Some positions still open as school year looms

To fill a number of positions available at the Mineral County School District before kids go back to school on August 22, the District held a job fair last Friday, August 5 at its administrative offices from 8-10 a.m. Only a few people showed up, as the MCSD is feeling the effects of the wide range shortage of teachers.

“It’s a challenge to find locally qualified teachers. It’s not only a statewide issue but there’s a national shortage, maybe because of the pandemic,” says MCSD Superintendent Andre Ponder.

Even in 2019 before the pandemic, the Economic Policy Institute estimated that the United States would need 300,000 more educators to fill the demand by 2024. COVID-19 widened the gap as more teachers retired or quit in the past two years. In Nevada alone, around 3,000 teaching jobs were still unfilled across its 17 school districts as of August 7.

To compensate for the lack of local candidates applying for certified educator positions within Mineral County, the MCSD has been working with an international recruiting firm to fill teacher positions with those on J1 visas from the Philippines. As of August 9, there were at least 15 open positions within the MCSD.

“For the most part we’ve filled those certified staff positions,” Ponder says. Along with certified teacher positions, Ponder encourages anyone local who has the time to consider applying for a transportation/bus driver position, paraprofessional, substitute teacher, and there are a number of grant positions open.

Ponder reiterates that working at the District is ideal for those who want to take on the task of making the best-informed decisions in the best interest of the students and shape the quality of education that students receive in Mineral County.

Now that he’s a year into his role as superintendent of MCSD, Ponder says that it’s come with its share of challenges but he’s looking forward to the long haul.

When asked if things are looking up post-pandemic, Ponder responds, “School starts on August 22. I’m optimistic about going into the school year. As long as we’re keeping the best interest of students in mind, it will get better. I’m excited about the upcoming school year and working with the stakeholders in welcoming kids back to campus.”