‘It’s pretty appalling’: Nevada struggles with teacher absenteeism, report finds

By Ian Whitaker

Thursday, June 30, 2016 | 2 a.m.

Nevada’s long-running battle against student truancy is well known, but should we also be concerned about teachers missing class?

According to new research by the Education Week Research Center, Nevada has one of the highest rates of teacher absences in the country.

As much as 49 percent of teachers in the Silver State miss 10 or more days during the school year, the second highest number of absences of any state. Hawaii comes in first, with 75 percent of its teachers taking 10 or more days off. The national average is around 25 percent.

Teacher absences can have ripple effects in schools forced to find less effective substitutes. A study done several years ago by researchers in Harvard's Graduate School of Education suggested that student test scores suffer measurably if a teacher is absent more than 10 days.

“It’s pretty appalling,” said Kate Walsh, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality. “You’re talking about a district that’s already under a huge strain.”

The problem is magnified by Clark County School District's debilitating teacher shortage, but it’s not uncommon. A 2013 study by the NCTQ found that teachers in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Nashville, Tenn.; and Portland, Ore., were absent more than 11 days on average. On the other hand, teachers in cities like Indianapolis, Washington, D.C., and Louisville were only absent an average of six days.

Interestingly, neighboring states to Nevada have relatively low rates of teacher absenteeism. Utah has the lowest rate at 16 percent.

Experts haven’t pinned down exactly what causes the disparity, but some have looked to the amount of leave offered by school districts. Clark and Washoe counties offer around 15 sick days per year, five more than the national average of 10. Under their negotiated contract, CCSD teachers who abuse sick leave can be subject to discipline, but Walsh said regulations like these are rarely followed.

“I promise you that teachers use them all the time for a personal day,” she said.

On the other hand, administrators claim it’s necessary to make sure teachers don’t exacerbate any illnesses they caught at school. After all, getting sick is not uncommon when you spend most of your week working with kids.

“Ideally you want the teacher to be there every day of the year,” said Andre Long, a human resources chief at CCSD. “The goal is not to use all 15 sick days.”

Yet many seem to do just that. In fact, teachers in general are absent at a higher rate than their peers working in the private sector.

“You have to be fair. It’s a different job. If you’re a teacher and you’re not feeling well and you’re going to face 25 kids all day, it’s a different standard,” Walsh said. “The problem with that is … why is it that in some districts, like Indianapolis, teachers come to work every day, while in Cleveland it’s appalling?”

As far as experts can tell, much of the difference comes down to the culture in schools. If principals and teachers in a given school district expect that they will be able to take more days off, they will be much less likely to see it as a problem than those in a school district that looks down on absences.

The Clark County School District, fifth largest in the country, does have safeguards to keep teachers from abusing sick days, Long said.

“There’s some checks and balances on that,” he said. “If a principal is watching the use of sick leave in their building, they are able to monitor if it is being abused.”

Violators can be reported to a sick-leave committee, who can dole out punishments if an employee is found to have abused the system.

Ultimately, the onus may be on districts to set the standard by demanding principals enforce the rules more stringently.

“There is clearly something districts can do,” Walsh said.