County schools to get $6 million in federal funds

Wednesday, July 17, 2002 | 9:47 a.m.

Nevada schools will get an extra $22 million in federal funds to help implement the No Child Left Behind Act, state education officials said Tuesday.

The state's consolidated plan for implementing the reforms had to be approved by the U.S. Department of Education, said Kathy St. Clair, a federal grants consultant for Nevada Department of Education. Word of approval came late last week from officials in Washington, St. Clair said.

Of the federal funds, more than 90 percent should go directly to classrooms in the state's 18 school districts, including Clark County, St. Clair said.

Nevada will receive more than $72 million in federal funds for the 2002-2003 school year, about $22 million above last year's take.

The state's consolidated plan includes $4 million in services for students for whom English is not their native language, $13.6 million to improve teacher quality and $4 million for intensive reading programs.

Signed into law by President Bush in January, the act calls for more accountability and tougher standards for student achievement and teacher qualifications, as well as safer schools. The new federal regulations also call for significant gains in literacy at all grade levels.

The act sets stricter penalties for schools that fail to meet the new standards. Gains will be expected for all students -- including those in special education and English Language Learner programs. Schools that don't improve could have funds revoked.

Clark County School District officials say they expect to receive $6 million in additional federal funds this year, bringing the total for the 2002-2003 school year to just under $28 million for Title I schools. Title I is a federal designation based on the poverty level of a school's community.

The implementation of the new laws have befuddled some school district officials, who say guidance from Washington has been minimal at best.

"There's been no road map showing us how to get our schools to where the new law says they have to be," Mark Lange, director of grants and Title I compliance for the district, told the school board during an earlier meeting.

In the past, schools have been allowed to excuse English Language Learner students from annual statewide proficiency exams. Under the new law, however, all students will have to be tested and their scores submitted. That could mean more schools will be designated as low-performing, officials concede.

Assemblywoman Vonne Chowning, D-North Las Vegas, said Tuesday she was concerned that the No Child Left Behind Act amounted to an unfunded mandate. Clark County's additional funds won't go far given the growth of the school district and the ever-increasing number of students who need bilingual services, Chowning said.

"When you raise the bar and pass tougher standards, you must also have the remediation and teacher training dollars follow," Chowning said. "Saying that no child should be left behind is a marvelous sentiment, but I just don't see the money coming to make that a reality."

The new federal regulations also require school districts to give parents the option of having their child bused from a low-performing school to a more successful campus. In Clark County, six schools were designated as low-performing -- Bracken, Tate, Carson, Lynch-Edison, Ronnow-Edison elementary schools and Bridger Middle School. Because Bracken will become a magnet school this fall, it is exempted from the school choice law, officials said.

So far, fewer than 100 families have opted to have their children bused when school resumes next month, said Susan Wright, director of Title I Services for the district. The district has set aside $500,000 to pay for the busing services, Wright said. Any leftover funds will be returned to the Title I pot and spent on other programs, she said.