire at least 600 more teachers before school starts Aug. 23, say the university's graduation estimates seem high.

"I called them up and said, 'Where are you hiding them all?' " Rice said.