Teacher vacancies drop in Washoe County and Carson City

Teacher vacancies are down significantly in Washoe County and Carson City school districts compared to previous years, but some of the hardest positions to fill remain open as students prepare to return to the classroom.

District leaders say hiring efforts have made a difference, but special education and other high-need areas continue to be a challenge.

Washoe County School District says it currently has about 50 open teacher positions heading into the new school year. Chief Human Resource Officer Doug Owen says the number can change quickly during the summer hiring period.

“So our vacancy count typically changes pretty rapidly right now, this time of year. But we're about 50 open teacher vacancies at the moment. About 30 of those are in our special education space, so we've got about 20 general educations,” Owen said.

While the number of openings is much lower than in previous years, some parents say even a small number of vacancies can still impact students.

One Washoe County parent says her child has gone without a dedicated P.E. or art teacher, leaving some specialty classes to be covered by classroom teachers.

The staffing challenge extends beyond Washoe County. Carson City School District leaders say they are entering the school year with just three paraprofessional vacancies.

Both districts say their vacancy numbers have improved dramatically compared to previous years. In Washoe County, teacher vacancies have dropped from nearly 300 openings a few years ago to about 50 today.

District leaders credit changes to the hiring process, including Assembly Bill 498, which streamlined certification requirements for out-of-state teachers looking to work in Nevada.

Owen says the change helped remove a barrier for potential applicants.

“So this was AB 498 in the 2025 session. And we pushed that through our board of trustees for approval because there was a barrier to entry for people that were out of state,” Owen said.

District leaders say filling vacancies is only part of the challenge. Keeping experienced educators in classrooms is just as important.

“You always want those certified teachers, the people under contract that we know are going to come in and have some consistency. And the consistency is probably the biggest thing,” Carstens said.

While teacher vacancies are down, districts say recruiting and retaining educators — especially in high-need areas like special education — remains a priority as the new school year begins.
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