Teacher bonus funds to fall short

Cy Ryan and Ed Koch

Thursday, July 12, 2001 | 11:01 a.m.

The $34 million allocated by the Nevada Legislature to provide 3 percent bonuses to teachers and school personnel this year won't be enough to cover all the costs, leaving it up to local school districts to come up with more money.

Because of retirements and other employees recently leaving Clark County schools, the district may not have to come up with additional funds by the Sept. 10 retention raise date, said George Ann Rice, assistant superintendent of human resources.

Regardless, she said, the local district will only pay out what the state gives for bonuses, and that would reduce the 3 percent significantly.

Doug Thunder, finance director for the state Department of Education, said today the law says the bonuses are "approximately" 3 percent. If the school districts don't chip in extra money, the bonus, he said may be only 2.7 percent or 2.8 percent.

The shortfall is being blamed on a miscalculation in the budget. The $34 million allocation was based on the number of employees from the 1999-2000 school year and on the average salary then.

But the number of workers grew this year, especially in fast expanding districts like Clark and Washoe counties, meaning more people would be entitled to bonuses.

In Clark County, the 18,285 full-time employees in May 2001 is 676 greater than the number 12 months earlier. However, since May, Rice said, more than 700 employees have left the district, including 155 retirees, who won't be receiving the bonus.

The final number of retainees won't be known until just before the start of the school year this fall. Bonuses will not be given to replacement employees, she said.

While Clark County will not try to meet the 3 perecnt level with additional funds, Washoe County School District officials say they are looking for $300,000, and Carson City says it is going to dip into its contingency fund for $31,000 to make sure everybody gets the full 3 percent.

In addition, there's no state money for school employees who are paid by federal grants or for those who work in the school lunch program. Thunder said those bonuses would have to come out of federal or other money.

Thunder said the calculation was also based on 1999-2000 salaries, but he estimates there is a 2 percent increase in that number. So it will require more money to cover a 3 percent raise.

Thunder said he presented a study to the budget committees of the Legislature detailing this information. He said he had estimates of how much it would cost for school personnel on federal grants and those who work in the school lunch program. Their bonus money will have to come from the federal government or from other sources.

And he had the estimated amount that might be needed because of the higher number of teachers this year and their biggest salaries.

State Budget Director Perry Comeaux said the original budget had money for an "approximate" 5 percent bonus. And the revised budget called for an "approximate" 3 percent budget.

It was never guaranteed that the $34 million would be enough money for a full 3 percent. The word "approximately" was used all the time, he said.

Thunder said he did not have any estimate how much more money the state would have had to appropriate to cover the full 3 percent for all school personnel.