CCSD to pay employees $2K retention bonuses amid pandemic
The Clark County School District announced Thursday it has reached tentative agreements with employee unions to award a retention bonus of up to $2,000 for each full-time worker.
Employees on the job as of Jan. 1 will receive $1,000. They’re eligible for an additional $1,000 if they’re still working on May 25, under the agreement.
The retention bonus is “one more way to support and thank employees and mitigate the economic impact of the COVID pandemic,” the district said in a statement.
The move comes as the district faces a staffing shortage that has gotten worse since school began in early August. There were about 850 licensed employee vacancies and hundreds of support staff openings as of mid-December.
And with a surge in COVID-19 case numbers as schools reopened Wednesday after winter break, student and employee absences rate were higher than average, exacerbating the existing staffing challenges.
The district is allocating about $80 million in federal coronavirus relief money to fund the bonuses. A memorandum of agreement will be presented to the School Board for approval on Jan. 13.
“The board is grateful for the commitment our employees have maintained throughout the pandemic to provide the best possible support for students,” School Board President Irene Cepeda said in the statement. “This agreement is a small way to show employees our appreciation for their dedication to the children of Clark County.”
The pandemic has “stressed everyone in our community and across the country” and the agreement with employee unions is another step to show thanks for district employees, Superintendent Jesus Jara said in the statement.
“We recognize the hardships borne by so many of our employees throughout this pandemic and are committed to providing the resources available to support educators’ needs,” he said.
In a statement to the Review-Journal, Clark County Education Association President Marie Neisess said: “CCEA is appreciative to have worked with the district to come to this agreement. Educators have continued to work hard during the pandemic and deserve this extra bonus for their dedication to serving our students.”
In a joint statement to the Review-Journal, Education Support Employees Association President Jan Giles and Teamsters 14 Secretary-Treasurer Fred Horvath said they’re “very happy” to see the use of federal funds for retention bonuses.
Federal guidance allows the money to be used to improve educator retention, and of the many ways the school district can use the funds, “this is one way that personally helps our members and their families,” they said.
“This $2,000 is a solid start in correcting and investing in the education support professionals’ pay, and we are thankful we could come to an agreement with the Clark County School District,” Giles and Horvath said.
Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.