Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2001 | 10:38 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- Everybody seems to agree that the Clark County School District should bus elementary school students who live farther than 1.5 miles away from their schools.
But while the school district claims it doesn't have the $14 million to fund such a measure, legislators think otherwise and told the district Monday to find a way to live with Assemblyman Mark Manendo's bill.
Assembly Bill 124 would require school districts to reduce the distance elementary school students must walk -- from 2 miles to 1.5 miles. During a hearing Monday before the Assembly's Education Committee, legislators questioned the district's use of buses, its 400-plus vehicles for administrators and the results of an audit showing the district has extra money floating around.
Manendo, D-Las Vegas, referred his proposal to both the Education and Ways and Means committees in hopes that the latter could discuss possible state funding assistance to implement the bus bill.
But Education Committee Chairman Wendell Williams said the district needs to "re-prioritize the money."
"I still think that we should look at the school district for some of this money," said Williams, D-Las Vegas.
Williams cited a state audit that showed $6 million "unaccounted for in technology that walks out the door."
Assemblywoman Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, questioned why the district couldn't free up buses by giving high school students passes on Citizens Area Transit. And Assemblyman Tom Collins, D-North Las Vegas, complained about buses with extra seats that don't stop to pick up kids.
Cegavske suggested the district could alter school start times and eliminate high school busing -- for all but special education students -- to accommodate the added elementary school students that would be bused. She also asked the district to seek funds from Clark County and cities in its jurisdiction to fund the measure.
Martha Tittle, a lobbyist for the school district, said the bill mandates busing for an additional 9,500 students, requiring another 125 buses at a cost of $12.3 million. Another $1.7 million would be needed for operating costs, she said.
Rose McKinney-James, another district lobbyist, suggested the committee hear of the fiscal concerns directly from Walt Rulffes, the assistant superintendent in charge of finances.
"We cannot ignore the fact that there is a substantial financial impact," McKinney-James said.
Manendo said he hoped the introduction of his bill would open a greater dialogue about possible district-level changes in operations to free up money. Any state funding, he said, would only be for a small portion of the $14 million.
"I do not want to leave this legislative session with nothing in our hands other than this piece of legislation," he said. "I think the money's there."
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