Request for clarification on teacher PERS tossed

The Clark County School District’s request for clarification on how to pay increased costs to the state retirement system for teachers in the absence of a labor contract was rejected in District Court on Tuesday.

Judge Jessie Walsh dismissed the district’s request because the court lacked jurisdiction and because the matter was not "ripe," or ready for a ruling.

The district’s general counsel, Bill Hoffman, sought clarification in case negotiations are not settled by the start of fiscal year 2011-12, when the contribution rate to the Public Employees Retirement System will go up by 2.25 percent.

State law requires public workers to pay for half of a rate increase. The law also requires public employees’ pay to be negotiated under collective bargaining, which might not be concluded by July 1.

"Recently, an arbitrator ruled that he was not able to interpret this apparent conflict of laws, which is the reason the district asked the court to provide an interpretation," Hoffman said.

Ruben Murillo, president of the Clark County Education Association, which bargains for district teachers, said he is pleased with the ruling.

"In my mind, (the district) wanted to bypass negotiations by going through the court system to force teachers to pay the increase," Murillo said.

Murillo doubts there will be a new contract in place by July 1.

"I think it would be very ambitious to say we would get negotiations done in three weeks," Murillo said. "It’s June 9, and we haven’t even started."

In budgeting for 2011-12, the district planned for all employees to pay for their share of the PERS increase, about $14.5 million.

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@ reviewjournal.com or 702-374-7917.