Legislators examine education funding

CARSON CITY - Nevada legislators are asking whether an apparent increase proposed by Gov. Kenny Guinn in per-pupil support is any increase at all.

And one educator said Wednesday the plan could mean a cut in support - the mainstay for Nevada's public schools.

As part of the governor's $1.12 billion secondary education plan, the per-pupil support is climbing mainly because money formerly set aside for class-size reduction and elementary school counselors would be included in the total.

Bob Hataway, chief assistant budget administrator, told a joint meeting of the Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees that changing the way the money goes to the schools would more accurately represent what the state spends per pupil.

This manner of funding also would give the schools greater flexibility in how they spend their money, Hataway said.

"If we are holding the districts' feet to the fire to produce educated students, we should give them the most flexibility we can to do so," Hataway said.

But Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, questioned the proposal, saying, "To utilize the funds in this manner is to give schools an increase which is not an increase."

The 12.5 percent increase in per-pupil spending might be inaccurate, agreed Assemblyman David Goldwater, D-Las Vegas. He said class-size reduction now applies only through third grade, and grades 4 through 12 don't receive any of the money in that category.

Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, a special education teacher, added the funding for class-size reduction was hard-won and asked Hataway how this would change the school districts' accountability.

"I am worried that class-size reduction will be ignored. I'm also concerned with special education and class-size reduction (funds) being folded in together with the rest and lost and the funds will be used for something else," she said.

However the districts use their funds, they still have to follow the state law regarding class size, Hataway responded.

Doug Thunder, deputy state superintendent of financial services, used the governor's formula to run figures from the current budget and found that five counties would have lost money.

"This is clearly a cut to me," said Mark Shellinger, superintendent for White Pine County Schools. "We will be spending less ... under this spending plan."

Class-size reduction was phased in starting in 1989 to lower the ratio of students to teachers. Though the ratio set for first and second grade classes is 15-to-1, the state average is currently higher at 15.8 to 1.

Hataway said the lawmakers should study whether or not to increase that ratio to 16-to-1 this session. For third grade, Guinn wants the ratio to be 19-to-1.

While the amount of money spent per pupil would rise from $3,812 this year to $4,291 in 2000, Hataway didn't have a breakdown of how much the per-pupil spending would be if class-size reduction money wasn't included.

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