Public forum to address school funds

By Dave Clark

Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2008 | 2:08 p.m.

A town hall meeting addressing the state's fiscal crisis with an emphasis on Boulder City schools will be held at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 8 at the Boulder City High School auditorium.

Councilman Travis Chandler said about $400,000 will need to be cut from the local schools' next budget, and the Community Education Advisory Board as well as Assemblyman Joe Hardy are seeking the public's advice.

"(The schools) have been given a certain amount of discretion as to how to do it," Chandler said. "Basically we wanted to get some input from the public if there's any particular programs they thought we were doing that were more important than others, or perhaps a better way of doing things."

The program will encompass more than local education concerns. Hardy said he envisions it being multi-faceted, examining the state's fiscal condition as a whole and the status of other programs and local governments.

"I hope we can get people figuring out what they feel should be done in order to make sure we fund and support not only education but other critical things the city, county and state do," Hardy said. "We want to make sure everybody understands how it fits in the whole process."

The 2 1/2-hour program is set to begin with a survey, followed by presentations from Clark County School District, city, county and state officials, Hardy said. Then the forum is to move to a question-and-answer period, followed by individual meetings with officials.

Chandler said any suggestions may be discussed by the Community Education Advisory Board.

"We're talking about cutting positions," Chandler said. "At the high school, for instance, we may have to look at which of those to do away with."

Hardy also wanted to hear from the public on where they stand regarding taxes. Voters in November approved an advisory ballot question to raise hotel room tax rates, he said. Hardy said he would consider residents' input during the next session of the Nevada Legislature.

"I want to be able to hear from people what they say and what they think," Hardy said. "I think that's where we do the best government."

Hardy said the meeting would additionally let people know there's a place to have a voice on education issues.

"The advisory board is a great place to listen to people about the schools in Boulder City," Chandler said.

Dave Clark can be reached at 990-2677 or [email protected].