LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As Clark County School District students are return to school, the district is kicking off the new year with a teacher shortage. There are 750 classroom vacancies the district still needs to fill.
That means some students may be starting off their school year with a long-term substitute teacher.
CCSD says substitute receive training ahead of the school year, prepping them with the skills they need to be successful in the classroom until a full-time teacher fills the spot.
CCSD did hire 1,300 new teachers ahead of the school year.
Jennifer Harris, a Las Vegas native and University of Nevada Reno graduate, is one of them. She'll teach music to 600 students at Jenkins Elementary School.
"It's fun to give back to the community that raised me," Harris said.
Harris says money problems within the district has caused concern, knowing the arts is sometimes the first to go with budget cuts.
"It does make me a little nervous but I believe in music in schools, so I'll continue to fight for it," Harris added.
Four full-time CCSD recruiters have the job of convincing 750 more teachers that Clark County is the place for them.
"We're trying to tell people that this is a great place for you to live, this is a great place for you to raise a family," said Tya Mathis-Coleman, Director of Recruitment at CCSD.
Vacancies exist in high need areas- special education, elementary schools, math, and science.
CCSD recruiters say they continue to recruit year-round, traveling to universities and job fairs across the country.
Mathis-Coleman says it's difficult to convince teachers right out of college or teachers who are already settled in to leave everything they know and move to a new state.
