NRS 387.900: Award of money to school districts for compensation for hard-to-fill positions; declaration of legislative intent; contents of application for award; collective bargaining; reports. [Effective October 1, 2026.]

1. To the extent that money has been appropriated for that purpose, the Department shall award money to school districts to provide compensation, in addition to base pay, for hard-to-fill positions in the public schools of this State.

2. It is the intent of the Legislature that the additional compensation for hard-to-fill positions funded pursuant to subsection 1 is a temporary solution to ameliorate the urgent problem of high teacher vacancy rates, which are detrimental to student outcomes.

3. An application by a school district applying for an award of money pursuant to subsection 1 must include:

(a) The total amount of money which the school district is requesting;

(b) The total number of hard-to-fill positions in public schools for which the school district intends to provide additional compensation using the money requested;

(c) Documentation sufficient to demonstrate that each hard-to-fill position for which the school district intends to provide additional compensation using the money requested was filled during the immediately preceding calendar quarter; and

(d) Such other information or documentation as the Department may require.

4. Money awarded to a school district pursuant to subsection 1 is subject to collective bargaining, but may only be used to provide additional compensation for hard-to-fill positions in public schools.

5. Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, each school district shall submit a report to the Office of Finance and the Interim Finance Committee that states:

(a) The total number of teachers in the school district receiving additional compensation funded pursuant to this section during the then-current school year;

(b) The total amount of the additional compensation funded from an award made pursuant to this section that is being provided to teachers during the then-current school year; and

(c) The total number of hard-to-fill positions in public schools in the school district.

6. As used in this section:

(a) “Hard-to-fill position” means:

(1) A teacher position at a Title I school which has:

(I) A vacancy rate for teacher positions of 15 percent or more, if the school is a high school;

(II) A vacancy rate for teacher positions of 12 percent or more, if the school is a middle school or junior high school; or

(III) A vacancy rate for teacher positions of 10 percent or more, if the school is an elementary school.

(2) A teacher position or other position staffed by a person licensed pursuant to chapter 391 of NRS:

(I) Who is the teacher of record assigned to a classroom of pupils; and

(II) Whose duties include actively teaching pupils during a class period, for the majority of class periods during the school day, in English language arts, mathematics, science or special education, if such subjects are suffering from a critical labor shortage, as determined by the board of trustees of the school district.

(b) “Public school” does not include a public school that is formed pursuant to the provisions of chapter 388A of NRS.