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twitterDistrict dozen hit jackpot with overtime pay
Caps on excesses to go before board
Sam Morris
School Police officers monitor a girls basketball game Tuesday at Chaparral High. Athletic events are the biggest source of overtime for officers.
Published Wed, Jan 7, 2009 (2 a.m.)
Updated Wed, Jan 7, 2009 (3:03 p.m.)
Clark County School District roofing supervisor Danny Hurd earned $61,426.14 last year in overtime, but the district says the reality is it's cheaper to pay Hurd and other workers overtime than to bring in more employees, and have to pay benefits on top of salaries.
Sun Archives
- Taxpayers save, thanks to overtime crackdown (1-14-2008)
- Overtime total jumps again (8-3-2007)
- OT costs surge, point to taxes that could’ve been spent more wisely (4-15-2007)
- The advantage of public service (2-18-2007)
- Roofer super’s super riches: Bigger bucks than boss (9-28-2006)
- School district police made $1 million-plus in overtime (5-5-2004)
While 2008 brought reduced work schedules and less pay for many Southern Nevadans, a handful of Clark County School District employees raked in a hefty amount of overtime.
The district’s top overtime earner was School Police Officer Christopher Law, who was paid $84,533 in overtime from January to November, on top of his base salary of $55,791.
Danny Hurd, a roofing supervisor, was the top earner among the district’s facilities support staff, earning in $61,426 in overtime, in addition to his $71,665 salary.
According to the district, five police officers and seven support employees worked at least 1,000 hours of overtime last year. The cost to the district in overtime for the 12 top earners was more than $600,000.
Faced with massive budget cuts, the School District wants to put tighter restrictions on overtime pay — how much can be earned and how the extra hours are assigned.
In a Dec. 23 memo to staff, Martha Tittle, chief human resources officer for the district, said “in view of present and pending budget cuts,” overtime should be assigned only when “the work to be performed is imperative and of some urgency.”
In an interview Tuesday, Tittle added, “Nobody is saying the majority of overtime is inappropriate. However, there may be some areas where there is clearly excessive use.”
The district couldn’t immediately provide a total of the overtime paid. As part of their review, officials plan to begin generating quarterly reports on the additional pay to track the expense.
The School Board will take up the issue when it meets Jan. 22. One proposal is a ban on more than 24 hours per week of overtime, or more than 10 consecutive days. Another is that the lowest-paid qualified employee be the first asked to work overtime.
“We need to make sure the opportunity isn’t going unfairly to people at the top of the pay scale,” said Tittle, who earns $139,923 annually.
Only campus police and support employees – who include maintenance and facilities workers – can earn overtime. District policy currently requires employees to obtain advance approval for overtime from a principal or department head.
Carole Vilardo, president of the Nevada Taxpayers Association, said public entities should review overtime costs.
“A one-time bump in overtime could be an anomaly,” Vilardo said. “If you’re consistently seeing a pattern, then in all probability you’re not staffing to what your needs really are. In some cases, there might be an abuse of the discretionary determination that overtime is warranted.”
Number crunchers face a trade-off as they look at overtime costs. While the school system pays time-and-a-half for the extra hours, to hire additional workers would bring the added costs of health, retirement and other benefits.
“In departments where overtime regularly exceeds the regular 40-hour week,” Tittle wrote in the memo, “department heads must re-evaluate the cost-benefit of overtime versus hiring a permanent employee.”
Chris Collins, executive director for the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, said the public should not rush to judgment on School Police overtime.
“The only reason there’s so much overtime is they’re badly understaffed,” said Collins, whose organization represents Metro officers.
The district is probably saving “a lot of money” by paying time-and-a-half instead of shelling out the salary and benefits a new hire would require, he said.
Metro has a long-standing rule on overtime, Collins said: “If you have a second job, you can only work 24 hours per week at it. When you show up for your public safety job, they need you to be at 100 percent of your capabilities.”
Law, the School Police officer, worked more 1,711 hours of overtime in 2008, or the equivalent of more than 35 extra hours per week.
In 2007, Law earned $180,262 — $112,852 of which was in overtime. Cooke's gross earnings in the same year were $160,640, with $106,314 in overtime. Also on the top-earner list for 2007 was William Wiseman, an intrusion alarm supervisor for the district's security systems division. He earned $149,963, with $20,436 in overtime.
