LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Clark County School District's Board of Trustees is holding its bi-weekly meeting Thursday.
Now that an "impasse" has been declared between the district and its teachers' union regarding contracts, negotiations will head to arbitration.
"An impasse was declared on Monday from the district," I said. "Did you think it would get to that, and what was your reaction to that happening?"
I feared it would get to it," said teacher and parent Christina Hollowood. "It makes me sad. It makes me frustrated. It just builds up this frustration."
Teachers like Hollowood are not thrilled that getting a new salary contract will take longer.
"I have been through impasses," Hollowood said. "I know it is going to take forever."
I sat with the union's executive director about the arbitration process and the injunction ordered on Wednesday.
"Now it is out of the hands of Jara and these trustees and the CFO of the school district," said John Vellardita. "It goes through a neutral third party who has to analyze the proposals and the budget."
He says they last went to arbitration in 2018, which took 18 months.
"We are going to do all we can to expedite that," he said. "It could take as long as maybe 8, 9, 10 months."
He says they are certain the union can prove the funds are there to cover their proposals.
"An arbitrator now, the way the statute is written, has to look at all available funds the district receives from the state that can be used for collective bargaining," he said. "We feel pretty good about that because, at this point, it hasn't used all available funds."
APPEAL: Teachers union files appeal to Nevada Supreme Court over 'sickout' injunction
Monday, the district requested an injunction claiming teachers were striking with "sickouts" by calling out sick. It led to school cancellations. Wednesday, a judge ordered an injunction to stop what she defined as a strike.
It is illegal for public employees to strike.
"We are appealing it to the Supreme Court," Vellardita said. "But we are also putting a request for a stay of execution that the injunction — which is in now is put on hold until the appeal on the ruling itself — is heard by the Supreme Court."
He says work actions and protests will continue, but now other concerns grow.
"I am scared my kids will lose more teachers while this is all playing out," Hollowood said.
"Are you concerned that during this arbitration process, more teachers will leave, and it will be harder to get more?" I asked.
"It is happening now, so the district is having difficulty hiring people who would come here with this conflict. When the school district started the school year, they said we only had 1,100 vacancies," Vellardita said. "They didn't count the subs today. They have more vacancies than what they started with five weeks ago."
During the negotiation process, the union requested Governor Joe Lombardo's involvement. Vellardita said he sat down with Lombardo and Superintendent Jesus Jara simultaneously, but nothing came from it.
However, he also thinks it's not the last time the governor will be heard from on this issue.
KTNV reached out to his office for comment on Tuesday and Thursday but has not heard back.
