Wednesday, April 17, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
CLARK County schools will reach a crossroads this November as voters for the third time in eight years will be asked to support a bond issue to keep up with growth.
Only two years after voters endorsed a $605 million bond to build new schools and rehabilitate older ones, the district needs a comparable amount of money to meet the rising demand. School Superintendent Brian Cram estimates only about $255 million can be raised without a tax hike.
About $1 billion has been invested in Clark County's schools in the last decade as 10,000 new students arrive each year with no end in sight.
The big question is whether voters will continue to support their schools, or if personal pocketbook worries will take over. The school district is competing with Metro Police and jail and courts bond issues this fall, all of which are vital to maintaining the quality of life in this community. The concern is that there may be losers as voters pick and choose which issues to support.
That's why many educators are looking to the Legislature for relief. Several unsuccessful attempts have been made in previous sessions to impose impact fees on housing developments to partially cover school costs.
Next year, legislators may be asked to underwrite, to some degree, the cost of constructing new schools. The state now pays districts on a per-student basis while the districts have the responsibility for new construction.
Passing the costs on to Carson City may not be easy. Some legislators are critical of the way districts have spent their money on new schools and insist it would have been accomplished more cheaply. Others wonder where school construction funds could come from, since the state doesn't have that kind of money. Obviously, there'll have to be a tax increase.
A lesson may lie next door. The Arizona Supreme Court tossed that state's education plan out the window after voters refused to pass bond issues and the disparity among wealthy and poor districts had exacerbated. The Arizona Legislature has been mandated to equalize the funding.
That could happen in Nevada if voters refuse to support their districts.
We think this issue belongs in the laps of the voters. They should decide whether it's time for the state to assume a greater responsibility for local schools. If so, the Legislature then could assemble a funding package.
But the Legislature and the districts should not try to bolster the districts without a clear indication from Nevadans that they are willing to relinquish direct control of their local building programs. Many voters are unwilling to do that and demand local accountability.
Southern Nevadans must understand that, with local control, comes the responsibility of supporting their schools -- voting yes on issues that are vital to every child in this community. Otherwise, the state could be forced to assume its constitutional responsibilities. Either way, Nevadans will have to pay.
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