School police work without contract

Thursday, Jan. 23, 2003 | 11:10 a.m.

For 125 Clark County School District Police officers, contract negotiations have reached a dead stop, they said Wednesday.

The school police force has been working without a contract since July 1, 2001.

Phil Gervasi, president of the School District's Police Officers' Association, said there are not enough officers to adequately patrol the 277 campuses of more than 244,684 students and more than 25,000 staff members; there is too much overtime work; and the pay is too low.

The association intends to take the matter to arbitration and "is looking for a fair and competitive wage without overtime," Gervasi, a former New York City Police officer, said.

A Clark County school police officer's starting pay is $29,299 a year, he said.

"This district has tire repairers that make $31,000," Gervasi said.

Edward Goldman, superintendent of the School District's southeast region and a member of the negotiating team, said this morning the police union's announcement was not unexpected.

"When we can't hammer out an agreement at the table,the law requires one side to declare an impass," Goldman said. "We'll go to the next step, which is arbitration, where I hope we'll be able to quickly resolve the matter."

Goldman said the cash-strapped district would like to give raises to all its employees, not just the police officers.

"We would do it if we could, believe me," Goldman said. "But we're dealing with a tough fiscal situation right now and that's the reality we have to operate within."