Bonus for teachers has its opponents

Terry Webster

Monday, May 7, 2001 | 10:23 a.m.

Clark County School District officials say they will welcome any help in the district's teacher recruiting efforts.

But some question whether Gov. Kenny Guinn's proposed $2,000 signing bonus for teachers will be enough to keep new instructors in Clark County.

Calling teacher recruitment the biggest crisis in education, Guinn proposed offering a $2,000 bonus for those coming to Nevada for the coming school year, with possible $2,500 recruitment bonuses the next year.

Clark County needs to hire between 1,600 and 2,000 teachers for next year. School officials could not say how many have been hired so far.

"We've made some early offers, but I do not have the numbers yet," said Lina Jutierrez, executive director of licensed personnel.

Jutierrez said the signing incentives will make Clark County more competitive with other large districts that are offering bonuses and other perks to lure teachers.

"Any type of aid will help," she said.

Yet questions are being raised about the long-term effectiveness of signing bonuses.

"From what I've gleaned from signing bonuses, they are effective in the front end for dealing with teacher shortages," said Celia Lose, spokeswoman for the American Federation of Teachers in Washington, D.C. "But they don't necessarily bring in fully certified or qualified teachers. And they don't really help in retaining teachers."

To keep good teachers, Lose said, districts need to look at other concerns, such as teaching and learning conditions in schools and providing adequate training and supplies.

"Signing bonuses are short-sighted," she said.

Her sentiments are echoed by Nevada's state and local teacher unions.

"First of all, I don't understand where (Guinn) is going to get the money," said Sue Strand, president of the Clark County Education Association, the teachers' union.

Guinn and the Legislature need to cut $121.5 million from the state budget to offset a revenue shortfall. The governor has said that the 4 percent to 5 percent one-time bonus for current teachers will remain in the budget. The average amount for that bonus also is $2,000. The state budget has to be finalized before the Legislature adjourns June 5.

"If the salaries were worthwhile in the first place, we wouldn't need to offer incentives," Strand said. "We need to be working on ways to keep teachers here. This is just goofy."