Slowed growth a relief for schools

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Monday, March 24, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Sam Morris

Bonnie Townsend, principal of Hal Smith Elementary School, interviews prospective teacher Brad Peck from Jackson Hole, Wyo., who likes the prospect of slower growth.

After years of being preoccupied with growth-related issues, the Clark County School District is anticipating a reprieve. When the student head count is taken in September, it’s expected to reflect the smallest annual percentage increase in enrollment since 1985.

From 2002 through 2006, enrollment grew by an average of 4 percent annually, turning Clark County into the nation’s fifth-largest school district. But last year brought just a 2 percent enrollment increase, half as many new students as officials had predicted.

This time around, the district says it is planning for 1.7 percent enrollment growth, or about 5,300 additional students. If the projection is right, the district’s enrollment will be 314,136.

Clark County Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes said that sounds great to him.

“Bigger is not always better,” he said. “As the growth slows, we need to seize on the opportunity to improve, shifting our focus from quantity to quality.”

For example, the district’s gifted and talented students have “long been underserved,” Rulffes said. He also wants more resources directed to English-language learners.

With slower growth, school attendance zone boundaries will likely stabilize, meaning fewer students will be reassigned time and time again to different campuses. The public agencies and nonprofit groups that provide students with everything from dental care to food and clothing will also get a chance to “catch up to the growth that’s already occurred,” Rulffes said.

Fewer new students also means fewer new teachers. The district is planning to add about 2,000 teachers by August, the smallest number of new hires since the 2002-03 academic year.

The estimate — based on enrollment projections and economic indicators — is preliminary, said Martha Tittle, the district’s chief human resources officer.

“There are so many uncertainties. But I think we should start low and increase the projection if necessary as we move into summer, rather than making the mistake of overstaffing,” Tittle said.

The growth slowdown may also help with teacher retention. It isn’t just the number of vacancies that hurts the district, but the fact that the newcomers often don’t stick around. Historically 50 percent of new teachers leave the district within five years, shortchanging the district on its expensive investment in their training.

If the number of new teachers needed decreases, the time and money that would have gone toward bringing rookies up to speed on the basics could be redirected to advanced professional development. In theory, that should improve not just the quality of instruction for the district’s students, but also the overall environment at schools.

“The district can use those resources to go to the next stage with the second- and third-year teachers, which is really essential in retaining them,” said Bob McCord, a professor of educational leadership at UNLV’s College of Education. “We don’t want to just induct the newcomers, we have to mentor them continuously if we want them to develop into strong professionals.”

Student enrollment predictions are used for more than teacher recruiting. Those figures are also a key factor in the $9.5 billion bond measure that will go before voters in November, with the district planning to build 73 schools.

In predicting enrollment, the district’s demographics office comes up with three scenarios: low, most likely and high. The need for 73 schools was based on an enrollment projection midway between the “low” and “most likely” scenarios, said Joyce Haldeman, the district’s associate superintendent of community and government relations.

The district’s bond funding comes from its share of sales, property and hotel room taxes, as well as vehicle registration fees. If the county experiences a surge in population, those revenues will rise accordingly. And that will give the district more money to build additional schools if necessary, Haldeman said.

“It’s a lot easier for us to predict a low number of schools than to end up building fewer than we promised,” Haldeman said. “That’s what is so terrific about the bond’s funding formula. If we end up needing even more new schools, the revenues come with the growth.”

If the lower enrollment growth trend holds, the schedule of renovation and replacement projects can be accelerated, said Paul Gerner, the district’s associate superintendent of facilities. The bond campaign calls for $500 million to be spent on “educational equity,” intended to bring older schools up to par with newer campuses.

While the facilities division looks to future construction, the search is already well under way for the 2,000 new teachers expected to be needed by August. The district is keeping a close eye on California, where more than 10,000 teachers received notices last week warning that a statewide budget crisis could cost them their jobs.

Having fewer new teachers to hire could also mean Clark County has to rely less on long-term substitutes. The district started the 2007-08 year with about 300 vacancies for classroom teachers and specialists.

“We might have a shot at getting everybody we need this time,” said Bonnie Townsend, principal of Hal Smith Elementary School and a volunteer recruiter for the district. “Wouldn’t that be great?”

On Thursday, Townsend was in an office at the Greer Education Center on Flamingo Road interviewing candidates in person and over the phone. The applicants came from as far away as Florida and Minnesota and from as near as Henderson.

The 10:15 a.m. interviewee was Brad Peck, in town from Jackson Hole, Wyo. Peck, who has worked in high-transiency districts in several Western states, said the possibility of slower growth makes Clark County only more attractive as a potential employer, even if it means fewer job openings for teachers such as himself.

When growth slows, “you have more continuity with faculty and staff,” Peck said. “If Las Vegas slows down, kids aren’t coming and going as much. That has a huge effect on their learning, if they’re moving from school to school. As a teacher, I hate to see that happen.”