La Center teachers returned to classrooms Monday, Sept. 15, following nearly two weeks on strike.
The return comes after the La Center Education Association and the district reached a tentative agreement on salaries late last week.
The strike began Sept. 3, just days into the school year, after negotiations failed to resolve a dispute over how state-funded cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) should be applied to teacher pay. The union had pressed for the full amount of state-recommended funds each year of its contract for teacher salaries, while the district had proposed using half to build its reserves, citing financial uncertainty. Teachers had argued that anything short of a full pass-through of the 2.3 percent COLA adjustment left them falling behind inflation in Clark County’s rising cost of living.
During the first week of the strike, the district shifted its stance on cost-of-living raises. Officials said they would commit to passing 100% of the state dollars they receive for cost-of-living adjustments directly into salaries, rather than splitting the money between pay and reserves.
In practice, that means teachers would get all of the funds earmarked for them by the state. However, because the state’s funding formula doesn’t fully align with La Center’s actual staffing levels, the increase would fall short of the increase teachers had expected, according to the district’s FAQ page.
On Thursday evening, Superintendent Peter Rosenkranz announced that a tentative deal had been reached, pending a union vote.
“We are looking forward to welcoming students back to their classrooms,” Rosenkranz wrote in a Facebook message to families.
The following day, union members ratified the agreement.
“Thank you to all who supported us these past few weeks,” the La Center Education Association wrote. “We are excited to have the students back in the classroom on Monday!”
