Teachers wage time protest: Area educators won’t stay for after-school programs

Terry Webster

Tuesday, May 15, 2001 | 10:54 a.m.

Angered by increasing class sizes and no salary raises, Clark County School District teachers at three middle schools began this week working only the minimum time required by their contracts.

That means those teachers will no longer oversee after-school clubs or other extracurricular activities unless they are already being paid for them.

Teachers at Greenspun, White and Miller middle schools will not be volunteering their time beyond regular hours, said Sue Strand, president of the Clark County Education Association, the teachers union.

"For the rest of this year and all of next year, there will be no more extracurricular activities," said Ron Smith, a teacher at Greenspun Middle School in Henderson. "We are strictly working our contract, from 7:20 a.m. to 2:31 p.m."

The practice will continue unless class sizes are reduced and raises are negotiated, Smith said.

"That's what they've chosen to do," Strand said. "They are trying to show they are unhappy with the fact that schools are underfunded and classes are too big. We want the Legislature to do its job and fund education."

Greenspun teacher Dean Giangrosso said it's common for teachers to work 13 hours a day, including doing work at home.

The teachers' actions marked the kickoff of informational pickets this week before and after the school day. Strand said the pickets will continue into June at some schools.

More schools in the district, the nation's sixth largest, are expected to join, teachers said.

Class sizes, Smith said, are already large and the district intends to make them larger to cut costs. School officials plan to raise the student-to-teacher ratio from 31 students to 32 students at the secondary level.

Greenspun students Alexa Waller and Mike Jamshidi said some of their classes have as many as 50 students.

"In my accelerated reading class we have 48 students, and everyone is rammed together," Waller said, adding that it's difficult to walk around the classroom. "I have a (physical education) class with 50 kids."

Jamshidi said one of his classes has 39 students. And there is no time for teachers to stop for questions.

"We support our teachers," said Jaqueline Moran, another Greenspun student. "I want to march out there with them."

But Moran said she doesn't want to see clubs and other activities disappear.

"What are we going to do, then?" she said.

The local and state teachers unions are calling for pay hikes.

Gov. Kenny Guinn is proposing a 4 percent to 5 percent one-time bonus for current teachers, along with a $2,000 signing bonus for new teachers.

Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, recently said the Clark County School District's budget crisis was fabricated by the district and that it can afford more cuts.

School officials vehemently deny that.

"We're letting the general public know that the state Legislature is not supporting education," said Steve King, a Greenspun teacher.

"The only reason I can do this is I am retired from 23 years with the military. I know a teacher who works at Blockbuster Video on the weekends and others doing two or three jobs to support themselves. It's ridiculous."

Beginning pay for teachers with a bachelor's degree is $26,847 in Clark County.