State gives least to Nevada schools

By Emily Richmond

Thursday, May 22, 2003 | 11:14 a.m.

When it comes to the percentage of education funding its public schools receive from the state, Nevada ranks last in the nation, according to a new report released Wednesday by the country's largest teachers' union.

At the same time, Nevada has the nation's second-highest percentage of K-12 funding from local governments -- 66 percent -- well above the national average of 43 percent, the National Education Association reports.

Nevada schools received just 28.5 percent of their funding from state government in the 2001-02 academic year, compared with the national average of 50 percent. Hawaii ranked first with just under 89 percent.

Walt Rulffes, deputy superintendent of operations for the Clark County School District, said this morning that the issue isn't where the money comes from but the amount.

"We cannot educate our children properly without the dollars to back up the initiatives," Rulffes said. "It's that simple."

After cutting $90 million in the last two years, the Clark County School Board approved a slimmed-down $1.4 billion operating budget Wednesday night but hedged that with a back-up plan that would cut $111 million if proposed revenue does not come in.

The Legislature is debating the state budget and a plan to raise millions in taxes, a plan that educators are pinning their hopes on to maintain the status quo. Without it, educators say drastic cuts would be needed to balance the budget.

Last year property taxes accounted for about 23 percent of the district's budget, with the sales tax making up another 41 percent. Revenues from the motor vehicle privilege tax accounted for 3.5 percent of the budget. The NEA considers those local tax money. Total state aid to the district came to 29 percent. Federal funding and other money made up the rest.

Nevada finished 45th in per-pupil spending, a ranking it has held for several years, with $5,813 allotted for every student. The national average last year was $7,548.

"Now is the time for lawmakers of this state to take the leadership necessary to increase per pupil funding to at least the national average," Terry Hickman, president of the Nevada State Education Association, said in a written statement. "It is time for the children of this state to receive the quality education they need and deserve."

Claudia Briggs, director of communications for the NSEA, this morning called the state's per pupil funding rate "pathetic." If lawmakers want to make education a priority, the K-12 budget should be the first to close during the legislative session, not the last, Briggs said.

"They're trying to balance the budget on the backs of the school employees and students of this state," Briggs said. "That's completely unacceptable."

Keith Rheault, deputy superintendent of the Nevada Education Department, said the state guarantees school districts about $4,000 per pupil. Whatever local districts collect is deducted from the minimum guarantee, Rheault said.

For the 2003-04 school year, the Clark County School District expects a basic support guarantee from the state of about $1 billion, Rulffes said. But once the district's share of local taxes is deducted, the state funding drops to $492 million.

Rulffes said the NEA report doesn't necessarily reflect poorly on the state's contributions to education coffers. He said the rankings have more to do with how revenues are collected and distributed.

"In some states, the local dollars are turned over to the state which then channels them back to individual school districts," Rulffes said. "But in Nevada, the county collects the property tax on behalf of the school district and then gives us our share. In some ways, our collection system may be more efficient because it doesn't require an extra level of handling at the state level."

For the 2003-04 school year, the Clark County School District expects a basic support guarantee from the state of about $1 billion, Rulffes said. But once the district's share of local taxes is deducted, the state funding drops to $492 million.

Rulffes said the NEA report doesn't necessarily reflect poorly on the state's contributions to education coffers. Instead, the rankings have more to do with how revenues are collected and distributed, Rulffes said.

"In some states, the local dollars are turned over to the state which then channels them back to individual school districts," Rulffes said. "But in Nevada, the county collects the property and sales taxes on behalf of the school district and then gives us our share. In some ways, our collection system may be more efficient because it doesn't require an extra level of handling at the state level."

Federal funds accounted for 5 percent of the state's education dollars, compared with 7 percent nationally. Nevada's short shrift when it comes to federal funding has been a sore point for lawmakers, especially Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.

The federal No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law in 2001, requires schools to meet tough standards of student achievement and make adequate yearly progress, or risk losing federal funds.

But the U.S. Education Department used 1999 population figures to calculate Nevada's share of Title I funds for the 2003-04 school year, despite provisions in No Child Left Behind that call for annual updates of the data, according to Ensign's office. Schools qualify for Title I dollars based on the percentage of its students who qualify for free and reduced meals, as well as the general poverty level of the community the school serves.

In a letter to Education Secretary Rod Paige being delivered today, Ensign questions why the more recent, 2000 Census data isn't being used.

"If we have data that is four years old, this means the children in 48 elementary schools in Clark County are not receiving some of the services that they are entitled to receive under the NCLB legislation," Ensign said. "This is completely unacceptable."

The NEA's annual state rankings also placed Nevada 24th in the nation for average teacher salaries, with $40,764. The national average was $44,683. California teachers had the highest average salary at $54,348, while South Dakota finished last at $31,295.

In an earlier report in November, Nevada was ranked 14th for teacher salaries. That figure was revised after the NEA determined data submitted by state officials for the survey had included employer retirement contributions in the total. The NEA survey compares only base teacher pay.