Clark County Substitutes Face PERS Enrollment
Clark County School District is notifying eligible substitute teachers of retirement benefit options under a 2023 Nevada law it had not yet implemented.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Retirement Planning
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Clark County School District notified substitute teachers they may be eligible for PERS retirement benefits after discovering it had failed to implement a 2023 Nevada state law. Under the law, substitutes who work more than 719 hours within a single school year qualify, and participants may opt in or out.
Why it matters
Eligible substitutes will see roughly a 12% reduction in take-home pay once mandatory contributions begin, making the opt-in decision financially significant. The district's late implementation means affected workers must now weigh retirement savings against current income.
The 2023 Nevada threshold for substitute PERS eligibility is 719 hours within a single school year. Participating substitutes will see take-home pay reduced by approximately 12%, and the number of affected employees has not been disclosed.
The players
Clark County School District
The Nevada school district serving Las Vegas and surrounding Clark County, which employs the affected substitute teachers and is responsible for implementing the state law.
Public Employees' Retirement System of Nevada (PERS)
The state pension system that provides retirement benefits to Nevada public employees, including the substitute teachers made eligible by the 2023 legislation.
The details
Clark County School District found during an internal budget review that it had not carried out the 2023 state requirements. The district is now contacting qualifying substitutes directly to explain their options and guide them through the opt-in or opt-out process. Mandatory contributions will be deducted beginning with December paychecks.
Timeline
2023: Nevada passes legislation requiring PERS benefits for substitute teachers.
December: Mandatory PERS contributions begin deducting from participating substitute paychecks.
Legal Context
Nevada's 2023 legislation extended PERS retirement eligibility to substitute teachers meeting the 719-hour threshold. Clark County School District's delayed implementation means the statute's enrollment and payroll deduction obligations are only now reaching affected workers.
Substitute teachers who work 719 or more hours in a school year must decide whether to opt into PERS, which will reduce take-home pay by about 12% once contributions begin. Weighing that reduction against long-term retirement benefits is the central financial choice these workers now face.
The takeaway
Substitute teachers meeting the 719-hour threshold should review their PERS opt-in choice before December, since contributions will reduce paychecks by roughly 12%. Comparing current income needs against future retirement benefits is the key step before deciding.
What happens next
Mandatory PERS contributions will be deducted from participating substitute paychecks beginning with December paychecks.
Further reading
For background on how these retirement decisions are weighed, see Retirement Planning coverage.
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