School employees agree: More money education solution

Friday, June 7, 2002 | 9:30 a.m.

When it comes to how lawmakers could best improve education, Clark County School District employees and Superintendent Carlos Garcia appear to be on the same page.

In a survey released Thursday, district employees were asked to list the priorities they believed administrators should focus on in advance of the upcoming legislative session. The most popular answer was adding automatic cost-of-living increases for employees into the state budget, followed by more per-pupil funding.

Both items are already at the top of a list Garcia submitted to Gov. Kenny Guinn as part of a proposal for $905 million in additional education spending statewide. Garcia, along with superintendents from Nevada's 16 other school districts, have joined forces to petition for the money. Known as the InVEST plan, it includes restoring programs that school districts had been forced to cut in recent years.

Guinn was receptive during a two-hour meeting Monday, Garcia said. While there was no guarantee made that the governor would back the plan, Guinn said he was impressed by the depth and scope of the proposal, the first of its kind to cover education statewide, Garcia said.

The state Board of Education has come up with its own plan, seeking $876 million for additional programs, including full-day kindergarten classes. The two plans overlap more than they compete, said Joyce Haldeman, executive director of government and community relations for the district.

"We're talking about different degrees of the same elements," Haldeman said.

School Board President Sheila Moulton said she was looking forward to reading the survey results and was glad to know employees shared the concerns of the district officials.

"As always it comes back to funding," Moulton said. "We have a big job ahead of us to get ready for the next legislative session."

There were 4,420 replies to the survey, about 20 percent of the district's work force, said Craig Kadlub, director of public affairs for the school district. Of the respondents 76 percent were licensed employees, 17 percent were support staff and 6 percent were administrators.