Teacher Talking Points

YOUR RIGHTS ARE UNDER ATTACK!

HERE’S THE THREAT:
Your rights will be taken away. 
Your ability to organize will be eliminated.
Your take-home pay will be slashed.

TAKE ACTION NOW!
1.        CALL your legislators at 800-995-9080

2.        WRITE a letter to the editor at 
  • letters@rgj.com
  • letters@reviewjournal.com
  • mike.campbell@lasvegassun.com
3.        WRITE a letter/email to your Governor, Senators, and Legislators 
4.        PASS this information along to your friends and family. 

What you can say...
  • A quality education provides opportunity for our kids and is the only way we will build a strong economy in the future.
  • Nevada has underfunded education for years, and already made enormous cuts in the last two years.
  • Now the governor’s budget proposes more than half a billion in NEW cuts, including huge reductions to teacher pay & benefits.
  • Thousands of teachers’ jobs are on the line and the governor and legislators don’t seem to care.
  • We will only provide stable funding and position Nevada for success if we implement a broad-based business tax.
  • Legislators need to set their politics aside, and do what’s right for the future of the state.
  • The state budget shouldn't be balanced on the backs of the children and dedicated public workers. 
  • We need a broad-based business tax to ensure stable revenue and fully fund education, giving our schools what they need to succeed. 
  • Attacks on worker rights will have a devastating effect on public education.
  • Nevada is already ranked 50th out of 50 states in education.  How can we improve when we're cutting funding in half?
  • We cannot afford cuts that will dash the dreams of countless American students, put additional strain on state budgets already cut to the bone, and stall the engine that drives our economy.
  • Policymakers need to make tough choices to restore fiscal discipline, but they should not jeopardize students' education, which is tied to all of our futures.  If they do, countless working families will see their children's future vanish before their eyes.
  • Congress should be standing up for children, working families, and seniors.  And you should be rejecting dangerous choices that threaten our future by devastating whole segments of the population while seeming to cater to those least in need of attention and support.
  • I’m familiar with the reform bills—AB 222, 225, and 229—and while I may agree with some of these concepts, my rights should not be leveraged to solve the budget crisis.
  • Our working conditions are our children’s learning conditions—they’re counting on you, we’re counting on you!
  • Governor Sandoval called for a shared sacrifice in order to balance the state budget and yet we fail to see where his “shared sacrifice” involves cuts to essential education programs that help those students most in need.
  • If the children are really the priority, the governor should be looking to find ways to generate revenue for our schools.
  • There’s no shared sacrifice here; it’s all being forced on Nevada’s educators and kids.
  • These proposed bills are direct attacks on the students and educators of Nevada.
  • Taking away our rights as educators and slashing the education budget is not the responsible way to address the fiscal crisis of this state.

What CCSD Teachers can expect next year...
  • Fewer teachers [HMS (losing 20%), Iverson (31%) & LVHS (8%)]
  • More students per class (up to 45 students in 6th -12th grade)
  • Cut in supply & textbook budgets up to 50% 
  • Fewer Counselors, Special Ed. Facilitators & Ed. Comp. Specialists
  • No Literacy Specialists or Teachers of English Language Learners
  • Lowering pay (makes it harder to keep, find & hire good employees)
  • Elective classes involving the arts are being eliminated district wide
  • Teachers with two consecutive “unsatisfactory” evaluations can be placed back on probationary status without recourse (AB 225)
  • Increases probationary period to 3 years and eliminates all due process rights (AB 229)
  • Plans to eliminate “Evergreen Clause” which extends the existing contract during negotiations beyond the initial term until an agreement is reached 
  • Reduced per child expenditure by $270
  • Approximately $500 reduction in pay per month due to an 8% reduction in salary; including up to 10 furlough days, up to 20% increase in health insurance costs, & PERS
Even after all these consessions -- 2,500 staff positions eliminated and a shortfall of 69 million dollars.

Protect your rights. Protect your profession.

Information updated 5/17/11
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