Kelly Lynn Charles, who facilitates educator recruitment and retention work at the Nevada Department of Education, told the State Board of Education that the newly established Commission on Recruitment and Retention will use state funds (SB 460) to evaluate workforce challenges and recommend solutions.

Charles reviewed recent survey work: a statewide exit/transfer survey launched in 2023 through a contract with the American Institutes for Research, a working conditions survey launched in 2024, and legislation (SB 471) that funded expansion of the exit survey to include all school staff. "The teacher exit transfer survey provides valuable data to assist schools and districts in retaining staff," Charles said, noting interactive dashboards at nveducatorvoices.org.

Charles also described the Education Pathways Ambassador initiative to guide aspiring educators through licensure and hiring. She reported that "as of this morning, we had 320 total requests for support," that ambassadors (40 volunteers) have logged roughly 190 combined hours, and that the program has generated interest from multiple states and countries. Ambassadors provide individualized mentoring, walk applicants through fingerprinting and OPAL, and connect candidates to districts for hiring.

Board members asked about the teacher dashboard, licensure timelines and competency‑based approaches; Lisa Ford (NDE) said the dashboard is being redesigned. Charles said licensure timelines vary by candidate circumstances and deferred technical licensure‑policy questions to the licensure director.

Why it matters: Nevada is building state‑level data and mentoring capacity intended to retain educators and expand pipelines into hard‑to‑fill positions. The Pathways ambassador model emphasizes individualized navigation of licensing steps that districts and candidates often find complex.

What's next: The commission will convene in January and submit annual reports; NDE will continue to expand surveys and recruit community partners to support candidate pipelines.