Carson High NJROTC instructor jobs proving hard to fill

Carson High School’s two Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps positions take the right combination of active duty and teaching experience, officials said.

“It is a really awesome position for the right person, and to identify the right person, there are a couple of different paths to qualify for employment,” said Dan Sadler, Carson City School District associate superintendent of human resources.

Last year, the district was short one staff member, then Senior Naval Science Instructor Lt. Cmdr. Dan Meyer retired in June. The unit ranked No. 1 in its area in 2019 and 2022 under Meyer.

Senior Chief Jerry Skirvin, program instructor, has taken on extra classes this year to keep it moving forward, Sadler said.

A job description on https://netfocus.netc.navy.mil/InstructorVacancies highlights Carson’s “active Drill, Color Guard, Academic, Orienteering, CyberPatriot and marksmanship teams, and a newly developed nationally competitive Raider team.”

Enrollment has been steady with more than 200 cadets per year.

SNSIs traditionally are retired commissioned officers or warrant officers with a bachelor’s degree. NSI positions are held by retired enlisted personnel, warrant officers or limited duty officers who might not have a bachelor’s degree and would be required to obtain an associate’s degree within five years, according to www.netc.navy.mil. Staff members are responsible for instructing cadets in drills, managing uniforms, planning extracurricular activities and remaining informed on Navy developments and completing training.

Sadler said there has been some interest in the NSIs and discussions with candidates have been positive.

“We’ve had probably three candidates out of state, but the timing wasn’t right given their family situations,” Sadler said.

Sadler said for those who are concerned they lack credentials, there is room to obtain skills through the district’s partnerships.

CCSD works with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Paraprofessionals Pathway Project, a grant-funded program to fast-track candidates toward a degree to obtain the teaching credentials, Sadler said.

Retired Command Master Chief Ken Ballard evaluated the unit in January before Meyer retired and said the district’s recruitment efforts are “commendable.”

“The challenges of filling NJROTC instructor positions are unique and situational to those positions and to the individuals who apply,” Ballard said. “Many, if not all, of our retiring or retired service members sacrificed many days, weeks and months away from family. As such, when it is time to retire, relocating closer to family — the grandparents, aunts and uncles — is their No. 1 priority because they or their military child or children, who moved every 36 to 48 months, grew up without the ability to be near loved ones.”

Every school, school district, unit and its hiring process for instructors come with their own challenges, he said, and are “as unique as a child’s fingerprint.”

Anyone who would like to assist as a substitute teacher for the unit is welcome to apply in the interim, Sadler said.

For information, visit www.carsoncityschools.com.