Teacher salaries in the School District top out at $70,060, which requires 14 years experience and advanced certification in addition to a master's degree. Principals, who must have a master's degree, can earn as much as $114,480, depending on the size of the school and the programs offered.
Two of Law’s colleagues, Ching Johnson and Anthony Cooke, earned more in overtime than their regular pay. Johnson’s total pay, including $61,194 in overtime, was $132,798 and Cooke’s, with $72,579 in overtime, was $127,597.
School Police Chief Phil Arroyo’s salary is $114,480.
School Police’s pay scale is lower than that of other local law enforcement agencies, which officials say has made it difficult to recruit, hire and keep qualified officers.
School Police are limited to working 16 hours within any 24-hour period, said School Police spokesman Lt. Ken Young. The department will comply with the new district requirement limiting overtime to 24 hours per week, he said.
School Police get overtime for three reasons: covering open shifts created by staffing shortages, vacations or sick leave; covering athletic events; and covering co-curricular events, which include school plays and dances.
Currently, the department is about 10 people short of its full roster of 175 officers, said School Police spokesman Lt. Ken Young. That figure includes 13 new hires still in training.
In a given week, as many as 500 requests for officers to work overtime are posted, said Sgt. Phil Gervasi.
“That’s how short-staffed we are,” said Gervasi, past president of the Clark County School Police Officers Association. “Every bit of overtime is the district saying, ‘We need you.’ ”
Athletic events are the biggest source of overtime, Gervasi said, followed by graveyard or swing shifts and coverage at alternative schools.
People don’t realize that it’s School Police that must respond if a campus alarm goes off, Gervasi said. “Technically we’d need 200 people to man the buildings we have,” he said.
The district has cut $130 million from its operating budget, with another $120 million in cuts projected for the next biennium, which begins in July. Included in the cuts are a 15 percent, or $1.7 million, reduction to athletic and extracurricular activities, resulting in pared-down sports schedules and fewer requests for School Police, said Ray Mathis, the district’s executive director of instructional support and student activities.
A typical high school football game requires six officers, Mathis said. If School Police cut back on overtime, campuses probably won’t be able to afford to hire outside security, he said.
That will “put an additional task on school administrators to be more visible at the ball games,” Mathis said.
Paul Gerner, associate superintendent of facilities for the district, said his top overtime earner — roofing supervisor Hurd, who worked 1,095 hours of overtime last year — “and pretty much everybody else has been taken out of the overtime business” because of the budget cuts.
“Overtime is being very grudgingly allowed in only the most dire situations,” Gerner said.
Discussion: 36 comments so far…
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We certainly do not want "school administrators to be more visible", heck they just got back from vacation and have that nice skiing and golfing glow.
Of course a 2 million dollar donation could have helped but, that's right, CCSD alienated that opportunity. CFO was on vacation and could not comment, but he has a red face today.
I hear there a many high school drop outs that want to get jobs in the roofing department at CCSD! "Tat's gooood wurk" said a recent CCSD student.
So Las Vegas school cops are getting paid $30 an hour to watch young girls sweat. Nice work if you can get it.
CCSD pays for public television in Las Vegas, time to use that resource to air the CCSD Board meetings. Time for transparency! This just in: Gary Gray is opposed to this idea.
I feel safer at sporting events when I know that there are Police Officer's there. And I wouldn't send my kids to their high school if there weren't officers on campus full time. But the real truth of it is, if parents won't take a more active role in parenting their children, we will continue to have children acting like thugs and we will continue to require more and more of a police presence in our schools. They are, unfortunately, needed there! The School District Police Department is under-manned. Of course the district is going to be required to pay out overtime. As much as it takes to keep all of our kids safe!
Imagine if they had to pay overtime pay to teachers??? Now that would be something.... In fact, there is a clause in the teacher's contract that addresses overtime pay for teachers..... "teachers cannot receive overtime pay." That's "involuntary servitude." No other educational/employee group in the school district has that clause in their contracts -- and that includes - administrators and support staff. That clause in the teacher's contract saves millions of dollars each year. So my question is --- Why do these other groups get overtime pay and teachers don't???????????
