After months of bitter contract negotiations between the Clark County School District (CCSD) and the Clark County Education Association (CCEA), the two parties announced Wednesday a historic agreement that will provide teachers with a nearly 20 percent increase over the next two years. 

The pay increases outlined in the agreement fall in line with many of the key demands CCEA has been pushing for all along, and the contract would bring the district’s starting teacher salary up to $53,000, an increase of about $3,000. 

The agreement is part of a decision rendered by an arbitrator Wednesday, the union said in a Wednesday statement. Their negotiations entered into the arbitration process after the district declared an impasse in September. The arbitrator's decision is final and binding.

“This contract represents a pivotal moment in the longstanding efforts to get a qualified licensed educator in every classroom by addressing recruitment and retention issues through increasing compensation for educators in Clark County,” the union said in a statement. 

“The School Board of Trustees and I are pleased that the approved contract gives our teachers the historic pay increases they deserve while aligning with the $637 million budget the district allocated in our budget process for licensed personnel,” Superintendent Jesus Jara said in a statement. “Teachers can enjoy their holidays knowing that relief is on the way.” 

The agreement includes a 10 percent salary increase in the first year of the contract, an 8 percent increase in the second year along with an additional $5,000 for special education teachers and teachers at Title I schools that have a high percentage of students from low-income families and vacancy rates of 5 percent or higher.

It also calls for an additional 1.875 percent pay increase that it expects to fund with the help of a $250 million matching fund created to support pay increases for teachers and support staff. The fund was part of a 2023 bill, SB231. 

CCSD said these increases will bring its starting teacher salary up to $53,000. The news comes just a week after a group of lawmakers refused to consider the district’s application for a share of the SB231 funds to support additional raises for its support staff because the district hadn’t also settled on a new contract agreement for its teachers.

Updated at 5:22 p.m. on 12/21/23 to clarify how the pay increases compare to what the union was asking for and to clarify the nature of the additional $5,000 for certain teachers.