NSEA is in strong support of item E.3, an allocation of $58,051,168 to support salary increases and benefit costs for education support professionals in the Clark County School District. We ask the legislature to respect labor by honoring our collective bargaining process and allocating these funds.
Late this summer, the Education Support Employees Association ratified a collective bargaining agreement with the Clark County School District. This agreement, valued over $110M over two years, included a salary increase of over 10%, including employer coverage of the PERS increase, a minimum wage of $15/hour, and an increase in the employer health insurance contribution. While our members were hopeful for a larger raise, the promise of SB231 funds made this compromise possible. In September, ESEA signed a Memorandum of Agreement with CCSD regarding these funds. While the amount available for each district had not yet been announced, this agreement stated:
Upon receipt of the above-described funding details, CCSD will immediately commence negotiations with ESEA relating to the form and methods used to distribute to professional support staff approximately 33.4% of the funds allocated by SB231. The results of these negotiations will be memorialized in a subsequent Letter of Understanding executed by the Parties.
In short, SB231 monies have always very much been a central part of the ESEA-CCSD collective bargaining process, so we strongly ask this committee to allocate these funds to hardworking women and men represented by ESEA.
Education support professionals are the backbone of our public education system, keeping schools running while ensuring students are safe, healthy, and ready to learn. In addition to paraprofessionals ESPs include bus drivers, nutrition workers, custodians, IT workers, clinical aides, administrative assistants, library aides, and building and grounds maintenance. ESPs occupy the lowest end of the pay schedule, and while new language to bring the minimum wage in CCSD up to $15/hour is progress, thousands of our educators still struggle to make ends meet with the high cost of living. Education support professionals in CCSD genuinely reflect the communities they serve. Most workers impacted by your decision on this item today are people of color. While we are sympathetic to coworkers attempting to access SB231 dollars, blocking possible raises for educators represented by ESEA would be racially and socially unjust.
Meanwhile, item E.7. for Lyon County is a very different story. Lyon County’s proposal is not a salary increase, and it was not subject to the collective bargaining process. NSEA asks that you do the right thing by honoring the collective bargaining process. Please support item E.3. and oppose item E.7.
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