Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Senator is frustrated state Education Department not using federal money

CARSON CITY -- A state senator complained Thursday that the state Education Department has failed to use a large amount of federal funds that are supposed to go to the public school system.

Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, joined Sen. John Ensign and Rep. Jim Gibbons in saying that the department was returning large sums of educational money to the federal government.

But an Education Department official said Cegavske and the others "overstated' the case. Gloria Dopf, assistant state superintendent of public instruction, said said only a "very, very tiny amount is reverted."

After the hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Doug Thunder, a deputy superintendent in charges of finances for the department, supplied a chart to show the state received $64.8 million in federal grants for years 1999 and 2000 and returned $255,637 or 0.39 percent.

In addition, another $100,000 was not used by school districts that had to return the money.

Cegavske's comments were tied to her complaints that the department has never hired a person to seek grants from the federal government for programs for the gifted and talented student. She said the state was missing millions of dollars in federal grants because the department never applied for them. She said the state department first doesn't apply for the grants and then there is a large amount of federal money that reverts.

Dopf said the Legislature approved a position of grants writer but never provided the financing. She said it was unable to find money to hire a staff member, and federal funds could not be used for the position.

But Cegavske said there are grants available from private foundations and other sources. She suggested, and the committee agreed, to provide more than $140,000 over the next two years in state funds to hire a grants writer.

The committee also approved $12.4 million over the next two years to continue the $2,000 bonuses to new teachers who sign up at Nevada school districts and work at least 30 days.

The committee on Wednesday approved Senate Bill 511 to provide $436,000 to pay teachers this year for bonuses they have not received yet. The state ran out of money and there are more than 218 teachers who have not received the $2,000 yet.

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