LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — More than 600 teacher positions remain unfilled with days to go until kids head back to class in the Clark County School District.
CCSD Recruitment Director Steve Flak said the district is on a hiring spree to fill as many positions as possible before schools open.
"We call it the summer surge or the first-day push, if you will, to get the teachers who've already applied and accepted positions through the hiring process," he said. "So, there's quite a few of those vacancies that already have teachers going through the pipelines."
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Flak says the district is also recruiting substitute teachers to fill any vacancies on day one, and those subs could fill the positions long-term if no full-time teacher applies for and accepts the positions across the Las Vegas valley.
Flak said CCSD needs to cast a wide net in their recruitment efforts to fill every class.
"Local schools, colleges and universities don't produce enough for us to be able to make our needs," he said. "I mean, we have close to 19,000 teachers on staff."
The district is in a worse position for teacher staffing than last year when they went into the school year with 409 vacancies, but they've been fairing better than 2019 when more than 700 positions remained open on the first day of school.
Flak says the district also weighs heavily on the allure of Las Vegas to attract applicants from different states while focusing on teachers who have a passion for more than just the city.
"Success in education comes when you have a teacher who has a passion for the environment and for the students," he said.
CCSD is hosting a job fair as a final effort to fill classes from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at Western High School.
Flak says recruiters will be looking to hire teachers, administrators, support staff and more.
