Critic: ‘Cozy’ ties may bring job

The former president of the teachers' union is applying for a Clark County School District job that she helped create, fueling one critic who says that top union officials are "in cozy collusion" with district administrators so they can get well-paid, non-classroom positions once their leadership terms expire.

Ron Taylor, a middle school teacher and longtime critic of the Clark County Education Association, said the union has lost sight of its adversarial role of challenging administration and advocating for teachers.

"If we're going to have a teachers' union, let's act like one," Taylor said. "Let's not act like we're in the back pocket of the district administration."

Mary Ella Holloway, former president of the Clark County Education Association, denied Taylor's allegations that the union has been compromised through close ties to district administrators.

"We're out there fighting every day for the teachers," Holloway said.

Holloway also noted that federal mediators have advised the union that it does not have to be hostile to be effective and that much can be accomplished through collaboration. One such attempt at collaboration is the Teaching and Learning Conditions Committee, which works to improve morale at troubled schools with high staff turnover.

The school district hires and pays the staff on the four-member committee. The committee works for the district under terms negotiated through collective bargaining.

Holloway is one of 19 applicants for two openings on the committee. She said she is no different than any other job candidate.

"I'm no longer a public figure," said Holloway, who said she has up-to-date teaching credentials. "Why can't I apply for a job like everybody else? I'm highly qualified."

Holloway said she is proud of the committee, which she said has become a model for other school districts and has been recognized nationally by education groups.

"I was on the bargaining team that helped create the committee," said Holloway, who stepped down this month as president of the Clark County Education Association after seven years in office.

"I believe in it, I've seen what it's done over the last two years," said Holloway, who also has about 30 years of teaching experience.

The committee will begin its third year in the fall. In the last collective bargaining agreement between the association and the district, funding for the four-member committee was boosted from $100,000 to $150,000 a year. Union officials said the money goes toward committee operations and not committee salaries and benefits.

Pointing to a clause in the labor contract, Taylor also said it was "absurd" that the committee agreed with the district to never use its information for the purposes of "embarrassing, discrediting or otherwise undermining the legitimate functions" of a school or staff.

Taylor said the union is effectively giving up a "gold mine" since it could use the information to file grievances and take legal actions against "renegade principals."

Taylor is a school board candidate for District B and a longtime critic of the Clark County Education Association. He once tried to recruit teachers away from the association and to the Teamsters union.

Taylor said he also has sued the Clark County Education Association for trying to kick him out of the union. He said he expects a court decision in the matter this month.

Holloway agreed that one of the top reasons why there is high teacher turnover at some schools is problems with school administrators.

She said the Teaching and Learning Conditions Committee is a step toward improving morale. It's very responsive to teachers and it collects workplace feedback from surveys and focus groups.

Committee staff are paid according to the teachers' pay scale. The job requires a minimum of three years of teaching experience. The pay range would be somewhere between $40,000 and $70,000 annually.

"This is not an administrative job," said Karyn Wright, the director of K-12 teacher development for the district.

Although Wright said she could not comment on personnel matters, she said she was not under "any pressure" to hire Holloway. Hiring is expected to be concluded by the end of the month.

While the district is struggling to fill about 800 teaching positions during a time of state funding reductions, Holloway said the work of the committee is more than justified since it will reduce turnover.

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-799-2922.