State urged to shell out for school repairs

Benjamin Grove

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 1998 | 11:12 a.m.

Nevada has an estimated $810 million worth of repairs to make on crumbling schools from the far corners of Nevada's rural counties to inner-city Las Vegas. The figure excludes the $3.5 billion worth of improvements planned for Clark County as the result of the bond measure voters passed last week.

Those findings were discussed Monday by a panel created by the Legislature last year to study school maintenance.

Now the panel may recommend that state money finally be funneled to schools for maintenance and new construction.

"They (lawmakers) can no longer view providing only instructional dollars without providing students with a safe, warm, comfortable environment in which to learn," Chris Giunchigliani, panel chairwoman, said. "It is a state responsibility."

Traditionally, the Legislature has not given school districts money for capital projects such as maintenance and new buildings. Districts have been on their own to pass bond issues and budget general-fund money for those projects.

But voters in school districts such as Storey County have not passed recent bond issues, even to pay for new boilers. And school district officials across the state say they can not keep up with growth and their decaying buildings, even when bond issues pass.

"These people out in the rurals, they can't take care of their problems," Donald Forrester, president of the Nevada Association of School Boards, told the legislative panel. "They don't have the tax base."

Panelists soon will prepare bill drafts for legislators to consider next year. They are grappling with how much responsibility Nevadans statewide have to school districts with specific maintenance and construction needs.

Panelists said that state money probably would be distributed to Nevada's 17 school districts based on a formula that considers county wealth and the county's ability to pass bonds.

Still, even gaming-rich Clark County would get some money, they said. And that would be beyond the bond measure that Clark County voters passed Nov. 3 that ultimately will help raise $3.5 billion for schools.

The Legislature last year gave the panel $300,000 to study the issue of school maintenance. Panelists used the money to hire two firms to assess how much money the state's schools needed -- and to come up with creative solutions for financing the improvements.

The companies are still finalizing figures, but they estimate the cost will top at least $800 million statewide.

Giunchigliani, who is also a state assemblywoman and a special-education teacher, said the Legislature has traditionally underfunded education. Lawmakers next year might finally be ready to spend some state money for capital improvements.

"If they are in touch with their constituents back home, they can be very sensitive to the need," she said.