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Las Cruces Public Schools board ratifies NEA and classified bargaining agreements, citing retention steps
Summary
The Las Cruces Public Schools Board approved a 4% raise and other contract changes for certified and classified staff after months of bargaining; special education and trades pay changes highlighted.
The Las Cruces Public Schools Board on June 17 approved tentative collective bargaining agreements that the district and its two employee unions reached after spring bargaining, ratifying a contract for NEA Las Cruces-certified staff and approving wages and allowances for CSEC (classified) employees for the 2025–26 school year.
District and union leaders said the agreements aim to improve recruitment and retention and to align compensation with local market conditions. Jesse Allred, vice president of NEA Las Cruces, told the board the NEA membership ratified the tentative agreement “by 99% of those voting.”
Board Vice President Nolan moved approval of the NEA agreement; Member Tenorio seconded. Board members voted in favor. The NEA agreement includes a 4% across-the-board pay increase plus annual step increases for certified staff, preservation of the district’s current insurance premium cost-sharing structure, stipends for certain related-service providers and special education staff, and clarified language on evaluations, investigations and grievance procedures. District negotiator Mr. Perio described new provisions to compensate teachers for split-grade and stacked classes and said administrators may offer an extra planning period or equivalent compensation for teachers with more than three distinct preparations.
On the classified side, the board approved ratification of wages and allowances negotiated with CSEC Las Cruces. The classified tentative agreement includes a 4% salary increase plus negotiated steps for hourly staff; continued insurance premium coverage with a 20% premium split for employees earning more than $50,000 and continuation of a $90.10 premium subsidy for those earning less than $50,000. The district also revised salary schedules for licensed trades and materials management, increased journeyman base hourly pay to $26 an hour, and restructured ranges to improve recruitment and retention. The special education EA incident stipend increased from $2,000 to $2,500. The board approved a motion to ratify the classified package moved by Member Adrienne (record shows move by Adrienne) and seconded by Secretary Wofford; the motion passed.
Both bargaining teams said they also agreed to form study committees to review coaching and stipend inequities. The NEA and district negotiators said they updated and reorganized the certified contract, modernized the evaluation article, added a job performance intervention article, updated administrative investigation procedures, and standardized notification templates for administrators.
Superintendent Ruiz and board members thanked the bargaining teams and district staff. Member Frank said the collaborative style of negotiations reflected mutual trust and would improve working conditions for employees and, in turn, student outcomes.
The agreements will be implemented for the 2025–26 school year as written in the tentative agreements approved by the board.
Ending: The board’s actions finalize multi-month bargaining rounds for both certified and classified employees; implementation details such as updated salary schedules and the planned working committees were described by district staff and union representatives during the June 17 meeting.
