Teacher shortage closes Vegas schools and forces combined classes during union contract battle
FILE - A student waits to get off a bus on the first day of school at the new Hannah Marie Brown Elementary School in Henderson, Nev., Aug. 9, 2021. Ongoing staffing issues in Las Vegas-area schools reached a critical point in September 2023, with classes being cancelled or combined to address teacher absences at campuses across the nation’s fifth-largest school district, Clark County School District. (Yasmina Chavez/Las Vegas Sun via AP, File)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Staffing issues in Las Vegas-area schools reached a critical point this month, with classes being canceled or combined across the nation’s fifth-largest school district during bitter contract negotiations.
The Clark County School District and the teachers union, which represents about 18,000 licensed employees, have been negotiating a new contract since late March over topics such as pay, benefits and working conditions.
School district officials said in a statement earlier this week that “CCSD students should not be used as bargaining leverage” by the Clark County Education Association. But union leaders say they aren’t behind the recent wave of teachers who have called in sick, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
In Nevada, it is illegal for public employees to strike.
After an unexpected number of staff members at a Las Vegas high school called in sick last Friday ahead of the Labor Day weekend, classes were combined in “larger areas of the campus to continue instructional activities,” according to a message sent to parents.
More disruptions followed after the holiday weekend when an elementary school in the nearby city of Henderson canceled classes Tuesday and a Las Vegas middle school said it had to combine classes Wednesday.
The shortages came to a head Friday with the district canceling classes at two elementary schools, causing city officials to set up temporary child care at community centers across Clark County, the Review-Journal reported.
In addition to being one of the largest school districts in the U.S., with about 295,000 students, the Clark County School District is the largest in Nevada. It is facing more than 1,100 teacher vacancies.
The education association, however, says vacancies are almost double that if you factor in the open positions being filled by substitute teachers.
The union is seeking a new contract with 18% across-the-board pay raises over two years.
It also wants additional compensation for special education teachers, teachers in high-vacancy, typically low-income schools, and an increased pay rate for teachers working extended-day hours at certain campuses.
The district has offered a 10.5% salary increase across the board over the two years, and a new pay scale that the district says emphasizes college education and years of experience more.
Negotiations are scheduled to resume next week.