LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) -Nevada has the worst teacher shortage in the country. That’s the finding of a new report. What can be done to help and attract more teachers to the state? FOX5 took those questions to the Nevada Department of Education.
“The teacher shortage is not only affecting Washoe and Clark but the rural districts as well,” revealed Christy McGill, Deputy Superintendent of the Nevada Department of Education. For the 2023-24 school year, there are about 25 students per each teacher in Nevada. In Alaska, at the bottom of the top 10, it’s about 19 students per teacher. Vermont, which has the best teacher-to-student ratio in the nation, it is down to 10 students per teacher.
ProCare Therapy, a school therapy and teacher staffing agency, conducted the analysis using data from the US Census Bureau, US Bureau of Labor Statistics and US Department of Education.
We are all really concerned about the teacher pipeline and shortage…here in Nevada we are really doing everything we can,” McGill contended. McGill explained the state is working with districts to change the statistics.
“If there is a person who want to become a teacher…we have a pathway for them that won’t cost them much and is much quicker than people think,” stated McGill. For students who want to become teachers, the state is offering scholarship and loan repayments. To keep teachers from leaving Nevada, the state allocated more money for teacher salaries and support programs. In order to solve the teacher shortage problem, McGill argues members of the community must also step up.
“Let’s say you are walking around, you have bachelors in math, and you are thinking that you want to become a teacher. There is a pathway. It is called our alternative licensing pathway…we can get you in the classroom, get you paid while you are taking those teacher prep classes,” McGill explained.
The teacher shortage isn’t just a Nevada problem, it is nationwide. Even Vermont is still looking for teachers. The Economic Policy Institute projects it will only get worse. They project the US will be roughly 200,000 public school teachers short by the 2025-26 school year.
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