Proposal gives summer jobless benefits to education support staff

The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said Friday that its proposed Emergency Regulation, if approved, would make UI benefits available to the Nevada’s education support staff this summer.

“We understand the state’s education support employees are in a unique situation due to the pandemic. Many will be able to return to their jobs this summer. This proposed emergency regulation will provide targeted relief for those employees who don’t have that option,” said Lynda Parven, DETR’s ESD administrator, in a news release Friday.

Currently, education support staffers are not eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits in the summer term except in limited circumstances. DETR, however, has the authority under Senate Bill 3 from the 2020 special legislative session, to propose emergency regulations.

Jobless aid for bus drivers, cafeteria employees, custodial staff, and more

Elisa Cafferata, head of DETR, told state lawmakers Friday that the proposal is a one-time solution and comes after President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan with new aid.

“What we have worked on with the (Nevada State Education Association) is that their concern was specific to this summer, for folks who might have spent their savings, and just didn’t have the opportunity to build back up their savings and might be facing unemployment this summer,” Cafferata said before the state Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor. “So we have proposed, and the governor has signed emergency regulations that will cover education support personnel this summer only, because it is very specific to the situation of this pandemic.”

Cafferata said this Emergency Regulation proposal would take advantage of a provision within the American Rescue Plan that allows the federal government to cover up to 75 percent of the cost for reimbursable employers, such as school districts.

“We think that reduces the burden: the one-time, one-summer burden significantly,” Cafferata said.

State policymakers are also considering legislation that will allow for summer schools, which might mean many education support staff will return to jobs over the summer and won’t need the jobless benefits.

“We’ve worked with the school district to find the lowest impact way to provide some support to these employees on a one-time basis, and that is the proposed solution,” said Cafferata.

Still, it needs the stamp of approval by the Legislative Commission.

Covered staff would include individuals employed by a county school district, a charter school, or a private elementary or secondary institution licensed in Nevada. Individuals would be able to apply once the current school year is completed with benefits collected only for weeks of unemployment in the time period the emergency regulation is effective. All UI eligibility requirements would apply.

Employees covered under the regulation would not be eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits.

Clark County School District to work with DETR

The nation’s fifth-largest school district said Friday that it will work with the Nevada workforce agency to figure out how to implement the new emergency regulation.

“We understand the difficulties our staff have faced over the past year and appreciate the Governor is trying to decrease the negative economic impacts of the pandemic on Nevada’s families. District staff will be working closely with DETR to understand and implement this Emergency Regulation,” Clark County School District said in a statement Friday evening.

“We appreciate our hard-working Support Professionals who have made reopening our schools a possibility. Support Professionals will be a critical part of the District’s ability to provide a robust summer school, helping mitigate learning loss some students experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the statement continued.

Nevada union groups hail proposal

The Education Support Employees Association – an affiliate of the Nevada State Education Association, the largest educator’s union in the state – and Teamsters 14 hailed the proposal as a major win for its members.

“The Nevada State Education Association, Education Support Employees Association, and Teamsters 14 would like to thank everyone involved for ensuring that education support professionals are eligible for unemployment benefits this summer,” said Jan Giles of ESEA and Fred Horvath of Teamsters 14 in a joint statement Friday.

Last year, the groups supported SB3 to allow DETR the authority to propose emergency regulations and implement a fix for education support staffers, such as this proposal.

“Since that time, we have all continued to work with the Governor’s office, DETR, and legislators to find a solution for our ESPs. This emergency regulation will ease the minds of many ESPs who were facing limited job opportunities this summer,” the groups said.

Contact Jonathan Ng at jng@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ByJonathanNg on Twitter.