School board not giving up on funds for Ch. 10

Jace Radke

Friday, July 23, 1999 | 11:12 a.m.

The Clark County School Board doesn't know if it can save 11 jobs and 13 shows at Las Vegas' public television station, but it's going to try in the next three weeks.

Thursday night the board unanimously voted to continue a plan that would allow the positions and shows to be cut in response to reduced state and federal funding for KLVX-TV Channel 10.

"It's like 'Sophie's Choice'," board member Dr. Lois Tarkanian said. "What I'm being told is we only have one solution that doesn't look very good. I'd like to have a chance to look at this and have our people take a closer look at the finances and see if there isn't another solution."

Superintendent Brian Cram gave the board the out it was looking for when he mentioned that the district could afford to hold off on the cuts until an Aug. 12 meeting, giving the board and station general manager Tom Axtell the chance to look for a way to make up the funding loss.

"If the board is asking if we can wait a couple of weeks and look at other alternatives, the answer is yes," Cram said. "We can analyze this and see if there are any alternatives."

Cram couldn't give an exact cost for continuing to operate the station for the next three weeks at its current levels, but he did say the money would come out of the district's general fund.

"We can afford to do it," Cram said. "It won't bankrupt the district, but I wouldn't recommend doing it for longer than 30 days."

The proposed cuts at Channel 10 stem from the State Legislature deciding not to fund distance learning programs for the University and Community College System of Southern Nevada. In 1995, the Legislature allocated money to the system, which then contracted with KLVX for various programs, putting $150,000 into the station's coffers each year since then.

The Legislature also did not reallocate about $400,000 to the state's Commission on Educational Technology, which in turn gave it to KLVX for teacher technology training.

If the board can not come up with an alternative the station will need to cut 28 full-time and part-time positions, but only 11 of those positions are currently filled.

Of the 11 people in danger of being cut, six are office workers or secretaries who can fill similar open school district positions, Cram said.

"We'll put a freeze on hiring for our open office jobs in our other departments, so that those people have a job in case the cuts can't be avoided," Cram said.

The other five positions include four television assistants and one master control operator who will have to find other jobs if the cuts are made.

The 13 shows in danger of being cut include "Varsity Quiz," "Clark County Spelling Bee" and "African-American History Challenge." The shows "Ventana," aimed at Hispanic viewers, and "Community Matters," aimed at black viewers, could also be cut, Axtell said.

"With the loss in funding we had to re-evaluate what the mission of the station would be," Axtell said. "The things that became the top priorities were to do things that get kids ready for school, things that keep kids in school and provide audio and visual support to the district."

The board and Axtell plan to look at private donations and approach corporations about sponsorships for the shows in danger of cancellation.