CCSD teachers to continue getting yearly salary increases under new union contract

The Clark County School Board approved a new negotiated agreement with the teachers union at a special meeting Tuesday.

The contract made with the Clark County Education Association, the union representing teachers, will last through the 2026-2027 school year. It includes a range of benefits for educators, from maintaining yearly salary increases and incentives aimed at reducing teacher vacancies to implementing protections against physical assaults on educators.

The school district said the new contract provides educators with $214 million in compensation and benefits, a 10 percent increase from the previous contract.

The district will increase its contributions to teacher health care by $28 million over the next two years. Educators will continue to receive raises for obtaining advanced credentials and make an extra $1,600 per year for every year they teach under the negotiated agreement.

An additional $10 million each year to keep teacher salaries in line with the current pay schedule will raise pay for an estimated 60 percent to 70 percent of educators over the next two years, said John Vellardita, the union’s executive director.

The board approved the agreement 6-0, with Trustee Emily Stevens absent.

Superintendent Jhone Ebert announced the deal on Aug. 9, which was supported by 97 percent of teachers union members who voted, according to an X post by the association.

Ebert acknowledged the difficulties of reaching an agreement with limited funding but congratulated all parties for creating what she called a “very successful contract” in a press conference following the vote.

“We want people that can stay and know they’re valued,” Ebert said. “We will continue to work together in partnership to make this the destination district.

The vote on the agreement was originally scheduled for the School Board’s first meeting of the school year on Aug. 14. The school district pushed the vote back to Tuesday to “format the tentative agreement, ensure all documentation was correct, and calculate the fiscal impact” of the agreement at least three business days before the meeting as required by law, a CCSD spokesperson said in an email.

‘There’s always a give-and-take’

Ahead of the meeting, members of the teachers union filed into the board room wearing royal blue T-shirts in support of the teachers association. They happily chatted with each other — with some praising the new contract — while trustees got seated.

After the changes to the negotiated agreement were announced, Trustee Isaac Barron thanked the board and the teachers union for achieving a deal. He recalled his own experience as a teacher waiting for a contract to be reached.

“I remember sitting back there sometimes, months into our calendar school year wondering where we were gonna be on the salary schedule, whether we would be getting enough money to cover the costs,” Barron said. “There’s always a give-and-take that we have to have when it comes to a good relationship.”

Trustee Adam Johnson said the handling of this year’s contract shows the district and the teachers union have entered a “new version of our relationship.”

“I think it’s really critical that we continue to invest in our relationship with each other,” Johnson said. “I think that’s the next step in our partnership, is figuring out how do we make sure that we have all the resources that are required so that all of our teammates can be taken care of.”

Praise for quick contract

Union leaders and members thanked and praised the School Board and Ebert for their part in reaching an agreement quickly during the meeting’s public comment portion.

Establishing a negotiated agreement hasn’t always been as straightforward as this year. In 2023, negotiations extended for 10 months over pay raise disagreements, and educators protested school board meetings. At one meeting, three union members were arrested for disrupting proceedings.

One of those arrested, elementary school teacher and union executive board member Kristan Nigro, thanked the board and Ebert for the respect they showed in the bargaining process during public comment. She said it’s the first time in her 12 years in the school district where a tentative negotiated agreement was reached before the school year began.

“Both parties worked so diligently with no hostility,” Nigro said. “That relationship that was once tarnished is starting to come together. It makes me feel proud of the work that we’re doing.”

Marie Neisess, president of the teachers union, referenced the difficulties surrounding achieving a contract in 2023 and thanked the board for being more open to negotiations.

“My educators are ecstatic onto the fact that they don’t have to stress and have this being held over their head, that they can start the school year fresh, and they can start the school year understanding that we had our contract,” Neisess said.

Contact Spencer Levering at slevering@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253.