LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The heated dispute continues between the Clark County School District and the Clark County Education Association as the parties continue contract negotiations.
Teachers, once again, rallied for pay raises outside the school district's board of trustees meeting.
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At one point, several union members were escorted out of the building.
The teachers' union has petitioned the district for a 10 percent raise in the first contract year and 8 percent increase the following year.
The school district recently countered the offer with an 8.5 percent raise the first year followed by a 2 percent bump the second year.
“These are teachers who are fighting for their livelihood, are fighting for their wages, and who are fighting for a fair contract. There is such thing as good trouble," said Reuben D’Silva , a teacher at Rancho High School.
Up to this point, disagreements between CCSD and the teachers' union have hinged on differing perspectives on allocating $250 million in funding recently pledged to the district in Senate Bill 231.
Senator Nicole Cannizzaro, majority leader of the Nevada Senate, authored Senate Bill 231. Reporter Kelsey McFarland asked her if the bill was meant specifically for teacher raises.
“We must be supporting our teachers, that we get a qualified teacher in every classroom for every Nevada student, and that's exactly what Senate Bill 231 was designed to do- to ensure and incentivize districts to raise teachers. We know that they deserve to make more," Senator Cannizzaro said.
The Clark County School District provided a statement after the board meeting:
Throughout every negotiation session, the Clark County School District continues to advocate at the bargaining table for increasing pay and benefits for deserving teachers and correcting the old salary schedule with a new equitable schedule.
Negotiations with the CCEA will only be resolved at the bargaining table, not by disrupting the business operations of the school district. As stated at Thursday’s board meeting, violating the law by disrupting a public meeting results in consequences. CCSD is charged with educating Clark County’s children, and those who seek to disrupt the District's business operations will not deter us from fulfilling our mission.
Once the most unruly agitators were removed from the meeting, the Board of Trustees were able to continue the meeting and complete their business.
At the board meeting, agenda items such as chronic absenteeism, health programs for qualified school police officers and administrators were discussed.
