(NORTH LAS VEGAS) KTNV — Clark County School District students are back in class, and the district is rolling out new changes under its Destination District Strategic Plan with a focus on improving the classroom experience and helping students succeed.
WATCH | North Las Vegas reporter Jhovani Carrillo talked with a teacher and principal at J.D. Smith Middle School on the first day back:
At J.D. Smith Middle School in North Las Vegas, officials said they have only two teacher vacancies — down from eight last year. The reduction allows teachers to have more one-on-one time with students and focus on their academic success.
Monday morning, seventh-grade math teacher Nicole Kim officially welcomed her class to campus.
"We're in this together," Kim said. "Something I am most excited about this year is definitely building connections with the students."
Those connections start with having a licensed educator in every classroom. According to CCSD, 99% of teaching positions are filled this year across the district, with roughly 170 openings, down from 320 last school year.
Principal Hallie Loewy said the school will soon fill its remaining two vacancies.
"I know by the end of the week, I'll have that teacher hired also," Loewy said.
J.D. Smith is also making changes to give teachers more time with students, including a shift to block scheduling.
"We changed to block scheduling, so that means for me as a teacher, I have a little bit of a smaller class size, and I also get those extra minutes with them in the classrooms and our periods are a lot longer, so they are 80-minute periods instead of 50 minutes," Kim said.
School leaders are also working to strengthen students' reading, writing and math skills. With more time to teach, Kim is hopeful the changes will lead to better results.
"Sometimes we miss out on that Q&A period where the students get to ask these questions and where they may discover new methods of doing things," Kim said. "To be able to get deeper into that with the extended time, I think will be beneficial for all."
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