The Washoe County School District (WCSD) made major strides in filling teaching positions ahead of the 2025-26 school year.

The District says that with nearly 280 teachers hired before the first day of school on August 11, that’s about 90 more teachers than were hired during the entire previous school year.

After accounting for long-term substitutes and retirees stepping in to support special education and English learner programs, only 10 teaching positions remained unfilled when classes began.

Those vacancies are being covered by substitute teachers while hiring continues.

“Our staff has worked nonstop over the past few months to set up hiring events, forge partnerships with institutions of higher learning, and offer contracts to the best and brightest candidates for teaching positions in our schools,” said Doug Owen, Chief Human Resources Officer for WCSD. “Thanks to their efforts, we have started the 2025-26 school year with just a handful of vacancies and continue to seek candidates to fill those for the coming year.”

“I am proud of the hard work and commitment of our Human Resources Department,” said WCSD Superintendent Joe Ernst. “Because of their dedication, the vast majority of our students have a permanent teacher for this school year, beginning on day one. We welcome all of our teachers—those who are new to our district and those who are returning to our classrooms—to another successful year of teaching and learning.”

District leaders credit the progress to a combination of new and existing strategies aimed at speeding up the hiring process and building a stronger pipeline of educators:

  • “Matchmaking events” using speed interviews led to 29 hires in five days.
  • Candidates were screened and interviewed on the same day as hiring events, allowing for quicker offers.
  • University partnerships helped the district make offers as soon as candidates earned their degrees.
  • Existing district staff, such as aides and long-term substitutes, were encouraged to pursue licensure, with tuition reimbursement offered.
  • WCSD is the only district in Nevada with its own Alternative Routes to Licensure (ARL) program, allowing college graduates to earn a teaching credential while working in the classroom with support.
  • The ARL program is also the only one in the country with a pathway for teaching students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

“We are excited to welcome our new teachers to the Washoe County School District,” said Owen. “We hope they – and all of our district staff members – have a great school year ahead.”