CCSD officials call for more state funding, say more cuts coming to combat budget deficit

By Chris Kudialis

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017 | 2:23 p.m.

Clark County School District officials say local tax dollars are unfairly distributed to fund schools across Nevada, one of many reasons it has found itself facing an estimated $60 million budget shortfall.

Without the state, which redistributes local tax dollars for education, providing a big enough “slice of the pie,” the School District cannot reasonably sustain its $2.4 billion budget without making “progressive cuts,” Chief Financial Officer Jason Goudie said.

Clark County receives about $5,700 per student in funding while, for example, smaller Esmeralda County gets more than $25,000 per pupil.

“It’s time to figure out a better way to do things,” Goudie said.

Goudie and Nicole Rourke, the district’s chief government lobbyist, said unfunded state and federal mandates — including more $255 million for special education services and $8 million for free breakfast vouchers and testing — will also set the district back financially this year.

Goudie, whose office oversees the budget, said the $60 million deficit is likely to climb even higher when a final tally of last year’s finances is released in the next week. The savings from cuts is also difficult to calculate, he said.

Outside of the funding issue, the School District’s financial dilemma has been exacerbated by a ballooning payroll for teachers and administrators, Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky noted earlier this month as he announced his June retirement. Pay for the district’s 40,000 employees accounts for about 88 percent of the annual budget.

The district earmarked $135.5 million to raise the minimum teacher base salary from $34,637 to $40,900 starting in the 2015-2016 school year and the maximum salary from $72,331 to $90,877. Pay for 1,300 administrators was also bumped up after an arbitrator on May 31 ordered the district to pay $19.5 million in salary increases and benefits for deans, principals and assistant principals.

To try to get its arms around the problem, the School Board voted Aug. 24 to cut more than $43 million from the budget and warned of more reductions this year by leaving vacant hundreds of teaching and support staff positions. Last week, the district announced an additional $14 million in cuts.