Latest news with #SB161
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Teachers union looks to lawmakers to allow court-authorized strikes, reform arbitration process
Teachers strike posters line a whiteboard in a Clark County Education Association conference room on Aug. 23, 2019. (Photo by: April Corbin Girnus/Nevada Current) The Clark County teachers union is pushing legislation to speed up the arbitration process and allow teachers to petition district court to allow them to legally go on strike. If the Legislature doesn't pass the proposal — or if Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes it — the union says it is prepared to make their case directly to Nevada voters through their 'right to strike' initiative, which is already slated to appear on the 2026 General Election ballot. Clark County Education Association, which represents the approximately 18,000 teachers and licensed professionals within the Clark County School District, is backing Senate Bill 161. The bill would establish an expedited arbitration process for teachers unions and school districts, which could kick in if a contract has not been reached 75 days before the start of a new school year. More controversially, the bill would also establish a pathway for K-12 public school teachers to legally go on strike, something they are currently prohibited from doing. The bill, which was given an exemption from standard legislative deadlines, received its first hearing Wednesday night in the Senate Committee on Government Affairs. The bill was immediately passed out of committee on a 5-2 vote and is headed to the full Senate for possible consideration. State Sen. Rochelle Nuygen, the Las Vegas Democrat sponsoring the bill, told the committee that the threshold set in SB 161 to authorize a strike is high. Teachers would have to make the case that their proposed strike would be 'equally or less detrimental' to students than remaining in schools that are failing them through existing policies or conditions. The strike would also not apply to special education services, food services, mental health counseling, and after-school supervision. Nguyen characterized it as a nuanced approach that meets the spirit of the state's existing anti-strike law while addressing the established pattern of prolonged arbitration between the fifth largest school district in the country and its largest bargaining unit. In contrast, the right-to-strike ballot initiative would be a 'blunt instrument,' she argued. Nevada state law prohibits legislators from altering a law established through the initiative petition process for two regular sessions (so, four years) after it is approved by voters, so lawmakers couldn't quickly alter it if issues arose. 'That's the choice,' CCEA Executive Director John Vellardita told the Nevada Current in an interview. 'The choice is: This is going to be on the ballot in '26. We have the resources to run a successful campaign. We've done field research. We have the support.' Bradley Schrager, an attorney who represented the teacher's union in numerous cases two years ago, pointed out in the bill hearing that CCSD and CCEA have reached a negotiation impasse and gone into arbitration four times in the past decade. 'There's only five two-year cycles in a decade,' he added. The pattern of prolonged arbitration means teachers are routinely beginning the academic year without new contracts in place, which can be demoralizing and lead to poor teacher retention, argued CCEA members who spoke in support of the bill. That was the case in 2023, when the Legislature and Lombardo approved a K-12 education budget they routinely described as 'historic' in its funding levels, only to see another impasse and months of public bickering between the district and union. That year, a contract agreement was reached in December, halfway through the school year. That fall, a significant percentage of teachers at a handful of schools coordinated 'sickouts,' leading to those schools closing for one day. The court ruled it strike activity, which put the union at risk of punishment. SB 161 'forces cooperation at a very early time,' said Schrager, and evens the playing field between the union and district. But not everyone agrees with that sentiment. Tom Clark, a lobbyist representing the Nevada Association of School Boards and the Reno+Sparks Chamber of Commerce, suggested teachers strikes would wreak havoc on communities, make national news, and cause pain and suffering to families. Tens of thousands of children could be left without childcare, he added. 'That's the leverage the strike gives to one side of the equation,' he said. 'That imbalance does nothing for negotiations, does nothing for the benefits of students, the teachers, the families, the people in our community that rely on the vital public service that our teachers and our schools provide.' The Nevada State Education Association, whose affiliate units include teachers in non-Clark counties and support staff in CCSD, is opposed to the bill on the grounds it would give teacher's unions an unfair advantage over other bargaining groups. NSEA and CCEA have an antagonistic relationship with one another. The Nevada Association of School Superintendents is also opposed, with lobbyist Mary Pierczynski arguing that states like Nevada have outlawed teacher strikes 'for very good reason.' 'The emphasis tonight has been on Clark County and CCEA but there are 17 school districts in our state and they will all be impacted,' she added. CCSD did not participate in the hearing and has not expressed a public position on the bill. When contacted by the Current for comment, the district's media relations department stated it is tracking the bill. 'District staff work with legislators to monitor changes made to the language in bill drafts. CCSD provides public comment on bills as appropriate throughout the process as the legislation progresses,' continued the statement. Nguyen in her presentation emphasized the bill is not a criticism of Jhone Ebert, CCSD's new superintendent, who started last month. Nguyen said she and others working on the bill are 'rooting for her success.' This year's legislative session is scheduled to end on June 2. That leaves SB 161 a little over three weeks to pass both chambers of the Legislature and make it to the governor's desk.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kids learn about key women in Utah's history, and lawmakers join in the fun
