Lawmaker questions assessment plan, public school construction

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Speaking to the Legislative Commission's Budget Subcommittee, state Public Works Board Chairman Perry Comeaux said Nevada's rapid population boom mandates a review of K-12 public schools by an independent consultant.

"We're getting concerns from local school districts about their continued ability to build and maintain their schools," Comeaux said. "The administration believes it's important to come up with, as accurately as we can, the conditions and needs of the schools."

But Assemblyman David Humke, R-Reno, said the plan to determine the age, condition and size of the public schools could be "a foot in the door" to state funding of school construction.

"There is a long history in this state of not providing for capital construction costs for K-12 education. There has been a line of demarcation there," Humke said. "This is a local responsibility. School boards are elected for a reason."

Humke said it would be a mistake to take construction out of the hands of local authorities, despite the argument that facilities in wealthier districts could better serve students than those in districts that can't raise construction money.

"In some states, educational equality has had to be written in at the constitutional level. But there has never been any suits in Nevada because our state funding distribution system is set up so well," Humke said. "There's no evidence that there's a big disparity."

While Miller wants the survey, he also has said that school construction should be locally funded. But advocates of state assistance have said local funding can be a problem if voters won't approve construction bonds. Four of six Nevada counties with such bond proposals rejected them in November.

Although some have balked at the cost of the school assessment project, Public Works Board Manager Eric Raecke said it's reasonable considering the 27 million square feet of buildings the consultants would review.

Hiring an outside firm would also provide the most accurate information, Raecke said, adding, "Some school districts will paint themselves in rose-colored glass, others in darker glass."

Comeaux, who also serves as state budget director, said there has been a dramatic decline in spending by schools for facility maintenance and the administration is concerned about the possible deterioration of some schools.

Schools get state aid on a per pupil basis, and the cost of maintenance is built into the formula. But once the Legislature appropriates the money, the state has no say whether the districts use it for maintenance or other purposes.

If the survey finds buildings are deteriorating, Comeaux said the information could be used to persuade the Legislature to provide aid in another way: Lawmakers could earmark the maintenance funds to ensure they're spent only on those projects.