LCPS, NEA-Las Cruces reach tentative agreement on contract negotiations

After more than nine months and hundreds of hours at the table, the bargaining teams of the National Education Association-Las Cruces (NEA-LC) and Las Cruces Public Schools have reached a tentative agreement on salaries and stipends for all certified staff, NEA-LC said in a news release.

As part of the collective bargaining process, the tentative agreement will now go to rank and file members of NEA-LC for ratification and to the LCPS board of education for a vote.

“On behalf of the NEA-LC bargaining team, I am happy to announce we have finally reached an agreement,” NEA-LC President Denise Sheehan said. “It was nine months in the making, but our certified staff will finally receive a much-deserved increase in salary and additional compensation to help address all of the new, time-consuming requirements and risks of teaching during this pandemic.

“We stand with our teachers, and we are grateful for the efforts of our bargaining team and our union partners to stay the course and keep students first,” LCPS Superintendent Ralph Ramos said in an email to the Bulletin. “I look forward to continuing this collaborative process as we move into a productive legislative session.”

“Bargaining began this summer, and both the LCPS bargaining team and the superintendent are pleased with the outcome and the positive impact it will have on students and our LCPS staff,” said LCPS Assistant Superintendent Gabe Jacquez, who was the chief negotiator for LCPS. “Many hours were spent in this work, which was always centered around what was best for students. We are grateful to both NEA-LC and CSEC (Classified School Employees Council of Las Cruces) for their work and dedication to this collaborative process.”

“In the face of a ‘staggering’ teacher shortage, we hope that this year’s increase will help keep our educators in the classrooms and in our schools and doing what they do best, inspiring students 'natural curiosity, imagination, and love of learning,” Sheehan said in the news release, referencing a study by New Mexico State University. “We have extraordinary educators in Las Cruces who have gone the extra mile for the last 21 months. Ask them why they work in schools and most will respond instantly: They believe in the children. But educators here and all over the state are overwhelmed and leaving the profession in record numbers. We look forward to working with leaders in our district in January to support educator pay increases at the state level that will attract and help retain the best people for the job”, said Sheehan. “And when we start bargaining next year, we’ll continue to advocate for the kinds of schools our students deserve – ones with smaller classes, with ample staffing and resources, and ones with quality educators who can afford to stay in the classroom,” Sheehan said.

Highlights of the tentative agreement include an across-the-board 3.5 percent raise for all LCPS certified staff, effective upon ratification and a $1,800 planning stipend for all certified staff, paid in two increments.

Contact Sheehan at 575-571-9784 and dsheehan.nea@gmail.com and Alice Chavez-Villa at avilla@neanm.org. Visit www.nea-lc.org.