CCSD teacher pay shrinks as contract talks drag out
When about 18,000 Clark County teachers collect their first paycheck of the new school year Thursday, many may be shocked they’re banking less than they did last year.
That’s because the Clark County School District, in an attempt to patch a $67 million budget shortfall, froze any pay raises for all of its employees this year. The freeze includes extra compensation for teachers who spent the summer — and their own money — earning a master’s degree and bonuses for veteran educators.
In addition to the pay freeze, teachers also must absorb a 1.125 percent hike in their contributions to the state’s public employee retirement system.
But all of that remains on the table as district officials and the Clark County Education Association, which represents teachers, continue to meet at the negotiating table to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement.
“The reality of the school district’s position is going to clearly set in the moment everybody sees what their paycheck is,” John Vellardita, executive director of the CCEA, said Wednesday.
“Many of these educators have spent the last several months or years obtaining more education, often at their own expense … only to learn that at the start of the school year the district is not going to keep its commitment of advancing their pay,” Vellardita added.
His organization recently proposed a new contract for all teachers that would have the district pay for the retirement contribution hike and ensure raises for length of service with the district and for advancing their educations. The proposal, at a total cost of about $70 million, also would boost the amount paid for monthly health insurance premiums and set a new salary schedule that starts at $40,000 and tops out at $91,000.
The current teacher pay scale starts at about $35,000 and tops out at $72,000.
As for the district, it offered a counter-proposal that would cost about $21 million.
Spokeswoman Michelle Booth would not discuss the details of the district’s offer, but she noted the union approached the negotiating table with a novel tactic.
“The CCEA first proposed a package of approximately $54 million in increases and later came back to us with a second proposal to provide $70 million,” Booth said Wednesday. “Typically the point of negotiation is to find a way to meet in the middle to reach a solution.”
In an update sent to teachers last weekend, the union stated the district’s offer includes extra compensation only for master’s degrees — which Booth confirmed — and a new salary schedule that starts at $40,000 but tops out at $78,000.
The district also would offer teachers a $1,321 pay increase next year, according to the CCEA. The district declined to confirm whether that is part of its proposal.
As of Tuesday, the two sides have met seven times over the past several months to negotiate a new contract.
Either side can declare an impasse in negotiations after an eighth meeting, but in an attempt to avoid that official step, the union has requested the selection of an arbitrator to settle the remaining issues of a new contract.
Vellardita said he hopes an arbitrator can make a decision within 30 days.
In the meantime, the union plans to continue packing district board meetings with frustrated teachers demanding pay raises. And Vellardita hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a strike, even though state law prohibits strikes against government employers.
“At a certain point, educators are no longer going to feel that going down to a school board meeting and asking trustees to hear their concerns will mean anything,” Vellardita said. “They’ll be open to other ideas to get their message across.”
Contact Neal Morton at nmorton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279. Find him on Twitter: @nealtmorton