State’s school boards prepare to lobby lawmakers for funds

By Emily Richmond

Monday, Oct. 7, 2002 | 11:16 a.m.

Members of Nevada's 17 school boards will get a crash course in the etiquette of legislative lobbying this week, as administrators prepare to push for additional funding for the Silver State's students.

The board members will hear the finer points of lobbying techniques at the Nevada Association of School Board's annual conference, set to run Thursday through Saturday at Sunset Station. The meeting also will address improving student achievement, the fundamentals of running effective meetings and school district finances.

They key topic of the session, however, will be how the school officials will sell legislators their ambitious proposal that calls for $905 million in additional education spending. They don't expect it to be easy.

The iNVest plan, devised by the state's 17 superintendents last spring, would include $54.7 million for teacher pay increases, services for non-native English speakers and five additional days of professional development.

The proposal has earned tentative praise from Gov. Kenny Guinn but no promises of support. Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said this summer it was unlikely the plan would go through unless it was substantially trimmed.

"What I would really like is for some of these people to tell us where to find the money," said Raggio, who chairs the Legislative Committee on Education. "I would love to fund all these things, but the facts remain that the money isn't available and isn't likely to become available anytime soon."

Clark County School Superintendent Carlos Garcia has said on numerous occasions that the money must be found by the Legislature -- there simply isn't anything left to trim at the district level. In the past three years nearly $90 million has been cut from the $1.2 billion annual budget in the face of declining revenues and rising expenses for everything from utilities to personnel.

At the very least, the state's per-pupil expenditures should be brought up to the national average, Garcia said. That's a legislative priority that also has the backing of the state's teachers union.

"We're doing more with less," Garcia said. "Imagine what we could do if we were properly funded."

Joyce Haldeman, executive director of community and government relations for the Clark County School District, said it has never been more important for the state's school boards to present a united front.

Concerns over flagging student achievement and poor showings on the new high school proficiency exams were strong motivations for the boards to work as a team, Haldeman said.

"The boards have never been more united than they are right now," Haldeman said Friday. "Everyone has come together, and that's the best way to ensure there are adequate programs for students."

Haldeman will take part in the iNVest conference workshop, making sure board members are familiar with the latest version of the proposal and comfortable talking about the specifics with their legislators.

While Clark County may have been hit hardest by the sagging economy, school districts statewide have suffered, Randall Robison, executive director of the Nevada Association of School Boards, said.

"Finances have always played a role in our discussions, but this year it is really a dominant topic,' Robison said. "This is a critical time for all of us to prepare for the hard work ahead, when the legislative session gets going."

Sheila Moulton, Clark County School Board president, said while lobbying isn't something she wants to do, it's become a fact of life.

"The monies are up there in Carson City, and the people who decide where the resources go are up there," Moulton said. "We have to convince them that we need the help down here."