CCSD declares reduction in force for licensed personnel

"On Wednesday, April 15, and Thursday, April 16, 2026, the Human Resources (HR) Unit conducted the Licensed Personnel Involuntary Transfer (Surplus) meetings for employees identified for surplus from their current positions. Unfortunately, 244 licensed employees were unable to secure a position at that time. 

Since then, HR has been working closely with the Clark County Education Association (CCEA) to place qualified employees into new vacancies. Through that work, we have reduced the number of surplus licensed employees from 244 to 62.Unfortunately, at this point in time, there is not a position for all 62 remaining licensed professionals in their licensure field. Therefore, the Clark County School District (CCSD) is declaring a Reduction in Force (RIF).


We want to emphasize that CCSD is committed to supporting every employee involved in the RIF process. We will adhere to the RIF provisions mandated by NRS 288.151 and set forth in the CCEA Negotiated Agreement. You can view a video outlining the process here: RIF Video. [docs.google.com]


Additionally, we want all licensed employees to know that we have 358 current open licensed positions, primarily in special education and autism. If you do not have the requisite special education endorsement, you may be able to obtain an Interim Route to Certification (IRC) endorsement [docs.google.com]. Please contact 702-799-0213 if you are interested in an IRC endorsement.


Reduction In Force Next Steps 


We currently anticipate that the RIF process will take approximately two weeks to complete. The timeline may change as we work through the required provisions of the CCEA Negotiated Agreement and NRS 288.151 and as we complete employee placements.At the conclusion of the RIF process, employee notifications will begin, and position advertising will resume. Our priority is to ensure the process is conducted accurately, consistently, and in accordance with all applicable requirements. 


What happens next?

Employees remain active with CCSD through the end of their current 2025-2026 contract year.


The RIF process will proceed pursuant to the CCEA Negotiated Agreement and NRS 288.151.


The RIF process considers the employee’s licensure, discipline, evaluations, licensure type, and seniority (not necessarily in this order).


Employees who are not able to be placed through the RIF process will be put on a RIF Leave-

of-Absence (LOA) for up to two years. Impacted employees and their administrators will be notified of the outcome of the RIF process.


During the two-year RIF LOA, as positions become available, HR will place eligible and qualified employees in order of seniority. HR will contact RIF LOA employees by phone and email. Employees must accept or decline the placement. Declining a placement will result in separation from CCSD. Principals will receive notification of incoming placements and must contact employees prior to the start of their assignment.


For questions, please contact the Human Resources Unit."

"Dear CCSD Community,

The Clark County School District (CCSD) is entering a different chapter. Like countless districts across the nation, CCSD is adjusting to a new reality shaped by declining birth rates, increasing costs, and more competition for students.

While we tackle this new situation, we must look for opportunities. This challenge is forcing us to transform our schools to better meet students' needs and compete for families. We have a chance to move from keeping up with growth to designing excellence.

Some days, however, the change is especially jarring and difficult. This spring, we began a process to place approximately 700 CCSD employees who lost their positions due to budget reductions resulting from fewer enrolled students and the end of American Rescue Plan Act federal dollars.

We have worked hard to place every single impacted employee, and made huge progress. However, today, I made the heavy decision to declare a Reduction in Force (RIF) for licensed personnel. This comes after we were unable to place approximately 60 classroom teachers, social workers, and counselors. We will go through the RIF process outlined in the contract and NRS and will continue working around the clock to try to place all of our current licensed staff. Additionally, recruitment is working to help about 55 support professionals and approximately 50 administrators secure positions.

I want to take this opportunity to offer a heartfelt “thank you” to some of our most-experienced teaching staff. A shout-out is in order for those this year who will join the ranks of the retired. By informing HR of their retirement plans, they help ease the uncertainty surrounding a reduction in force. When we learn of these upcoming vacancies, they will be made available to help reduce the number of those affected by RIF.

