Teachers union calls special session ‘outrageous,’ says leg. can’t cut COLAs

LAS VEGAS - Responding to the governor's call for a special session Friday to look at cutting increases to teachers' and state employees' cost-of-living allowance, among other possible solutions, Nevada State Education Association President Lynn Warne said the call was "outrageous" and cast doubt on the effect such a session would have on teacher pay.

"It's outrageous that he's calling a special session and it's even more outrageous that he's thinking that he's going to withhold the COLA increase for our hardworking educators in this state as well as their families," Warne said.

Warne said that the COLA increases were negotiated as part of teachers' contracts with individual school districts, so while the legislature can cut the districts' budgets by the amount of the 4 percent COLA increase, it would be up to districts to find cuts in their budgets.  That gap, Warne insisted, would not be filled by stopping the COLA increases.

"School districts are going to be forced to rearrange the deck chairs, because they have a contractual obligation to the various employee groups for whatever kind of salary increase has been negotiated at that level," Warne said.

"That's what our lawyers believe as well," she added.