Board cuts its travel budget, a little more than asked

By Emily Richmond

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 | 2 a.m.

In a “we feel your pain” moment, School Board President Mary Beth Scow recently asked her colleagues to support trimming their annual travel allocation by the same 4.5 percent Gov. Jim Gibbons has shaved off K-12 education funding statewide.

But the corresponding amount — $315 off each board member’s allocation of $7,000 — didn’t seem like enough, so they voted unanimously April 24 to cut their travel budget by $3,500, or $500 per member.

Seems they could have cut it a lot more given that they haven’t come close to depleting their annual $54,000 travel fund in recent years, not even when the 2006 superintendent search sent five board members to New York City.

For the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, the School Board has spent $27,393 on travel, compared with $22,514 for 2006-07 and $31,117 in the prior year.

So why not trim the travel budget to bring it more in line with what board members are likely to spend?

Scow said she is reluctant to take too much away from the travel fund because it’s the only source of money board members have for professional development and training. In addition to out-of-town conferences and workshops, board members use the money to attend legislative meetings in Carson City.

Board members are required to submit detailed itineraries, conference agendas and receipts. The Sun reviewed those documents covering the past three years and found no obvious extravagances such as room service charges or airline upgrades. Board members reimbursed the district for telephone calls made from their hotel rooms and typically relied on airport shuttles instead of more expensive taxis.

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The 2007 Legislature mandated that Clark County School Board members each receive $750 per month for their services. That’s a big raise from the $80 per meeting they were receiving.

Several members balked at the raise, saying they would prefer lawmakers find a way to increase teacher pay instead. But so far, with the exception of Carolyn Edwards, all of the board members have been cashing their checks.

Each month, Edwards returns $540 to the district, keeping only what she would have received under the prior per-meeting pay scale.

Edwards, who joined the School Board in 2006, said she was uncomfortable receiving the salary because it wasn’t one of the perks voters had to consider when they chose her for the job. If she is reelected in 2010, Edwards will start keeping the entire salary, she said.

The School Board oversees an operating budget of $2.1 billion and more than 35,000 employees. Even with board member pay jumping to $9,000 annually, that’s still well below the salaries for school boards in other large urban districts. In Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest school district, board members receive $2,000 per month. In Dade County, Fla., the fourth-largest district (just ahead of Clark County), annual board member pay is $40,877.

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Arbor View High School’s choral group is headed to China this summer, one of just a few ensembles from American high schools invited to take part in a pre-Olympics music festival.

The 42 students will be accompanied by 14 adults: parents, three teachers, an accompanist and choral director Jim Reddan. So far the group has raised about $45,000 to bring down the per-student cost of $3,550.

The 10-day trip, starting June 21, will include a tour of Olympic Village, as well as a concert at the Great Wall.

In addition to preparing the students for their performances, Reddan has added elements of international protocol to their lessons. That includes basic training about food, customs and “dos and don’ts,” Reddan said. Students now know to thank the chef at the end of a meal and to avoid discussing controversial political issues (such as Tibet). They’ve also practiced basic greetings and pleasantries in Mandarin.

The choral group has visited England and Ireland, but this is the first time anyone in the traveling party has gone “from a Western philosophy to an Eastern philosophy,” Reddan said. “It’s going to be an incredible experience.”

For information on sponsorship opportunities, call Reddan at 799-6660, ext. 4050, or e-mail him at [email protected].