LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Clark County School District is making changes to substitute's teaching hours after a self-imposed review found it had not complied with a 2023 law expanding retirement benefits to some of those teachers, prompting pushback.
The law made some substitute teachers eligible for Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) benefits, but that review, led by the finance department and new CFO Justin Dayhoff, found CCSD was not enrolling employees who worked more than 719 hours into PERS and, in turn, was not splitting the required retirement contributions with the employee.
Dayhoff says between fiscal years '24 and '26, about 2,600 employees were affected, and the estimated annual cost to come into compliance would be between $15 million and $17.5 million.
Dayhoff said the district has already been working to come into compliance.
Substitutes expected to exceed 719 hours per year have been offered the option to select a PERS-eligible position and work the full year, or to continue without enrolling and have their hours limited, he said.
All other substitutes will have their hours limited.
Some substitutes have objected to the changes.
"Substitute teachers did not request that their working hours be restricted, nor should they bear the consequence of the district failure to implement the legislation," said substitute teacher Lois Glenn Carter during public comment at a school board meeting. "I’m asking again, CCSD. Commit to reviewing every eligible long-term substitute, determine the full retroactive financial obligation of those records."
One trustee said community members had asked why the district would not wait until the next legislative session to see whether the law might change.
"We can't necessarily hedge against legislative action in that way, because the risk to the district at that point, could be in the millions of dollars that could instead be in the classroom with kids," Dayhoff said.
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