College students will be ‘teacher residents’ at some CCSD schools
The Clark County School District and Nevada State University are creating a new internship program that will place “teacher residents” at high-needs Las Vegas Valley elementary schools.
The School Board approved a one-year agreement during a meeting Thursday as part of its consent agenda.
The nation’s fifth-largest school district has more than 1,100 classroom teacher vacancies. District officials have said it’s particularly challenging to recruit teachers in the valley’s “urban core.”
In a statement Monday, Nevada State University said it’s proud to partner with the district on “another opportunity to support new teachers and address the teacher shortage in our region.”
“Through this new agreement, support provided to teacher residents, both financially and through professional mentorship, will undoubtedly lead to substantial, real-world classroom experience while they continue toward their degree and becoming full-time teachers in the district,” the university said.
The agreement took effect Friday and continues throughout this school year. It’s unclear when Nevada State students will begin their internships and how many are being selected.
Teacher residents will have a substitute teaching license and work at campuses within The Transformation Network, 23 elementary schools that are getting extra academic support from the district.
Those schools are: Booker, Clyde Cox, Dearing, Dickens, Duncan, Ira Earl, Harmon, Herr, Jeffers, Kelly, King, Long, Lunt, Lynch, Perkins, Petersen, Hal Smith, Tartan, Thomas, Thorpe, Wilhelm, Wendell Williams and Wynn.
Teacher residents will be paid $250 per day — more than other substitute teachers.
The district typically pays between $110 to $200 per day for substitute teachers, depending on factors such as the length of assignment, if it’s a Title I school with a high poverty rate or special education position.
The agreement says those selected for the internship will be referred to as a “teacher resident” — not a long-term substitute, first-year teacher or student teacher.
Nevada State interns will work closely with on-site school mentors and highly experienced teachers, the agreement says.
If teacher residents aren’t successful “for reasons other than misconduct,” they’ll be returned to a student teacher assignment, according to the agreement.
Education support professionals and administrators at The Transformation Network schools are receiving a bonus this school year. Teachers aren’t, though, since there’s no agreement between the district and Clark County Education Association for similar incentives.
Nevada State has partnered with the district on other projects. That includes a December 2022 agreement where the district pays tuition and fees for participating students to finish their bachelor’s degree in education.
Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on X.
