Senators greet gaggle of new teachers for Clark County

Friday, Aug. 15, 2003 | 11:11 a.m.

Nearly 700 teachers from 29 states filled the Cox Pavilion Thursday for lunch with Nevada's two senators -- a scene that will be repeated today for the other half of the school district's new hires.

In addition to Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev. and John Ensign, R-Nev., Gov. Kenny Guinn is scheduled to put in an appearance at the Clark County School District's luncheon this afternoon, which culminates three days of workshops and activities for new teachers.

"It's amazing that this is only half of them," Agustin Orci, deputy superintendent of instruction for the district, said Thursday as he gazed at the crowded tables set up in the pavilion. "You can say the numbers over and over, but until you're really looking at them you don't get the full impact."

The district still has about 200 teacher vacancies to fill by the start of school on Aug. 25. About 70 percent of the district's teachers come from out of state.

Shannon Smith, a first-year teacher from Idaho, followed her husband to Clark County.

Dan Smith joined the faculty at Durango High School teaching architecture after being laid off, his wife said. She stayed behind with their two children to finish her degree.

The Legislature's budget stalemate, which dragged on for five weeks and led school district officials to temporarily suspend hiring, was difficult to endure, Smith said.

"We'd moved everything out here, so it was scary having to wait and see whether I'd have a job or not," Smith said.

Valerie Hofheins, who has lived in Las Vegas since 1989, said she doesn't mind being the only local resident among the new teachers joining the faculty at Mojave High School.

"With everyone coming from somewhere else, there's plenty of variety and new ideas," said Hofheins, who will teach English. "People bring their experiences with them when they come here."

Special education teacher Denise Douchet, who came from Vancouver, Wash., to teach at Mojave, said the district has made her transition easy. She found an apartment through a special offer for teachers being made by Camden Properties, and several of her neighbors are also new to the district, Douchet said.

"Tuesday night, the night before we had to be here, I saw the U-Hauls pulling up, Alabama, Tennessee, California," Douchet said.

Benita Dillard, who last taught in Bakersfield, Calif., said the biggest change she's bracing for is the larger class sizes at Clark County schools. Dillard, who will teach math at Mojave, said in Bakersfield freshman classes were limited to 15 students while senior classes had no more than 25 students. At Mojave her classes will be up to 35 students, Dillard said.

"It will be a challenge, but I know I can do it," Dillard said.