LETTER: School district makes great strides in recruitment

We welcome the Review-Journal’s praise of the hard work done by the Clark County School District’s Human Resources Department in your July 16 editorial.

Due to the work of HR recruiters, the district had a net gain of 450 licensed educators during the 2022-2023 school year, hiring a total of 2,171 licensed employees.

However, the editorial failed to complete its own research on teacher separations, choosing instead to utilize false claims from a bargaining unit with ulterior motives. District HR data shows a total of 1,721 licensed employees left the district in 2022-23. One-third of those (584) left because they were dedicated educators who taught the children of Southern Nevada for decades to earn their retirement, and we thank them for their commitment. Removing the retirees, the district noted 1,137 departures. Not including retirees, the district’s attrition rate has averaged 6.3 percent over the past five years.

Both pre- and post-retirement attrition numbers are in line with pre-pandemic numbers for the district — and in line with rates experienced by most industries. As most employers will tell you, the fluctuating turnover rate is the new normal in today’s economy. The public has to remember that while our teachers are committed to the students of Clark County, they are human and have lives outside the classroom. More than half of those who left, for reasons other than retirement, did so for personal reasons including moving out of the county and/or state, for medical needs or family needs.

This isn’t to minimize the need for licensed teachers. The district is actively recruiting for every licensed educator that school principals create in their school budgets. Most are creating additional positions every year in an effort to meet student needs and parent demand for smaller classrooms. While the district praises those efforts, officials are working to address issues that lead to vacancies at schools in some of Clark County’s most underserved neighborhoods. While HR continues to recruit at a record pace, the district does not have the power under state law to assign teachers to schools, and the ultimate decision on work location is up to the incoming educator and the school principal.

The district surveys each teacher upon their resignation and what our data shows doesn’t align with what this editorial wants people in our community to believe about teachers. Our educators go above and beyond each day to not only teach the children of this community but to also mentor and guide them. When they commit decades of their lives to children, we applaud them for retiring.