Clark County to get $3.9 million in federal funds for class-size reduction

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 1998 | 11:11 a.m.

The Clark County School District will receive $3.9 million in federal funds next year to hire new teachers as part of a national effort to reduce class sizes in lower grades.

The money represents the largest share of $5.6 million that will be distributed to Nevada's 17 counties.

Though the money will be put to good use and is being welcomed by school officials, it hardly puts a dent in the local district's teacher shortage.

It will pay for just over 100 teachers in a district that hires a minimum of 2,000 teachers a year.

"Any additional infusion of funding is welcome," said Ray Willis, spokesman for the Clark County School District.

The money comes from the Class Size Reduction Initiative, which is part of the omnibus 1999 Labor, Health and Human Services appropriations bill signed by President Clinton last month.

The funds will arrive at the Nevada Department of Education after July 31 for the 1999-2000 school year and will be used to hire 145 teachers statewide in grades 1-3 to help reduce average class sizes.

In all, $1.2 billion is available nationwide to help local school districts hire and pay the salaries and benefits of more than 30,000 teachers during the next school year.

Clinton has said his goal is provide $12.4 billion over the next seven years to reduce the average class size in the lower grades to 18 students.

Funding is not automatic each year.

"It will have to be re-appropriated," said U.S. Department of Education spokeswoman Melinda Malico, "but the president is committed to asking for it every year."

Nevada already has a program in effect that aims to reduce the class size to 16 students per teacher.

"The problem is, we don't have the classrooms," said Bill Arensdorf, director of Finance and Accountability for the Nevada Department of Education.

He said he doesn't know the specifics of the legislation.

"It's my understanding it's part of a larger package to be increased in the second or third year," he said.

The money will be allocated to the state Department of Education, and the department will distribute it to local districts.

"By sheer numbers Clark County has the most significant need," said Arensdorf.

"Clark County has 60 percent of the school-age kids in the state," Willis said.

The district has been spending its own money to help subsidize the state-mandated class-reduction bill, he said.

"This (federal funding) will lessen the burden on us," Willis said. "This will help us meet the challenge without dipping into the district's general operating budget."

Malico said up to 15 percent of the funds can be used for professional development to promote higher quality teaching.

"In some school districts, where they have met the 18-to-1 ratio, they can use more of the money for professional development," she said.

Washoe County will receive $903,229 and Nye County, $80,991.