Just hours before a bill to codify the Utah Women's History Initiative advanced through House committee, hundreds of students made their way through the Capitol learning about key women in Utah's history for Utah Women Making History Day. SB161 is sponsored by Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, and would help to codify multiple initiatives and organizations within the Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement. The bill, which includes the Utah Women's History Initiative, was heard in the House Economic Development and Workforce Services Standing Committee on the same day as Utah Women Making History Day was celebrated at the Capitol. The bill already passed through the Senate and will now go to the House floor for a final vote. On Tuesday, hundreds of students from around Utah came to the Capitol for the sixth annual Utah Women Making History Day, put on by the Utah Women's History Initiative and Better Days. The event featured a variety of displays where children could visit to learn more about prominent women in Utah's history. The displays and booths were set up by partner organizations such as the Utah Education Network, the State Board of Education and Women's Leadership Institute. 'We try to align community organizations talking about a woman doing that same work that they do today. So it's pretty fun,' said Katherine Kitterman, who manages the Utah Women's History Initiative. During the event, students were able to interact with a member of the Lieutenant Governor's Office of Elections who was portraying Seraph Young Ford, the first woman to vote in Utah. They were also able to complete certain tasks, and visit a number of booths in order to receive a prize at the end. The students also learned about other women such as Reva Beck Bosone, who was Utah's first female judge; she was also a state legislator and radio and TV host. At one booth, they were able to meet female mayors who are currently serving around the state. A group of students gathered in the Capitol's Gold Room to hear from Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, who spoke about women in Utah's history, such as Martha Hughes Cannon, the first woman in the U.S. to be elected to a state senate. Henderson also shared her own experience being a woman in the Utah Senate and how she got to where she is today. 'If it's worth doing, it's not going to be easy, and that's one thing that you should always remember, that just because something is hard doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Often, it means you should,' Henderson said. 'And the more you do hard things, the tougher you get.' This event was first started in 2020 as a celebration for the 150th anniversary of the first votes cast by women in Utah. 'Better Days had started this, again to honor that anniversary of voting rights and also to show kids, look at the rich legacy of leadership that we have here in this state,' Kitterman said. 'Look at the women who've come before us and paved the way, who have seen a problem and done something to solve it, or stood up, or gathered folks together to make a difference.' There are nine divisions within the Department of Cultural and Community Engagement and SB161 covers five of them; the Utah State Library, the Utah Historical Society, the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism, the Division of Arts and Museums and the State Historic Preservation office. The bill would codify the Utah Women's History Initiative, which was funded in 2021 but is not yet in code. The purpose of the initiative is to educate the Utah public on women's contributions to the state's history and support relevant historical and cultural organizations. SB161 would provide updates to the Utah Service Fellowship which is a part of the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism. In the Division of Arts and Museums, it would change the grant eligibility criteria. The fifth division that is affected by the bill is the State Historic Preservation Office, which under that bill would see technical changes.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kids learn about key women in Utah's history, and lawmakers join in the fun
