School Board expected to give final OK to budget

By Emily Richmond

Tuesday, May 20, 2003 | 10:06 a.m.

The Clark County School District's final draft budget will likely be somewhere in between the dream budget of funding increases being pushed by some state legislators and the nightmarish worst-case scenario that would entail $111 million in cuts, education officials said Monday.

"It's looking more promising right now than a few weeks ago," said Clark County School Board President Sheila Moulton. "I'm hopeful the Legislature will come through and do the right thing."

By law, the School Board must submit a balanced budget to the Nevada Education Department by the end of the month, even though the Legislature is not due to recess until June. Following a public hearing Wednesday, the board is expected to give final approval to a $1.4 billion budget based on the state budget proposed by Gov. Kenny Guinn.

Last week both the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committees agreed to spend about $160 million above the governor's recommendation, although they differed significantly on how the funds should be spent.

The Clark County School Board will conduct its public hearing on the larger budget at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Greer Education Center, 2832 E. Flamingo Road.

Because it remains uncertain exactly how much the Legislature will ultimately decide to allocate for education, the School Board has also prepared a second budget, which includes $111 million in cuts.

The alternative budget, approved by a 4-3 vote earlier this month, won't get a second hearing until the Legislature adjourns and the district knows how much of the cuts will actually be necessary, said Walt Rulffes, deputy superintendent of operations.

Having already trimmed $90 million from its budget in the past two years, the district struggled to find additional ways to save money, Clark County School Superintendent Carlos Garcia said Monday.

"It's fair to say we're on pins and needles around here," Garcia said. "We don't want to have to make a single one of those cuts, but we have to be fiscally responsible and have them lined up if it comes down to the worst-case scenario."

The controversial cuts include reducing the school week from five to four days, at a savings of $20 million. Garcia said that will be the first cut he'll push to see restored when the final funding levels are announced.

"I would never want to see us go to a four-day week," Garcia said. "We tried and tried to come up with the $20 million somewhere else, and when we couldn't. But I don't think it's realistic to say we'll make up those instructional minutes with longer schedules on the other four days. You can't expect a first grader to stay in class for seven hours."

Current state law doesn't allow school districts to drop below offering five days of instruction each week, although a bill that would change that is making its way through committee.