To CCSD teacher,
Your Union is too corrupt to care about you and your pay structure.
I really cannot believe you don't realize that, oh wait, you believe what the Unions says don't you.
Lets see 40 hours a week times 52 weeks equals 2,080 hours per year. Christopher Law worked 1,826 hours. Therefore Mr. Law recieves 254 hours of vacation or offwork time. Roughly 32 days off work not including weekends last year. Then Mr. Law bills 1,711 hours of overtime. Add to that the 1,826 hours of straight pay and that equals a staggering 3,537 total hours logged by Mr. Mr. Christopher Law.
Now let's work 3,537 hours backwards. Divide this by 52 weeks and you get 68 hours per week worked. Mr. Law would have had to work 9.71 hours per day (not including lunches or breaks) 7 days per week, every single week of the year with NO days off for holidays.
The same logic at 6 days per week equals 11.33 hours per day.
I would argue very stongly that noone at CCSD has this kind of commitment to work. Hell, I don't think I could keep up that kind of pace.
And instead of paying overtime, why not simply develop more shifts and manage their time more effectively? And what the heck are those two cops in the photo going to standing in the corner, on the top bleacher talking to each other at the gym? If real violence broke out someone would be seriously hurt or dead before tweedle dee and dumb in the picture made it to the gym floor.
To kevjandon,
Those two cops standing around talking to each other will get there much faster that Metro. Can you seriously tell me that you can predict where an event will break out? If you've ever been to a Chaparral basketball game, you'd know that they are standing at the entrance point to the game and have a good view of the entire main gym. Where else would they stand? It's good police work. Way to go CCSDPD!
Mis-chka...
Like a true overpaid, under performing lifelong CCSD administrator: blame the parents. This just in: this is "sin" city, home to the single parent "family", parents working odd shifts at the local casino to indulge abuse not tolerated at real home towns.
If you were a parent and felt you needed cops in the room to keep your kids safe, why would you let them go in the room in the first place?
CCSD blames parents and the fact is it is a problem that is not going to go away, bad parents or blaming them.
Soon the overpaid CCSD minions will blame the lawmakers, legislators for not giving them more money. News flash, save us the millions you spend on lobbying in Carson City just to leave with your tail(s) between your legs. That's right get on the local news and announce that CCSD is going to save money by eliminating the Government Affairs Department; make the parents and the elected lawmakers work it out....could not do any worse!
I for one am grateful for Mississippi.
One...I am not an administrator. I am a stay at home mother of five.
Two...BECAUSE the school police ARE there I will let them go to school, knowing that there are REAL Police Officers close by.
Three...you're right, the problem will not go away BECAUSE parents will not step up and be responsible for the actions of their kids.
So...the reason we have to have an undermanned police department pay their employees overtime is because--
They HAVE to be there to parent the unparented child!
this is criminal behavour period. when is the public going to demand justice for the taxpayers? i've grown tired of public employees gaming the system for their own greedy benifit. this is the stuff of revolution. a ROOFING SUPERVISOR making $5,000 a month in overtime is inexcusable. someone should be in jail.
Mis-chka...
the CCSD school police "parent the unparented child"
Get real! If you are worried about your kids going to a b-ball game, then you should go with them and not expect the citizens of Clark County to pay to "parent the unparented child".
Gomer Pyle on the left is not fit enough to do anything to protect your kid other than carry a gun. Mr. GQ on the right looks like he'd think of himself before he would step in to save your kid.
Neither look fit to "parent the unparented child".
And no I can't predict when an event will break out. But that doesn't mean I don't drive my car or leave my house. What's next? Police escorts to work, an officier in McDonalds? Maybe we should put cops at school bus stops?
As a society we can't rely on govenment bodies to have all the answers and take care of us. It will lead to higher taxes, more government waste and nothing really will come of it.
Pay me $132,000. I keep a watch all those ballgames.
Problem solved.
All I am going to say is this:
if this were a "for profit" business, they would have axed that overtime a long time ago. They would have found creative ways to shift around employees, decrease shift overlap, etc. to save on OT. Too bad they get a check regardless of how they spend it. They will never find a solution when money is handed to them except "we need more money".
