CCSD teachers not happy to hear new budget might mean no raises — again

By Ian Whitaker

Wednesday, July 1, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Clark County teachers are livid after finding out they may not receive pay increases next year.

The announcement came at a Monday evening school board meeting, where CCSD administrators said suspending salary increases for the district’s 40,000 employees would help save around $32 million. The district is currently facing a deficit of $67 million due to a drop in state per pupil funding.

Upset teachers spared no time decrying the news as unfair in light of the fact that the state approved bonuses of $5,000 for new teachers who have agreed to work in at-risk schools.

“It really affects our stability and our livelihood,” said Jen Manning, a math teacher at Spring Valley High School. “It’s very emotionally stressful.”

Manning, 32, has worked in the district for nine years but says she is still being paid as if she were a seven-year teacher. That amounts to around $2,000 less each year at a time when she has spent $8,000 obtaining a second master’s degree.

“I just finished 16 credits to move on to the next salary scale, and now I’m being told, once again, I’m not going to be given credit for my new education,” she said.

Teachers and school staff have been here before. They were told last year that pay raises were off the table, but ultimately ended up getting them. Still, the uncertainty makes many teachers and school staff feel they are being undervalued.

“It keeps happening and that’s why I’m so upset about it,” Manning said. ”It affects the morale of the employees who are already here and want to work.”

Although the district has said they simply don’t have the money to give pay raises, the process remains in flux pending union negotiations, which could end later this year.

“We’re not accepting what we heard last night,” said John Vellardita, executive director of the Clark County Education Association, which represents more than half of the district’s teachers. “We don’t take it as the definitive budget, nor do we accept the fact there’s not going to be any [salary] advances.”

“We know there is money in that budget,” he said.

Vellardita urged teachers to remain calm in emails sent out this week. He said the union was currently in negotiations and was optimistic.

But district officials say their hands are tied. Although the Legislature approved hundreds of millions of dollars for new education programs this year, much of that money is earmarked for specific programs and can’t be used for anything else.

Around 80 percent of the state’s school district budgets come from something called the “basic support guarantee,” or BSG. The BSG is a combination of state aid and local revenue the Legislature allocates to each school district. A number of districts are facing decreases in their basic support guarantee, including Clark County.

CCSD is receiving $15 less per student than before, which, when combined with increasing costs, is why it’s facing a deficit. Schools in Washoe County are facing a deficit of around $27 million.

The drop in support prompted some school board members to criticize state lawmakers, but there’s little the district can do to reverse it.

”I think it definitely puts a strain on the system,” said Jim McIntosh, CCSD’s chief financial officer. “It does make it more difficult if we’re not offering a competitive salary.”

Vellardita echoed many teachers who felt the news was bad timing.

“This is the time of the year when teachers should be kicking back and relaxing with their families and getting ready for the next school year,” he said.

Manning said that if pay raises aren’t offered, many school employees might resign. The district didn’t say whether they were expecting a raft of resignations due to the move.

The news also comes as the drop period for teachers who want to opt out of the union begins today.

“It’s unfortunate the timing of this but it’s just the reality of the situation we’re facing,” McIntosh said.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Washoe County's basic support guarantee decreased. | (July 1, 2015)