Just hours before a bill to codify the Utah Women's History Initiative advanced through House committee, hundreds of students made their way through the Capitol learning about key women in Utah's history for Utah Women Making History Day. SB161 is sponsored by Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, and would help to codify multiple initiatives and organizations within the Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement. The bill, which includes the Utah Women's History Initiative, was heard in the House Economic Development and Workforce Services Standing Committee on the same day as Utah Women Making History Day was celebrated at the Capitol. The bill already passed through the Senate and will now go to the House floor for a final vote. On Tuesday, hundreds of students from around Utah came to the Capitol for the sixth annual Utah Women Making History Day, put on by the Utah Women's History Initiative and Better Days. The event featured a variety of displays where children could visit to learn more about prominent women in Utah's history. The displays and booths were set up by partner organizations such as the Utah Education Network, the State Board of Education and Women's Leadership Institute. 'We try to align community organizations talking about a woman doing that same work that they do today. So it's pretty fun,' said Katherine Kitterman, who manages the Utah Women's History Initiative. During the event, students were able to interact with a member of the Lieutenant Governor's Office of Elections who was portraying Seraph Young Ford, the first woman to vote in Utah. They were also able to complete certain tasks, and visit a number of booths in order to receive a prize at the end. The students also learned about other women such as Reva Beck Bosone, who was Utah's first female judge; she was also a state legislator and radio and TV host. At one booth, they were able to meet female mayors who are currently serving around the state. A group of students gathered in the Capitol's Gold Room to hear from Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, who spoke about women in Utah's history, such as Martha Hughes Cannon, the first woman in the U.S. to be elected to a state senate. Henderson also shared her own experience being a woman in the Utah Senate and how she got to where she is today. 'If it's worth doing, it's not going to be easy, and that's one thing that you should always remember, that just because something is hard doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Often, it means you should,' Henderson said. 'And the more you do hard things, the tougher you get.' This event was first started in 2020 as a celebration for the 150th anniversary of the first votes cast by women in Utah. 'Better Days had started this, again to honor that anniversary of voting rights and also to show kids, look at the rich legacy of leadership that we have here in this state,' Kitterman said. 'Look at the women who've come before us and paved the way, who have seen a problem and done something to solve it, or stood up, or gathered folks together to make a difference.' There are nine divisions within the Department of Cultural and Community Engagement and SB161 covers five of them; the Utah State Library, the Utah Historical Society, the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism, the Division of Arts and Museums and the State Historic Preservation office. The bill would codify the Utah Women's History Initiative, which was funded in 2021 but is not yet in code. The purpose of the initiative is to educate the Utah public on women's contributions to the state's history and support relevant historical and cultural organizations. SB161 would provide updates to the Utah Service Fellowship which is a part of the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism. In the Division of Arts and Museums, it would change the grant eligibility criteria. The fifth division that is affected by the bill is the State Historic Preservation Office, which under that bill would see technical changes.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
School administrators salary cap fails in Senate
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — Republican Sen. Sue Peterson wanted salary caps for public school administrators. But a majority of other senators don't. Her legislation, Senate Bill 161, sought to limit school administrators to no more than three times the average teacher salary in each school district. SB 161 squeaked out of the Senate Education Committee 4-3 on Thursday. On Friday, however, it failed in the Senate, 13-22. Peterson said the latest national figures show South Dakota ranks 49th in teacher pay and 16th in administrator pay. Rhoden takes step to possibly run for Governor 'We need to ask ourselves if we want the best teachers in front of our children. Yes, we want good administrators in our schools, but we also need to keep the excellent teachers in our classroom,' Peterson said. Democratic Sen. Jamie Smith, a former teacher whose wife continues to teach, said capping administrators' salaries wasn't the way to raise teachers' salaries. 'But by pushing somebody else down is not how you, how you, how you raise everybody else. No. We're going to make sure we have great administrators in our districts and encourage the best, and we need to work on the teacher part, too,' Smith said. Republican Sen. Kevin Jensen said Peterson's plan could lead to administrators taking pay cuts as teaching ranks turn over. 'In many of our school districts, we have aging and retiring teachers who are at the top of their salary levels, and we're replacing them with entry-level base pay salaries,' Jensen said. Republican Sen. Carl Perry said Peterson's proposal would undercut school boards. 'Is it the school board that's going to make these decisions for us, for you, for your school, for your kids? And do you want local control?' Perry asked. 'If you want local control, then let them do their job.' Peterson replied, 'This is a really good example of where local control is not working. And so if you like the numbers 49 and 16, I urge you to vote no on this bill. If you don't like those numbers, I urge you to vote yes on Senate Bill 161.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
