School Board OKs increased health care contribution

The Clark County School District starting next month will spend more than $8 million increasing its monthly contribution for teacher health-care premiums.

In a swift and unanimous vote Wednesday, the Clark County School Board approved an agreement with the local teachers union to provide an additional $45 for each employee each month.

The deal increases the district’s monthly contribution, for the first time in seven years, from about $539 to $584 with a total price tag of $8.19 million over the next two fiscal years.

However, it remains unclear whether teachers ever approved that package.

School board records show John Vellardita, executive director of the Clark County Education Association, which represents teachers, informed the district that his union’s membership ratified the deal Oct. 7.

The union held an emergency meeting that evening to update members on contract negotiations, but, according to teachers who asked to remain anonymous, no official vote took place.

Instead, they said, union leaders held an informal straw poll of those in attendance to gauge support of the union’s negotiation tactics.

“Nothing was binding. Nothing was brought to teachers. I don’t know how (Vellardita) thinks teachers ever ratified anything,” said one union member who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation.

“Not that we don’t want the money,” the member added quickly.

Union representatives did not attend the school board meeting Wednesday and did not respond to multiple requests for comment. But the CCEA faces further criticism from some members for a hastily scheduled vote to ratify a new contract for all 18,000 teachers who work for the district.

Last month, the district and union declared a deadlock in negotiations, with disagreements set for lengthy considerations by a third-party arbitrator. But in a surprise announcement last week, both sides celebrated a tentative settlement for the contract — only after Gov. Brian Sandoval delivered a subtle message to Vellardita and Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky.

“The governor contacted myself and Mr. Vellardita and brokered a meeting to sit down and say, ‘You know what, I really want you guys to take a look at this again,’” Skorkowsky said Wednesday.

“He just wanted us to take a look at it,” he said.

On Saturday — the day after schools break for the holidays — the CCEA will hold a meeting for members to ratify a new contract.

Details of the contract language remain secret until then, although the district and union note it includes a focus on professional development. Previous contract proposals also dramatically restructured the salary schedule for all teachers.

Some teachers have complained on social media about the CCEA scheduling only three hours for discussion and ratification of the contract the day after many teachers leave town for the holidays.

Ruben Garcia, a law professor at UNLV, said few state regulations oversee how unions conduct internal elections or contract ratifications.

"Ironically, even for a contract ratification, there's very little regulation of ratification votes under federal law," Garcia said.

"But generally speaking, you figure that the union is your representative, and if you don't like what they do, in Nevada you can resign the union and vote them out," he said. "You have options if you don't like the deal they strike."

— Contact Neal Morton at nmorton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279. Follow him: @nealtmorton