Lidia Sibrian teachers a kindergarten class at Harley A Harmon Elementary School on the first day of school Monday, Aug. 8, 2022.
Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Related stories
Harley Harmon Elementary School started a new year Monday with a new campus, the newest classroom technology and a new kindergarten teacher developed from within its own ranks.
Lidia Sibrian is the kind of new teacher the Clark County School District wants.
Formerly a special education aide and substitute at Harmon, she took advantage of the UNLV Paraprofessional Pathways Project, a CCSD partner, to earn her full teaching certification.
Sibrian is soft-spoken and, she admitted, was nervous about her transition to certified, full-time teacher. But she was excited for her students, who had already largely mastered the art of sitting politely on the classroom rug.
“It’s a safe place for them and they’ll always be welcome here,” she said.
In a sunlight-drenched classroom in the $30 million building replacing the original 50-year-old Harmon campus off Hacienda Avenue in east Las Vegas, Sibrian prepped her pupils on how to responsibly use crayons – only on paper, not on the walls – before passing out coloring sheets.
Another special education aide, who is also a parent, will earn her teaching license from UNLV this year, Harmon Principal Shannon Schumm said.
“(We’re) growing our community and ensuring that community has ownership over the school,” Schumm said.
CCSD optimistically steps into the school year after a trying 2021-22, when school violence, School Board friction and a critical shortage of all staff, especially bus drivers and teachers, simultaneously gripped the nation’s fifth-largest school district.
Shining moments Monday at Harmon notwithstanding, at least one of those monumental hurdles – teacher staffing – remains. The school year started with 1,438 teacher openings districtwide.
Even though CCSD data shows that Matt Kelly Elementary School on the Historic Westside had the worst teacher vacancy as of this summer – at least 40% of its teacher positions were unfilled as of June; it still has 11 teacher spots open – local dignitaries continued the tradition of giving Kelly students a red-carpet welcome with high-fives, fist-bumps and gifts.
CCSD Superintendent Jesus Jara and State Superintendent Jhone Ebert, Gov. Steve Sisolak, Lt. Gov. Lisa Cano Burkhead, U.S. Reps. Susie Lee and Steven Horsford, former Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly and current Commissioner Will McCurdy, former Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, cops, firefighters, Raiderettes and more squeezed around the entrance of the school cafeteria to cheer on kids with backpacks down to their knees and hair in bows and pin-neat braids.
Kelly serves a largely working class neighborhood, but “every child in Nevada, regardless of their ZIP code or their parents’ bank account, deserves a quality education,” Sisolak told the welcoming squad. “We are committed to making that happen.”
Ebert noted that the state had set aside $20 million to pay education students for their student teaching and developed a high school career course for aspiring teachers. Retention, however, is “the big piece.”
“We have highly effective, great teachers in our state today,” she said. “We’ve got to make sure we retain them, making sure that they know their value.”
In a brief interview, Sisolak added that the shortage was both statewide and nationwide.
“It’s something that’s obviously got our attention,” he said. “Anything that affects our kids is concerning to me, whether it’s a shortage of teachers, shortage of bus drivers, school lunches.”
A major way to alleviate the shortage is, plainly, to pay teachers more, he said. CCSD has gotten started on that by raising the minimum pay to just over $50,000 for early-career teachers.
The money for more raises, especially for veteran teachers, would come from the Nevada Legislature, when it sets the state’s budget. The Legislature reconvenes in February.
“I think they’re as committed as I am to making sure that teachers are compensated fairly,” Sisolak said.
But first things first: another first day.
Some 291,893 students showed up to CCSD schools Monday, with more expected to enroll in coming weeks, Jara said. Buses made on-time arrivals 90% of the time, the substitute fill rate was a relatively strong 62.5%, and there were no major law enforcement incidents to report, he said.
The only incident to stand out, apparently, was a School District bus caught fire and was destroyed, but only the driver was aboard and nobody was injured, according to Nevada State Police.
The incident occurred about 12:30 p.m. Monday on the 215 Beltway, west of Hualapai Way after the driver had pulled over because of a mechanical issue, police said.
Other than that, Jara said,
“Great first day. A hundred and 79 more to go.”
