Clark County teachers union refuses to endorse Nevada gubernatorial candidate in 2022 election

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - A big education union announced they will not endorse a candidate in the 2022 gubernatorial race, despite supporting Gov. Steve Sisolak in previous elections.

Clark County Education Association said it interviewed both Gov. Sisolak and Sheriff Joe Lombardo multiple times. CCEA endorsed Gov. Sisolak in the 2018 gubernatorial race. In a news release, the union took some credit for helping Sisolak win the primary in 2018.

The union claimed Sisolak didn’t address education changes they hoped to see and said the governor “has a record” regarding issues facing educators and students.

“CCEA cannot support Steve Sisolak for reelection and will not be making an endorsement in the 2022 Governor’s race,” the union said in a statement.

“To our members we say: vote what you know,” the union said.

CCEA is the largest independent educator union in the state, according to the union. CCEA identifies itself as non-partisan.

CCEA’s full statement is below:

CCEA is the largest independent educator union in the country and the State of Nevada. We are a non-partisan, results-driven organization. As such, we look for candidates who are committed to partnering with us to address the serious issues facing educators and students, as well as improve our workforce to attract new industries.

We still have the largest class sizes in the nation, significant educator vacancies that leave 32,000 students without a full time educator in CCSD, violence in our schools is on the rise, and, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, our students have 2 years of lost education they will never get back. These issues require leadership at the State level to find strategic solutions.

CCEA’s Executive Board interviewed both candidates for Governor, multiple times, with a broad range of questions, including, but not limited to, questions about education.

In the 2018 gubernatorial election, CCEA supported Steve Sisolak. We helped him win the primary and go on to win the general election. Sisolak has a record and it was important to know what he was going to change moving forward. This moment requires State Leadership to step up, and collaborate strategically with School Districts, if we are to seriously address the issues facing our educators and students. We expected to hear a plan to address these issues over the next four years; and we did not. Accordingly, CCEA cannot support Steve Sisolak for reelection and will not be making an endorsement in the 2022 Governor’s race.

Our members know firsthand the conditions of our public schools, the level of funding we are at, and the need for educators to be able to live in the communities we teach in with sustainable salaries and health benefits. To our members we say: vote what you know.

Copyright 2022 KVVU. All rights reserved.