The funniest thing about this is, is the board is going to hear this issue. Have you ever seen how many school police are at the board meetings?
There's usually 4-6 officers in uniform in the lobby, and 2 or more undercover guys in suits in the audience (not to mention the 2-3 officers in the parking lot). I bet that's where Law earned all his overtime.
The irony of it all.
CCSD is trying to use the Sun.
The LVRJ asked CCSD for the OT records for all its employees.
So to get in front of that story, instead of giving LVRJ the information, it sent a control set of OT information to the Sun. I think that is called 'shopping for a news outlet'. So I guess CCSD thought that they could get bias news coverage from the Sun. I guess they have no respect for the news team at the Sun.
CCSD should release all the OT records for all of its employees to both the Sun and LVRJ.
How do they let a cop earn over $130,000 a year?
I have a feeling that the poor management of resources at CCSD is much worse than this story describes.
It's Mischka...there is no hyphen. And I never said anything about not going out in public for fear of the unknown, nor did I say I don't go to ball games with my children.
NOR did I ever say there isn't any waste in the school district.
What I did say was that because parents aren't doing their jobs at home teaching respect and morals, we need police in the schools to keep our kids safe and if that means as taxpayers, I/we have to pay them to keep all our kids safe, it's worth it.
Would you rather the district pay Metro overtime at every necessary event? I guarantee they charge a lot more. And don't give me the argument that at least they are real cops because so are the district police officers. They have the same qualifications.
As a society we can't rely on government bodies, that's correct. If you want a solution you have to get back to the source of the problem and that is the disintegration of the family.
No one wants to be responsible, everyone wants to blame-shift. I don't understand what's wrong with police getting paid to work if the district won't hire more policemen.
Hire part time cops or "rent a cops" and avoid the benefits?
Have the roofer actually fix the leaK....then he will not have to go back....by the way how many times a year in lost wages do we need a roofer to fix a leaK?
Mis-chka....5 kids, you must go to church with Scow(l). Go back to Provo!
Okay, I am not being mean spirited, I am only expressing my opinions. You don't have to agree with my opinion and I don't have to agree with yours but don't personally attack me.
My only points were that it is sad we even need police in schools but since we do, it's worth the safety of everyone there, kids, teachers, and other staff, to have them available all the time and pay them for doing their jobs.
They are not really "understaffed", the district wants it that way. They have plenty of teachers in the pool to fill all of the positions, but they don't fill them because they save money on PERS and insurance.
Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D has put together a list of the six habits of fiscally responsible school districts.
Habit 2: Take advantage of cost savings from outsourcing non-instructional services. Most schools currently run a broad range of non-instructional services, such as janitorial, food, transportation, security, etc. When these services are opened up for competitive bidding, many school districts find they can either improve the quality of the services, save money on comparable services, or both!
Find a company that will provide security for these events and hire them! It is that simple, but the districts want to "control" everything. All of these non-instructional services need central office "directors". It is all a big scam, but remember- IT IS FOR THE CHILDREN.
I agree they should outsource all these services.
If they say that are "saving" money by paying a person $130,000 a year then they should outsource that position.
First off, to the people with the negative comments towards the CCSDPD, know this....It is sooo easy to critique and "Monday Night Quarterback" the situation and the Officer's involved. However, keep in mind that I'm sure the Officers' service is needed to provide a safe environment for the staff members, students, and public who attend these functions. In my opinion, Police Officers are underpaid and should make the high wages for putting their lives on the line every day to PROTECT YOU AND THE PUBLIC from harm and the unknown. Its funny but when people need the Police, they are the best thing since sliced bread but when their salaries are in question, everybody complains... In all, you people posting the negative comments about the Police probably have no idea or will never know what it takes to do the job. You only see what the media wants you to see instead of getting the "full" story. In closing, there will always be people trying to justify why certain people make more than others. That's just the way it is when money is the driving force behind jealousy.
Need to Know
Really, you believe this is about jealousy?
The naysayers are bemoaning the poor management of the CCSD.
Dude, everyone is "underpaid"! Climb into a classroom and teach advanced algebra to 50 uncaring students. Your quote sums it up- "you people posting...have no idea or will never know what it takes to do the job."
