The teachers union has agreed to mediation with the Clark County School District amid contract talks with the district.
“Clock’s ticking, we don’t have a deal,” says CCEA Executive Director John Vellardita.
CCSD released this update through a news release on Tuesday as the district reports it is pleased to negotiate with the Clark County Education Association.
“I believe we are abiding by the agreement and CCEA agreed to when I got here,” says Dr. Jesus Jara, Clark County School District.
However, with the union’s continued threat of a strike, the district also said it had no choice but to seek an injunction Monday from the courts to stop the walkout action from going forward as "our children, nor our teachers, are not pawns on a chessboard."
“This is not something that under Nevada law is legally allowed to happen so it was one of those things to calm the community and lets just focus on kids and go to the bargaining table,” says Dr. Jara.
The CCEA sent out a release of its own on Monday that read in part, "During negotiations, CCSD continued to bargain in bad faith by proposing to abolish the entire compensation system for 18,800 educators. Under Superintendent Jara the district is now sending a clear message he does not value educators."
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The district also said with 54 percent of CCSD teachers retaining membership in the union, it found it hard to believe that those who have dedicated their lives to serving children would walk away.
"Enough with the scare tactics and political tug of war that only leaves the most vulnerable in the worst situation and a compromise must be met now."
Furthermore, the school district reports the union has agreed to adjust the language when it comes to the teacher salaries adjustment of 3 percent but rejected the terms of the proposed step increase and health insurance benefits increase due to the offer being contingent upon the availability of funding from the state.
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Local law enforcement along with Clark County School District police will be on high alert for the safety of the children, according to the district's news release.
CCSD said is it hopeful an agreement can be reached and compromise is key before that September 10th date.
"We can't control CCEA, but we're ready to make sure that our schools are open," says Dr. Jara.
UPDATE 6:26 P.M.: Clark County School District just released a statement saying it is hopeful an agreement can be made in the next few days following a meeting today with Education Support Employees Association representatives.
Read the full statement below.
Clark County School District (CCSD) and Education Support Employees Association (ESEA) representatives met today in a spirit of cooperation to continue contract negotiations. The offer under consideration includes a 3 percent pay raise, a step increase, and 4 percent additional contribution toward employee health insurance for an estimated $22.8 million.
The district is strongly encouraged by the reaction from ESEA to the latest offer and is hopeful that an agreement can be reached in the coming days to ensure our hard working support professionals receive the compensation they deserve.
We will continue to provide updates as the negotiation process progresses.
