CCSD teachers protest lack of raises

Clark County School District employees and supporters aired their complaints at the board meeting where trustees discussed salaries for teachers and support staff, employee groups the district claims it can‘t afford to give raises to because of a budget deficit. The rally was supported by the Clark County Education Association, the union which bargains for district teachers.

"Salary freezes are a crime. Not another nickel, not another dime," chanted teachers during the rally.

Teachers union President Vikki Courtney said she‘€™s confident that the board and the district can find a solution that works for everyone.

"We worked hard to ensure that there was funding," she said of the union‘s efforts during the recently concluded legislative session. "We need to ask the district to reevaluate their budget. We believe that teachers deserve those increases that have already been bargained for them."

Andy Lott, a second-year district high school dance teacher who set up an online petition to encourage other frustrated teachers to take action, said the district is using the pay freeze as a "quick fix" to correct a $67 million budget deficit.

"The state is allocating more funds to the school district and the economy is turning around, so the district needs to live up to its promises," Lott said. "This is our livelihood. This is our job. This is our principle."

To help save $32.2 million, the district recommended that the board not award raises, including cost of living and longevity, to more than 30,000 CCSD employees. The board approved the measure on June 29 citing a $15 reduction per pupil in state funding as the primary cause.

One teacher at the rally wrote a letter to Gov. Brian Sandoval expressing her concerns about the lack of raises.

In his response, Sandoval expressed empathy towards teachers in Nevada and said that the district‘€™s "figures do not add up" because the per-pupil reduction "amounts to a loss off less than $5 million for the current enrollment of students," and nowhere near the $67 million shortfall that the district is claiming.

"It is disingenuous for members of the board to blame the state for their decision not to fund teacher raises," Sandoval said in the letter.

CCSD spokeswoman Michelle Booth acknowledged the district has had "a few budget challenges," but said that per Senate Bill 241 the district has to renegotiate teachers’€™ salaries to find a solution that is beneficial to "not just our employees but also our students."

Contact Michelle Iracheta at miracheta@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5205. Find her on Twitter: @cephira.