Local
CCSD Caps Substitute Teacher Hours to Comply with 2023 Benefits Law, Citing $48 Million Cost
The Clark County School District will limit most substitute teachers to 719 hours per year to avoid paying into the state retirement system, a move that will cut income for hundreds of educators. District officials say compliance with the 2023 law could cost $48 million over three years, while substitutes argue they shouldn't bear the burden of the district's delayed implementation.
LAS VEGAS â The Clark County School District is moving forward with a plan to comply with a 2023 state law that requires substitute teachers working more than 720 hours per year to enroll in the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) or have their hours reduced. The district's plan, approved Thursday night during a joint meeting of the CCSD Board of Trustees and the Audit Advisory Committee, will cap most substitutes at 719 hours annually, with only a select group known as Substitutes on Special Assignment (SOSAs) allowed to exceed that limit.
The decision comes after the district failed to implement the law for three years, a lapse that Chief Financial Officer Justin Dayhoff said involved about 2,600 employees and $48 million in unpaid contributions. "The district is already at work implementing corrective action on this. The district has brought itself into compliance," Dayhoff said.
Substitute teachers, who packed the meeting, said they are being forced to pay for the district's mistake. "Substitute teachers did not request that their working hours be restricted, nor should they bear the consequence of the district's failure to implement the legislation," said Lois Glenn-Carter, a CCSD substitute teacher. She called on the district to review every eligible long-term substitute and determine the full retroactive financial obligation.
Kimberly Johnson, another substitute, said the new cap will cut her income sooner than expected. "It's crazy. Like some will be done at the end of the semester. Some of us will be done by the end of January," she said. Johnson, a musician, said she may need to ramp up other work or update her resume.
The law was passed to provide long-overdue state benefits and protections for substitute teachers. But board members and the lawmaker behind the original bill have questioned why the district didn't wait until the upcoming legislative session in February before implementing changes. "What would that outcome look like? What would the consequence be?" asked Emily Stevens, president of the CCSD Board of Trustees.
Dayhoff said the district cannot afford to wait. "The onus is on us to be responsible with those and to make sure that we, we can't necessarily hedge against legislative action in that way, because the risk to the district at that point could be in the millions of dollars that could instead be in the classroom with kids," he said.
Currently, there is a freeze on adding new substitutes to the substitute pool. The district said it will revisit whether to lift that freeze given the current circumstances. For now, thousands of substitute teachers face reduced hours and uncertain incomes as the district moves to close a costly compliance gap.