The Washoe County School District (WCSD) and the Washoe Education Association (WEA) have reached a tentative two-year collective bargaining agreement, resulting in a 20% Cost Of Living Adjustment over the course of two years.
The WCSD says the tentative two-year contract commits to a 14% cost of living adjustment in the first year, with an additional 4% match from Senate Bill 231 for eligible employees, bringing the total estimated increase to 18% in year one. In year two, educators will receive an additional 2% cost of living adjustment. The 14% increase was possible due to increased state funding for schools and certain cost shifts identified by the district.
“Since my arrival in Washoe County, I have been clear that our dedicated and hardworking educators are deserving of compensation that reflects their professionalism and expertise,” said Superintendent Susan Enfield. “Thanks to our state lawmakers, we are now able to do that through this historic agreement. I am grateful to our district and WEA negotiation teams for the time they put into reaching this agreement. I am more confident than ever that WCSD is a district on the rise.”
“We know that we can’t make up for decades of underfunding in a single contract, but we were determined to take massive strides forward and believe this contract does just that,” said WEA President Calen Evans. “We would like to thank Superintendent Enfield and the Board of Trustees for their public support of the amazing professionals we have in the Washoe County School District.”
The agreement runs through June 30, 2025. The tentative contract also commits to a one-time $5,000 signing and/or retention bonus for certain hard-to-fill positions.
The tentative agreement will now go to WEA members for ratification and then to the Board of Trustees for final approval.
Parallel to the WEA agreement, WCSD and the Washoe Education Support Professionals (WESP) agreed to a signing bonus and retention bonus for Special Education teacher aides and assistants.
“I am thrilled for the Board of Trustees to vote on this tentative agreement at an upcoming meeting,” said Board of Trustees President Beth Smith. “Our Board’s legislative platform prioritized our commitment to compensating staff as valued professionals and strongly advocated for a system that allows our students to excel. This landmark agreement demonstrates what can be done when everyone works together to advance high quality public education and invest in our greatest resource—our children.”
WEA negotiates the contract for more than 3,900 WCSD certified educators.
(WCSD)