Isn't it interesting that teachers must rely on a salary only yet police, fire, and other state employees can wrangle thousands of hours of overtime! Chicago districts pay teachers overtime, why not here?
Put the security contract out to bid and let the market decide what these tough jobs are really worth- you might be surprised!
On CNN today- what CCSD and the unions just don' seem to understand- the real world.
Like the ostrich- just put yer head in the sand!! Don't get out of your tax supported world to see what is happening all around you.
________________
In the last 12 months, 5% of businesses reduced salaries, according to a recent survey by SHRM. Other cost-cutting measures included reducing work hours or benefit offerings, early retirement options and salary freezes.
In the months ahead, many more employers will consider salary reductions of 10% to 20% as a way of trimming costs in turbulent times, according to Jo Prabhu, CEO of staffing firm International Services Group.
"Companies have to cut costs. If they don't do that they'll go out of business," Prabhu said. "Both the employer and the employee have to accept it as a fact of life."
Avatar-
Since when are teachers considered in the same realm as Police, Fire, and other State positions?
I respect the job that teachers do on a daily basis and believe that they are underpaid severely but lets not categorize them in the same realm as Police and Fire. Also, I cant control the fact that their union doesn't provide them the opportunity to allow them overtime pay for their hard work..
"However, keep in mind that I'm sure the Officers' service is needed to provide a safe environment for the staff members, students, and public who attend these functions."
How many CCSD cops were at Lamb and Craig issuing traffic citations at that intersection? It was just on Channel 8's news broadcast. Yeah, right - they were protecting kids, teachers, staff members, and the administrators while writing tickets. What a scam!!!!!!
Nice work NeedtoKnowBasis. It's nice to see that other people respect a job as tough as being a Policeman or Fireman. There are only a few other professions where the individual can say they get up every day and selflessly go to work to serve OTHERS, this including teachers.
The story isn't about teachers though. The story isn't about fireman. The topic is about several police officers and a roofing supervisor.
Teachers have a tough job and MOST are really wonderful at what they do but you knew the salary and earning potential of their job before they even left high school. If they are upset at their salary levels, find a new career.
Police Officers, Firemen, and Teachers can be categorized as sadly UNDER paid but everyone knew what they were taking on before they got into it. If it was money you were after in any three of those categories then I pity you for believing the lies you were told throughout your academies or education.
There are several other professions out there that are overpaid to the point that it is sickening and no one is to blame but society itself. We all allow the deserving jobs get paid crap and the useless ones to rake in the dough.
We as Americans allow celebrities to make more money than the professions that brought them up, served them, and protected them.
If some kid can go onto YouTube and beat himself up, get a TV show out of it, and end up making more money in a single year then the President of the USA makes in a year's salary, something is wrong.
Blame yourselves before you come on here and try to justify that your low paying job should pay more. If you want to make OT for teaching like Chicago does, move there. Las Vegas will never pay teachers OT nor will most other cities, large or small. I'll tell you what they will continually have. Police protection. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year WITH OVERTIME :).
Happy New Year. I hope if you are a police officer, you are already on your way to making your 150 grand. A thankless job but I thank you for keeping me safe at night and keeping the trash and filth in their place.
To: XXX
I totally agree with you 100%!!! What these people need to realize is that the job doesn't choose you, you choose the job... Your statement was very well written...
To: CCSD Teacher,
Just because you see a "few" CCSD Police Officer's issuing tickets at Lamb and Craig with other Law Enforcement Agencies, doesn't mean that those Officers made up the entire CCSD Police department... Come on, are you serious? If you read my statement where I said that they serve the PUBLIC; which means that they also have an obligation to SERVE the PUBLIC when needed and when requested by other law enforcement agencies as well as protect staff members, and students. Being that I assume your a teacher by your post name, I'm sure you needed them several times or known of co-workers that needed them in the past and they responded to the situation. That sting as you seen it on the news involved ALL POLICE AGENCIES to cooperate in traffic enforcement to make the PUBLIC safe! No disrespect, but for a teacher you sure are showing your ignorance by that previous comment.
Wow, humble much NeedToKnow? I believe there is a little something called humility. I, for one, was not suggesting that police don't have a tough job. I have plenty of family that is law enforcement. However, you running all over this board screaming at how what you do is for the public kinda cheapens it, don't you think?