Thank you also to the many CCSD employees impacted by this process. We know this is incredibly difficult, and we appreciate your patience. Please know that we are working very hard to continue to place employees in positions they qualify for.

As we work to transform our school district, we must ensure we maximize every precious dollar. Last night, we presented a new efficiency study to the Board of School Trustees that estimates we could save up to $79 million annually after five years of efficiency measures. You can read the full report here.

This study will work in conjunction with our new five-year strategic plan, The Destination District, which outlines a path to transform our schools into more supportive, joyful places of learning.

I want to be clear: no significant savings will be realized until after the 2026-2027 school year, and we will review every recommendation on a case-by-case basis to carefully weigh its impact on our educators, students, and families. However, the potential to reinvest these millions of dollars directly to transform our schools is incredibly powerful.

Finally, all of this will support our new Facility Master Plan, Building Brighter Futures, which will explore how we can ensure every student has access to a beautiful, modern school building that offers a rich array of programming.

With these challenges, our community is forming a clear, intentional plan to improve the experience for our students, support our educators, and build the schools our families and community deserve.

Thank you for your continued partnership and dedication to the future of CCSD."

“CCEA has been working collaboratively with CCSD to address the student enrollment declines and reduced funding.

Today, CCSD started the Reduction in Force (RIF) process, which we anticipate will affect approximately 62 employees, in accordance with meeting a notice under our collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to do so.

However, CCSD’s intent is to place all those teachers into positions as they come open during the summer when we experience several hundred leaving District employment due to retirement and other reasons.

In that context, CCEA is working with CCSD to ensure that no CCSD educator will be laid off.”

"Today is a heartbreaking day for CCSD educators.

Educators did not create this problem, but educators are being asked to pay for it.

For months, educators have endured a surplus and reduction in force process marked by uncertainty, confusion, and anxiety. Today, that uncertainty became reality for dozens of dedicated employees who have devoted themselves to serving students and families.

The district continues to talk about becoming a "Destination District," a place where educators choose to build their careers and where students and families choose to invest their futures. That vision is difficult to reconcile with what educators have experienced this spring. A destination district is built on trust. A destination district is built on transparency.

A destination district is built on the confidence that employees will be treated with honesty and respect, especially during difficult times. Many educators were asked to remain calm based on assurances that previous years' placement numbers would hold true. Many were told not to worry because "it always works out." For too many employees, those assurances did not match reality.

The reasons for this outcome should not be overlooked. District leaders underestimated the full cost of employee compensation increases, miscalculated enrollment declines, and have since identified additional operational shortcomings through their own efficiency review. Taken together, these decisions created a situation where frontline educators are once again being asked to absorb the consequences of mistakes they did not make.

The surplus and RIF process exposed some of the district's worst tendencies: inconsistent communication,
shifting information, and unreliable assurances that left educators making life-altering decisions without clear answers.

The educators affected by these layoffs are not numbers on a spreadsheet. They are teachers, counselors, social workers, and education support professionals who have dedicated themselves to students, schools, and our community. They deserved a process that was transparent, predictable, and honest from the beginning.

We remain committed to supporting every affected educator and employee as placement efforts continue. We sincerely hope every available vacancy is filled by the talented professionals who are currently facing uncertainty.

But hope alone cannot repair trust. If CCSD truly wants to become a destination district, it must start by ensuring that educators feel valued, respected, and informed. Grand visions and strategic plans mean little if the people doing the work do not believe the system will treat them fairly when times get tough.

This is also bigger than CCSD. While district leaders must be accountable for the decisions that contributed to this situation, Nevada cannot continue to underfund public education and then act surprised when educators and students are forced to absorb the consequences. Carson City has a responsibility to fix the funding failures that leave school districts with little margin for error and educators paying the price when things go wrong.

Today, our thoughts are with every educator and education support professional whose future remains uncertain. You deserve better than uncertainty. You deserve better than mixed messages. And you deserve a district that values your contributions not just in words, but in actions."