LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Clark County School District Board of Trustees voted to approve a new contract with the district's teachers on Tuesday evening.
The board's vote comes as we're hearing from local educators about some lingering concerns about the deal.
Let's take a step back to see how this all breaks down.
We first told you about these new contracts just over a week ago, when members of the Clark County Education Association — the union representing CCSD teachers — voted to ratify the contract.
In a statement announcing the ratification, Supt. Jhone Ebert wrote that the contract would help address veteran teachers' concerns about pay.
WATCH | Guy Tannenbaum explains why some teachers say they're concerned about the new contract:
This is an issue we've told you about before. If you'll recall, contract negotiations between the union and then-Supt. Jesus Jara got heated in 2023, dragging on for months before heading to court and arbitration. Teachers staged protests, and there were even talks of a strike.
Despite the lengthy back-and-forth, CCEA and the school district ultimately reached a deal that raised starting pay for CCSD teachers in an effort to help attract new talent to the district.
But that spurred concerns from veteran teachers who now said they weren't making as much as their counterparts with less tenure.
Ebert and CCEA say this new deal will help solve that problem, but some teachers still have concerns.
WATCH | Jhovani Carrillo was in the meeting Tuesday night as district officials approved the contract. Here's what the new agreement entails:
Part of this new deal includes $10 million budgeted for each year of the contract to address pay inequities between veteran teachers and those new to the district. That money is expected to be budgeted out through what they're calling the "salary review and adjustment process."
Teachers will be required to provide evidence and documentation to CCEA to prove they qualify for a salary adjustment "based on district-wide seniority."
When we looked through emailed public comments ahead of Tuesday night's meeting, we found several from concerned educators, including Robert Cowles. He writes:
"My biggest concern is the lack of funds. It's my understanding that CCSD would need somewhere around $30 million to make adjustments for all of those eligible on the contract, but it only allocates $10 million."
And all four emails from skeptical educators expressed concerns about CCEA "being the gatekeeper for which teachers' paperwork is approved and presented to CCSD" instead of the district's Human Resources department.
CCSD general counsel Jon Okazaki addressed that concern during the board meeting, noting that it would be illegal for any decision about a teacher's pay to be made based on their union membership.
FULL PRESSER | Union and district leaders break down what the new contract does and address some concerns from teachers:
Among voting union members, the contract drew broad support. In an August 9 vote, CCEA says 97% of members were in favor of ratifying it. In the wake of that vote, union leaders expressed optimism about their relationship with CCSD under Ebert's leadership.
CCEA executive director John Vellardita called it "unprecedented" for educators to begin the new school year with a contract already negotiated.
"We just haven't had that for decades," Vellardita told Channel 13 in a previous interview. "What does that mean? It just takes a lot of stress off of a teacher going into the school year, and now they can focus on their students, they can focus on their classroom."
The new two-year contract will cost CCSD $2.35 billion — nearly $214 million more than the previous deal — due to teacher raises and an increase in contributions to the teachers' health trust.
At a press conference following the board's vote, Vellardita told reporters CCEA expects the initial $10 million to address the salaries of 60 to 70 percent of teachers "that have a legitimate complaint" about their salary.
