[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by kpl1228

no, but they will give you a $5000 bonus for signing up with a Title 1 school. Not too shabby. Of course, there's Title 1 schools (middle class/working class with a mix of kids and a possibly rewarding school for the right teacher) and then there's other Title 1 schools (fights/drugs/misery). Do your homework on this and the schools. Finding this out currently during this process.....
Thanks all for helping me with your input so far. Excited about the possibilities, even though in other cities schools are named for Thomas Jefferson and Lincoln and Neil Armstrong and MLK. In Vegas, they're named after Andre Agassi and Jerry Tarkanian. Despite their positives, you gotta admit that's a bit of a dropoff from Honest Abe and TJ. Trying to keep an open mind, but it does make me smile!

Well, to be fair about the Agassi academy name- he did pretty much pay for that school.

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by C_A_Braun

Even the ones (and there are lots of them) like this dude - L.A. Unified alerted to possible sexual misconduct by Berndt in 1983 - LA Times who was caught spooning his semen onto homemade cookies and feeding them to his elementary students?

OK - you win. Feel better?

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by kpl1228

I am considering teaching in Vegas this fall. CONSIDERING it. I am fifty, male, no kids, very recently divorced (and no I'm not coming to Vegas because of a midlife crisis!)

Originally Posted by kpl1228

I'm amazed at school sizes. 2000 students for a middle school being the norm? Wow. This will be a change from my TINY high school where I know everyone and their parents....

I'm looking forward to possibly moving but hoping I can cope with the desert. I'm a midwest kid and now in the cooler temps of high elevation New Mexico...

OK, I'll bite. Why are you considering Las Vegas?

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by NLVgal

Well, to be fair about the Agassi academy name- he did pretty much pay for that school.

Agassi Prep is pretty unique. For example, they do pretty deep dives into the personal lives of students. I was quite impressed. Prior to donating to foundation that pays for the school, I spent time with administrators, faculty and random students. I'm pretty jaded when it comes to schools -- for example, my daughter graduated from a private school in Silicon Valley where 12% of the graduating class matriculates at MIT (it is the deep end of the gene pool). Even with that as my yardstick, Agassi Prep is amazing.

[kpl1228]

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

OK, I'll bite. Why are you considering Las Vegas?

Fair question. Living in a very rural part of New Mexico (moved to NM to be closer to the now-ex in-laws) and not a rural person at all. Tried moving back home to Ohio, but no teaching jobs despite hitting that VERY hard (85 candidates for one job I interviewed for--it's true.... you can't go home again...at least not to teach) and I saw the ad for teaching in Vegas. It appeals to the teacher in me that enjoys working somewhere different (I currently teach on a Indian reservation). It also gets me out of a place that as an urban person has little long-term appeal, and into a place where I can be social and see and do, to say the least.
At this point, after the divorce, and reading the City Data posts about Vegas, and nothing to do here all summer but listen to the wind and watch the Navajo farm goats walk around the staff housing, the idea of going somewhere new and hopping on the bike and making new friends and having a week jam-packed with possibilities sounds pretty good right about now. Call it a well-researched hunch. Not to mention there's a need. So large classes and big schools are a tradeoff, but the big picture over all has more benefit than cost. If they call in the next week or two, and based on my conversations with the district I'm betting they will, I'll be on my way asap.

[SportyandMisty]

Just one word of caution. You mention urban.

Las Vegas is not urban in the classic sense. Yes, the metropolitan area has about 2 million people, but it does not have an urban feel to it at all. Of course, there is a downtown, but Las Vegas does not have the type of urban vibrancy sought by those who like the urban lifestyle.

OK, make that two words of caution. You are teacher, so you are educated. Las Vegas is overwhelmingly a blue collar city. Not that there's anything wrong with that, as the saying goes. Probably 2/3 of employees here wear name tags. You may find that there are many students whose parents have no interest in encouraging their children to pursue higher it's education.

[photobuff42]

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

OK, make that two words of caution. You are teacher, so you are educated. Las Vegas is overwhelmingly a blue collar city. Not that there's anything wrong with that, as the saying goes. Probably 2/3 of employees here wear name tags. You may find that there are many students whose parents have no interest in encouraging their children to pursue higher it's education.

This is try. Vegas parents can be pretty hands off when it comes to their kids education. That includes their interest in discipline. Not true of all schools but some, especially in the core and East side of the city.

[photobuff42]

Originally Posted by 08grad

I can't believe that Special Education teachers aren't paid more than Physical Education teachers.

That Calculus/Physics opening will never exist.

One size fits all....

[Coney]

I researched the idea of teaching in CCSD extensively, mainly because they were hiring a lot of teachers, but also because I have friends in LV and family not far.

I was told that it's just as difficult to get a job in the "better schools" and you need connection, just as it is where I am currently. Most likely, I would end up in North Las Vegas, which to me, didn't seem as "bad" as the "bad" schools where I am currently, but still looked challenging. Teachers max out at a salary that is still quite below the starting salary for new grads where I am now. But the cost of living is of course lower. However, from talking to my friends who live there, it is still rather difficult for teachers to make ends meet, especially with entry level salaries and even for those who are at the top end, it's still rather hard to buy a home on a 50K salary without a partner.

CCSD limits how much service credit they will give to new teachers so you will not get credit for even 10 of your 20 year teaching history.

But for me, here was the deal breaker. I don't know about New Mexico, but Nevada teachers do not pay in to SS. That's ok if you are young and don't have a lot of work history. But if the OP is 50 and you have been paying into SS most of this time, you will not recoup all of it because of the 1984 SS Windfall act. You must research this very carefully, especially if you are married or were married for a significant number of years because this will have a HUGE impact on your ability to retire.In most other states, teachers are eligible for SS and they get either some sort of 401K or a state pension or a 403B, but they get both. Las Vegas teachers do pay for and get medicare, but not Social Security, which again, is ok for young teachers because they will have time to obtain enough service credit to get a significant portion of that pension, but if you are 50, you are not going to be working for the next 30 years and you will have to forfeit some of the money/credit that you already paid into the SS system. It may or may not impact your divorce agreement with your ex.

[08grad]

Originally Posted by Coney

I was told that it's just as difficult to get a job in the "better schools" and you need connection, just as it is where I am currently.

It's possible. With no connections, I received offers from several 10/10 rated schools. Have credentials and experience in high need areas (Special Education, Mathematics, or Science).

Originally Posted by Coney

Teachers max out at a salary that is still quite below the starting salary for new grads where I am now.

This was true, with a Bachelor's degree you could only max out at $51,401 on the old salary schedule, and $67,689 for a Master's or $69,189 with a Doctorate.

However with the new salary schedule, you can earn over 90,000/year.

http://ccsd.net/employees/resources/...ble-070116.pdf