Fingers crossed as school budget approved

By Emily Richmond

Thursday, May 22, 2003 | 11:04 a.m.

Clark County School District officials said Wednesday they think they've glimpsed a light at the end of the long, dark tunnel that's been their proposed budget for the coming fiscal year.

Walt Rulffes, deputy superintendent of operations for the district, said that after two days in Carson City meeting with lawmakers, he thinks Clark County schools will receive enough funding to keep from cutting programs and services directly related to students.

"The action taken on the Legislature side have been positive," Rulffes said. "We don't want to eliminate the notion that there will be some (funding) deficiencies, but essentially we'll be able to maintain the status quo."

The Clark County School Board voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a $1.4 billion budget for the 2003-04 school year, based largely on Gov. Kenny Guinn's proposal for new and increased taxes. The School Board also has approved a second budget draft, containing the $111 million in cuts the governor has said would be necessary if his plan does not win legislative approval.

The second version, referred to by Superintendent Carlos Garcia on Wednesday as "the budget from hell," called for reducing the school week to four days, eliminating the Gifted and Talented Education program and cutting music programs and athletics in middle schools.

While the spectre of the cuts has raised a clamor of complaints among parents, students and staff, Wednesday's board vote was completed in less than 30 minutes.

Mary Jo Malloy, a longtime School Board observer and member of the PTA, was one of about a half-dozen people who turned out to offer the board encouragement.

"You guys get beaten up a lot, but I know you're not taking things away from us because you want to," Malloy said during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Last week both the Assembly Ways and Means and the Senate Finance committees approved increases in K-12 funding of about $160 million over what the governor had proposed. The sides differ, however, as to where the money should be directed.

Key elements of Guinn's plan include all-day kindergarten for at-risk children and salary bonuses for teachers in fields such as special education and English as a second language.

The School Board will have 30 days from the end of the legislative session to submit a final budget to the Nevada Education Department for review.