Where’s the best place to look for an aspiring teacher? These days, school leaders are launching talent searches inside their own buildings. In Nevada, districts are increasingly turning to their support staff members – such as bus drivers, substitute teachers, cafeteria workers – as possible recruits.

In abandoning script, are we sacrificing a piece of identity?

Las Vegas loves its sports teams. The WNBA’s Aces arrived from San Antonio, Texas. We welcomed the Raiders, and soon-to-be Las Vegas A’s from Oakland. But the Vegas Golden Knights are Vegas-born, and their birth certificate was forged in our community’s darkest hours.

The Clark County School District is hoping retired teachers can help fill some of their 1,000-plus teaching vacancies. According to data from the district, there are 1,316 teacher vacancies as of February of this year. That includes 389 openings for elementary teachers and 303 for special education professionals.

Combining the education of children with that of future professionals is the perfect combination for the practice of UNLV philosophy students who have a joint preschool program on campus where they encourage children under 5 years old to do or think about big questions and interact with the world around them daily.

A fast-track program through UNLV is working to fill teacher vacancies in Nevada ahead of the next school year. It’s called the Paraprofessionals Pathways Project, and its open to school aids, bus drivers, and other teacher support staff. Since the program started around four years ago, it’s seen 160 graduates. All but six of those graduates have stayed in Nevada, which UNLV’s Communications, Outreach and Engagement Coordinator Kelsey Claus says isn’t required after graduation.