Panel OKs $16 million for improvements

CARSON CITY -- A key budget subcommittee Wednesday approved Gov. Kenny Guinn's recommendation for $16 million to be spent during the next two years for public school improvements.

The money could be spent for such things as training teachers and helping students with low achievement scores.

The Senate and Assembly Education Subcommittee also agreed to permit schools additional flexibility in using the money now set aside for classroom size reduction in first and second grades.

Subcommittee members also learned there may be an extra $33 million available in the next two years in tax revenues, in addition to the $105 million predicted by the Economic Forum.

The subcommittee, however, delayed a decision on how this money should be spent and on setting how much should be sent to the schools in state aid.

Members decided $7 million from the $16 million from the school improvement fund would be used to establish regional centers in Clark, Washoe, Douglas and Elko counties to train teachers to teach to the higher standards being required for students.

It set aside $3.3 million a year for remedial programs for schools where students do poorly on tests. There were 23 schools that scored below par in 1997. That number improved to eight last year.

All of the schools that scored poorly are eligible to apply for the funds to bring students up to standard. The subcommittee also agreed that some of the marginal schools would also be eligible for this help.

Also, $900,000 for each of the next two fiscal years was allocated to develop new and tougher high school proficiency tests, which a senior must pass in order to get a diploma. And $300,000 was allocated to develop new standards for students in the third and fifth grades.

The recommendations by the subcommittee must be approved by the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee.

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