Schools budget will top $1 billion

Benjamin Grove

Friday, April 9, 1999 | 10:53 a.m.

The Clark County School District's budget is expected to top $1 billion for the first time.

District officials unveiled a draft of the budget for the 1999-2000 school year at the School Board's regular meeting Thursday.

As expected, the budget for the nation's fastest-growing and eighth-largest school system struck 10 figures: $1,024,986,280. That's up about $61 million from last year, roughly a 6.4 percent increase.

Officials expect a 6.1 percent growth in enrollment for next year.

That means the new budget is still barely enough to keep up with growth in a district that will add more than 10,000 students, hire 1,500 teachers and build eight new schools in the next school year, officials said.

In fact, school officials said this year's Legislature may take away some of the state money typically earmarked for school districts.

"Right now, if you want to know where we are, we're down," Superintendent Brian Cram told the School Board. "In real dollars, we are down, at a minimum, $1.5 million."

District officials are worried because lawmakers are talking about taking $1.5 million in salary money away from the district to account for positions that remain vacant during the year.

But school officials say they use that money to pay for new students who flood into the district during the school year.

"That's ($1.5 million) that is taken right off the top," Cram said. "It's brand new. They've never done it before, and it really bothers me."

Because officials expect to get less money from the Legislature in several other areas this year, they have put several initiatives on hold, including hiring more elementary school assistant principals, computer specialists and counselors. Other items now on hold:

* Continuing to phase in a new district reading program.

* Adding additional days to the schedules of middle and high school counselors; extending the contract for school clerks from 10 to 11 months.

* Hiring additional deans at the Horizon High Schools.

Among the perpetual areas of concern for the district is the amount of state money allocated for special education. The state pays only about $34 million of roughly $140 million needed in Clark County to run programs for students with special needs.

"It concerns me every year that we don't have the (teachers) we need to meet the needs of kids," said Assistant Superintendent Charlene Green, who oversees the special education department.

Several board members said they would be lobbying lawmakers to increase state money for schools.

"I remember what they were saying when they were campaigning. There wasn't a politician in this city or this country who was not talking about education," board member Sheila Moulton said.

The final budget could look very different from its current version. Several factors are still unknown, including actual student enrollment and how much the Legislature will allocate per student.

"This is a tentative budget subject to a great deal of change," Cram said.

Last year, the district received nearly 32 percent of its money from the state and nearly 64 percent from county taxes -- sales taxes, property taxes and motor vehicle taxes. About 3.4 percent came from the previous year's ending fund balance.

The district last year spent 87.7 percent of the budget on salaries and benefits, 3.3 percent on instructional materials, 3 percent on utilities, postage and insurance and 3 percent was left as an ending fund balance.

The final budget for 1999-2000 will not be completed until later this year. The board's next budget committee meeting is April 21 and the public is invited. Copies of the budget are available at the district administration building, 2832 E. Flamingo Road.