KLAS-TV Channel 8 News Las VegasI-Team: Larger Classes, Fewer Teachers, 2,300 Jobs Lost at CCSD
CARSON CITY, Nev. -- Students will see more of their friends in class, while teachers and staff will see fewer of their peers.
The Clark County School District presented realistic scenarios for sweeping 10-percent budget cuts during a day-long Interim Finance Committee hearing in Carson City.
In one example, 2,322 teachers, staff and administrators could be laid off in order to make up the shortfall. In another, class sizes could be increased, upwards of six extra students in already jammed classes.
State law may be a barrier for another scenario. Superintendents from around the state spoke about reduced school days -- anywhere from four to 17 fewer a year. The 180-day limit would need modification in order to get that done. Similar plans have worked in North Carolina and Oregon. Four teacher in-service days could be eliminated as part of that plan.
Lawmakers have some direct control over where some money can be spent, however, Thursday's projections were based on what CCSD and others would do given a lower pot of money to use.
Lynn Warne, Nevada State Education Association president expressed frustration with lawmakers and the history of funding education.
"We are all tired of the hand-wringing and seemingly rehearsed response that there's no appetite for taxes," She said. "Well, I'll tell you, there's even less of an appetite for schools being overcrowded, a state that ranks near bottom in per pupil expenditures; classroom conditions which impede a teacher's ability to teach," she said.
In the afternoon, higher education leaders spoke about impacts to UNLV. Furloughs are expected to be expanded, as Chancellor Dan Klaich said no one is safe.
"My recommendation to the board is that everyone is in," he said.
The Chancellor shared similar scenarios as CCSD, but one possibility would be to make up $150 million in shortfalls with student fees. Such a plan would force undergrad students to pay 48-percent more in fees each year.
Klaich, reflected the exasperation of many in the room, said flatly, "This is going to lead to a Nevada nobody wants."
Governor Jim Gibbons will announce plans and specific details on a special session during his state of the state address Monday, February 8th.
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