School district goes after retirees

Terry Webster

Thursday, June 28, 2001 | 9:53 a.m.

With a teacher shortage looming for the fall semester, retired teachers are being recruited to return to classrooms in the Clark County School District.

School officials said about 150 retired teachers this week were briefed on a plan to allow them to teach at a salary comparable to what they earned before leaving the district.

And they will be able to continue to collect their full retirement.

Teachers in areas that lack qualified candidates -- such as math, physical science, special education and bilingual education -- are eligible for the plan under a law approved by the 2001 Legislature. By August the district will identify to the state the subject areas in which more teachers are needed. Bringing back retired teachers is just one tool the district is using to ward off the projected fall teacher shortage.

"We're continuing to work hard," said GeorgeAnn Rice, assistant superintendent for human resources.

Rice also recently completed an outreach effort to enroll stay-at-home parents with bachelor's degrees in a training program to become certified teachers. About 80 candidates are lined up to enter the program and will be eligible to teach next year.

At present, the district has made 1,221 offers of employment to teacher candidates and has received 224 rejections, Rice said. About 1,000 teacher candidates have agreed to work in the district, which needs more than 1,600 new teachers for fall.

Another new state law for hiring teachers, which provides for a $2,000 signing bonus, also is being employed by the district.

The candidates already signed up have been notified they will be receiving the bonus, plus letters are being sent out to candidates being offered jobs.

"We're very hopeful it's going to help," Rice said.

The Clark County Education Association, the teachers'union, has been critical of the state's efforts to provide bonuses instead of providing increases on the salary scale.