In recent years, the educator shortage has been one of the most vexing issues facing Nevada. Vacant positions have impacted school districts across the state, compromising the basic operation of too many of our schools. As reported to the US Commission on Civil Rights earlier this year, Nevada had nearly 3,000 vacancies across just over 30,000 licensed employee positions. In addition to efforts on educator pay and workplace issues like class sizes and safety, NSEA believes teacher apprenticeships play a critical role in addressing the educator shortage.
Meanwhile, it is important to keep in mind that Nevada has one of the most diverse student populations in the nation but a teaching workforce that does not reflect the diversity of students. Efforts like UNLV’s Paraprofessional Pathways Project not only provide career advancement opportunities to school support professionals, they also add diversity to Nevada’s teacher workforce.
Related to the creation of an apprenticeship license, NSEA is seeking to develop a program to identify and train teacher mentors, providing new opportunities for veteran teachers, while improving the quality of teacher apprenticeships. We believe the expanded timeframe of the apprenticeship license will provide for a better apprenticeship experience. Meaningful mentorships will improve morale and retention for teacher mentors and apprentices alike. NSEA appreciates the Department’s work on this issue and encourages this Commission to adopt the regulation.
