LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Clark County School District has declared an "impasse" on contract negotiations with the teacher's union in a statement on Tuesday morning.
The district and the Clark County Education Association met at the bargaining table on Tuesday for the 11th time since the dispute began. In a statement, CCSD claims the union's leadership has ejected "every offer" from the district.
HOW DID WE GET HERE? A recap of the ongoing contract negotiations between the teachers' union and CCSD
"CCEA’s latest proposal only deepened the deficit they would impose on the District and continues to divide our hard-working teachers," the statement read. "By increasing the financial burden it hopes to place on the District, CCEA continues moving farther away from any agreement."
The district also made clear its plans to seek arbitration to resolve its issues with the union and pay educators "more equitably."
The CCEA responded with its own statement on Tuesday afternoon, claiming that the district has rejected all of its proposals. The union claims the impasse is a sign that the district has "refused to continue bargaining."
"The proposals were designed to address the high vacancies that exist in CCSD, where there are currently nearly 2,000 vacancies and more than 35,000 students without a teacher," the statement reads. "Currently, CCSD’s entry-level pay is more than $12,000 less than the starting pay in Southern California. That is why CCEA proposed a 10% adjustment on the salary schedule in the first year and another 8% in the second year—so we can be competitive enough to address the high vacancy rates."
The union goes on to say that the "arbitration" brought up by the district "doesn't happen like a light switch" and "takes time to resolve."
LOOKING BACK: Clark County School District, teachers union have long history of contract controversy
The statement continues, "CCEA is sad to say that, under Superintendent Jara, 300,000 students will lose another year of instruction because more educators will quit, their classes will be the largest in the nation, and CCSD will fail to recruit the new educators needed to teach them."
Schools across the valley have seen multiple unexpected closures or delays due to shortages of teachers and staff. Something the district sought to stop on Monday afternoon when it announced plans to file for a restraining order against the so-called "sickouts."
CCEA released a statement in response the following morning, saying the union would "make its position clear in court on Wednesday."
As of Tuesday morning, four Clark County schools have canceled classes for the day due to a high number of absent teachers and staff members.
Read the full statement from Clark County School District below:
After today’s eleventh bargaining session, the Clark County School District declared an impasse with the Clark County Education Association. CCSD ultimately offered a 9% salary increase in the first year and $10k incentives for Tier 1 special education and hard-to-fill positions, plus correcting the inequities in the salary schedule for thousands of teachers. CCEA’s leadership team has rejected every offer.
CCEA’s latest proposal only deepened the deficit they would impose on the District and continues to divide our hard-working teachers. By increasing the financial burden it hopes to place on the District, CCEA continues moving farther away from any agreement.
By law, these sessions are for bargaining and negotiation, not surrender. CCEA never moved from its original unaffordable, budget-busting, and inequitable demands to benefit its most senior members while leaving those educators placed on the salary schedule inequitably to continue working for wages that do not honor them for their experience and education.
Because of CCEA’s inflexibility, arbitration becomes the only way to resolve the issues and pay our educators more equitably so our kids can benefit in the classroom.
SB 231 funds can still be negotiated once the state informs the District of its allocation for each employee group.
Read the full statement from the Clark County Education Association here:
Today, CCSD declared an impasse in negotiations and refused to continue bargaining. Since March 30, 2023, CCEA has made contract proposals that are in alignment with the priorities passed in the 2023 Legislative Session and the governor’s budget. These proposals were designed to address the high vacancies that exist in CCSD, where there are currently nearly 2,000 vacancies and more than 35,000 students without a full-time teacher.
Our Title I schools have 82% of all vacancies. Our special needs students have high vacancy rates among all special education teachers. Two key proposals CCEA made were to pay those positions more in order to retain and recruit more educators for those students. CCSD never attempted to address those issues until this past month—and even then, made proposals that did not adequately address the vacancy crisis.
Furthermore, 69% of all educators recruited by CCSD to fill these vacancies come through the Nevada teacher pipeline, which means CCSD competes primarily with other urban school districts, many of which are in Southern California. Currently, CCSD’s entry level pay is more than $12,000 less than the starting pay in Southern California. That is why CCEA proposed a 10% adjustment on the salary schedule in the first year and another 8% in the second year—so we can be competitive enough to address the high vacancy rates.
CCEA also proposed the 10% and 8% increases to better retain our educators, who are currently leaving faster than we can hire them. These educators have not had a COLA increase in two years despite 8% inflation in one year alone. They started the school year with CCSD, reducing their salaries by 1.875%—a pay cut. The 18% CCEA proposal is also coupled with a one-time review of placement on the salary schedule for all educators.
On health insurance, CCEA proposed that CCSD increase the monthly premium contributions to keep up with rising healthcare costs. Otherwise, teachers, many of whom are single parents, will have to pay more out-of-pocket costs for health insurance.
Finally, CCEA proposed increasing instruction time to help mitigate lost learning from COVID by extending the instructional day with educators’ pay increased to compensate them for their additional time.
Unfortunately, CCSD refused all of our proposals. Rather than taking care of educators, CCSD rewarded their highest-paid employees—principals—with 12% increases in pay and health insurance. Superintendent Jara was stuck on proposals that created more disparity in our ranks, with educators falling even further behind.
An impasse has been declared. CCEA has gone this route before with CCSD. The good thing now is a third set of eyes will see just how much more money—hundreds of millions of dollars—CCSD received from the legislature, including the $250 million specifically allocated for educator salary increases. It won’t be up to Jara; it won’t be up to CCSD’s CFO; it won’t be up to trustees blindly following the Jara wagon.
Unfortunately, arbitration doesn’t happen like a light switch. And in the time it takes to resolve, CCEA is sad to say that, under Superintendent Jara, 300,000 students will lose another year of instruction because more educators will quit, their classes will be the largest in the nation, and CCSD will fail to recruit the new educators needed to teach them.