It's not the pay...it's the overuse of overtime to a select few. As my previous post mentioned, if this was a for profit business, it would be much more efficient. Why did those few officers get all of the overtime? Why was it not more spread around? Why was another officer not hired? For the cost of the overtime, they could hire another person.
I feel you should be paid for the job you do. However, overtime is not part of salary. If you need extra cash to pay bills, find a job with a higher salary.
Since you're such an advocate of police helping the public and all of that, why are these officers not doing their part to make sure they are being efficient when our county, state, and country is being rocked by budget shortfalls? Seems to me it would help if we didn't pay two times someone's salary. You can work together and say hey I'll work this extra shift if you give me an extra paid day off. That's much cheaper than overtime, and would give these officers something more valuable than cash...time to spend with loved ones they don't get to see very often because they are working so much.
Just a thought.
Annagraham,
First of all are you refering to me as showing some sort of humility? For what?... Keep in mind the comments that I posted on this board were MY OPINION as I am not affiliated with nor know these people aforementioned. I never said I was a Police Officer. I just appreciate the Police and what they do for our community.
With that said, how do you know that the overtime was only given to those Officers and not provided to other Officers who didn't want the extra overtime? You are right when you say "for the cost of the overtime, they could hire another person" but under the circumstances, it would probably cost the agency more money than what was EARNED as overtime by these Officers if "new hires" were to be considered to fill the open positions.
As far as your comment: "I feel you should be paid for the job you do. However, overtime is not part of salary." Your right, overtime is not part of salary however, if the agency wants to pay the extra money to Officers who want to work for covering events with necessity, so be it. Let me ask you this, have you ever worked overtime? Took an extra shift? I would find you hard to believe if you said that you didn't. I'm sure if the organization you worked for had offered you large amounts of overtime to get the job done, you would take it or maybe a portion of it.
As far as your last paragraph.... Efficient?!? What? Are you saying that they are not efficient with managing their salaries? If an agency has the money to pay overtime and allows the opportunity to work the overtime, how is it the fault of the Officer who decides and has a choice to work the ovetime? If you want to complain about this, why don't you check on how much the STAGEHANDS and LIGHTING members make that set up booths at the convention center for shows. It would make you sick on how much they make for the work they do and how much overtime is paid to them. Did you know that sometimes those people work around the clock without having 8 hours off between shifts? I'm sure you can solve some of the budgetary problems within the state if they were to "recycle" that money into the economy.
An article like the one that is posted above is done every year on agencies across the valley depicting salaries and advising of "who makes what". I'm sure that what was published about this agency and their salaries probably only makes up approximately 1% of the total budget of this state. I'm sure there are "other" entities in local government who's salaries exceed their base pay, than what is being criticized regarding the 12 people in this article who are making great salaries with the CCSD and the Police Department. Thats my 2 cents.
You do know that farming it out to a security company would result in paying for services from a private security firm AND paying Metro or Henderson or NLVPD, right? Security guards don't have arresting authority. They can't collect evidence. They can't issue tickets, etc. The most they can do is detain a subject until another agency arrived. They would have to call other agencies in every time they had a case which would result in the district being billed MORE than the current amount they pay their own Police Department...including all the overtime. So, that really doesn't make any sense either.
"Security guards don't have arresting authority."
In Casinos they have the authority to detain persons. I am not certain of the law elsewhere. They could change the law to allow private agencies to detain persons in schools until the police arrive.
At sporting events across the country, they use private security often. It works and it is
cheaper than paying somebody $130k a year.
Government labor is always more expensive because of the platinum benefit packages and lower productivity level.
I worked at firm that converted government agencies to become outsourced. We usually cut labor cost by 30% to 60% and increased productivity and value to the consumers. It was a win-win-win for the taxpayers.
2zero - you truly are a ZERO. You are mean spirited and down right ignorant. Voicing your opinion is one thing but to constantly degrade and disrespect people try to discuss an issues is plan intolerance.
What do you do to help? Help the schools, help single parents, help senior citizens, help at risk kids, help anyone who may need it. I believe criticizing those who are at least involved and trying to make a difference is your best asset. Sit back and let those who care get the dirty work done.