The Clark County School District has proposed a two-year agreement with employee bargaining groups that it calls the “most significant increase in compensation and benefits” in more than a decade, but the teachers’ union has signaled dissatisfaction with it.

District officials sent employees an email Friday announcing details of the proposal, which includes a 3 percent pay increase for the 2019-2020 contract year, step increases for all eligible employees in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 years and a 4 percent increase in the district’s contribution to the medical plan for those two years.

The offer was first proposed to the Clark County Education Association on Wednesday during a negotiation session, the email said. District officials say they’re prepared to submit this offer to the Board of School Trustees at the Aug. 22 meeting. 

“The implementation of committed dollars by the Governor and Nevada State Legislature has been a top priority of the Board of School Trustees and CCSD administration, and internally had been a goal to go into effect by the start of the school year,” the message states.

The memo notes that the same offer has been extended verbally to the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional-Technical Employees (CCASAPE), the Education Support Employees Association (ESEA), the Police Officers Association of the Clark County School District (POA) and the Police Administrators Association of the Clark County School District Police Department (PAA).

Written proposals containing the same financial offer will be submitted to those bargaining groups at their next scheduled negotiation sessions.

“This is the most significant increase in compensation and benefits proposed for our employees by the District in over a decade,” the message states. “It is the hope of CCSD that all bargaining units will accept this financial proposal and allow the District to provide the additional financial compensation to all of our employees that was funded during the legislative session and promised to our employees.”

The Clark County Education Association published a memo on its website Friday saying the school district has “offered nothing” to educators and is simply giving what was already promised by Gov. Steve Sisolak and Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson.

The union memo states that the district’s offer doesn’t include pay for column movement for thousands of educators, address the step freeze that was in effect this past year or do anything about a salary reductions tied to the PERS (Public Employees Retirement System of Nevada) cost of .625 percent.

("Column" movement refers to professional development completed by educators, while "step" increases refer to length of employment.)

“We are extremely disappointed in Superintendent Jara,” union leaders wrote. “He has turned his backs on educators who advocated relentlessly during the Legislative Session for more funds for our schools. He has turned his back on over 18,800 educators who day in and day out have committed time and resources to improve their practice while working under extreme conditions of large class sizes with less resources to educate over 320,000 students.”

The union said it’s giving the school district until Aug. 22 to come up with a new offer. Meanwhile, CCEA’s executive board is meeting this weekend to discuss “next steps” regarding a possible strike.