| "What happens in Vegas stays in | | | | to their normal workload; that will take time |
| Vegas"…is the most recent slogan to | | | | away from lesson planning. |
| come out from the city, enticing tourists to | | | | |
| come out and cut loose. Unfortunately, Las | | | | The school district will have to find more |
| Vegas Schools are struggling, while the | | | | teachers using creative recruiting |
| casinos enjoy seemingly limitless profits. | | | | techniques. The number of applications is |
| In fact, most Nevada tax dollars actually go | | | | down by a third from last year, and Las Vegas |
| to the casinos! Not only do the Las Vegas | | | | Schools have almost twice the number of |
| Schools struggle on a meager budget, but they | | | | teaching positions still to fill. |
| also struggle consistently to recruit and | | | | |
| keep teachers. These folks, understandably, | | | | The Las Vegas Schools superintendent Walt |
| are the lifeblood of any school system. | | | | Rulffes said, "Everything revolves around the |
| Without the teachers, the students have no | | | | success of a good teacher." |
| guidance in their learning. Without the | | | | |
| teachers, the city's 215,000 children would | | | | The superintendent believes that quality |
| have no school. | | | | teachers anchor all of his educational |
| | | | initiatives. Rulffes claims he has done |
| The Las Vegas Schools recently made a public | | | | everything he can to attract teachers - even |
| plea for teachers. The school district needs | | | | partnering with national programs. In fact, |
| 1,163 teachers to fill vacancies before | | | | many Las Vegas Schools have teams of |
| August 2007. That is almost twice the number | | | | principals in cities that are downsizing |
| the district needed last year. There are not | | | | their teaching staff, hoping to draw those |
| many options if the vacancies are not filled. | | | | teachers to Las Vegas Schools. The group was |
| | | | recently in Detroit, a school district that |
| Fewer teachers means that the Las Vegas | | | | is seeing a major decrease in its student |
| Schools will have to increase class sizes. | | | | population. They are, therefore, dealing with |
| Another solution would be to require some | | | | the task of eliminating instructional |
| teachers to teach second classes in addition | | | | positions, and those teachers need jobs. |