$1 million of school grant may be returned

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2006 | 7:25 a.m.

In the face of mounting criticism, a Clark County schools administrator said Tuesday she wants to return more than $1 million in funds that were intended by state legislators to pay for innovative educational improvements.

In order to qualify for the grants, school districts had to show how their requests would benefit academic achievement.

Of the $54 million awarded to the Clark County School District by the governor's Commission on Educational Excellence, $1.8 million was earmarked to increase back-office staffing to facilitate the hiring of new teachers.

On Tuesday, a member of the State Board of Education - which was not involved in awarding the grants - and a state legislator each questioned the propriety of Clark County using the money to hire 20 assistants and an administrator in the human resources department to quicken the district's pace in hiring teachers in time for the new school year.

Gary Waters, who is finishing his third term on the education board, asked State Superintendent of Public Instruction Keith Rheault to review and explain the commission's approval of the district's grant. Rheault is one of nine people appointed to the commission by the governor.

"Spending $85,000 for a (human resources) administrator? It's my understanding that's not how the money was to be used," Waters said Tuesday.

The commission doesn't report to the state board, and it was unclear whether an investigation by it would carry any weight.

But Assemblywoman Bonnie Parnell (D-Carson City), co-chair of the Legislative Committee on Education which does oversee the commission, said Waters' request was reasonable.

"We need to assure everyone the funds from SB 404 were spent with the spirit of the law in mind - this might be one way to look into it," Parnell said. "I imagine there will be a lot of questions during the next session when the re-appropriation of those dollars is debated."

Waters said he was also uncomfortable that the allocation had gone to the human resources department, which is overseen by Associate Superintendent George Ann Rice. Rice also is chairwoman of the commission, although she had no role in reviewing or approving allocations for the Clark County School District's central office or individual campuses.

"It's too close for comfort," Waters said of Rice's roles.

Waters' concerns echo those of some lawmakers, including Parnell, who say they were dismayed to see grant funds used for staff positions that called for no direct interaction with students. At the Aug. 30 meeting of the Legislative Committee on Education, the members voted to issue stricter guidelines to the commission for the next round of grant allocations. Under the new guidelines, administrative positions would not be considered an acceptable use of grant funding.

With Tuesday's growing criticism, Rice said the controversy was overshadowing "all the good work" being done with the grant money statewide.

Rice said the district can squelch the controversy by returning the money - but that she hoped additional funds could be budgeted within the district to keep her staffing levels. That decision rests with Clark County Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes.

The grant to hire staff was for 18 months and totaled $1.8 million. Rice estimated about $400,000 has been spent so far.

Rulffes said Tuesday he was asking the district's fiscal department to figure out the cost to the general fund if the grant money was returned, and the new hires were kept on the job. It's possible not all of the added positions are still essential, Rulffes said.

"If there's any perception that there was a misuse of funds, we want to correct that, even though we believe Dr. Rice followed all of the rules, regulations and guidelines," Rulffes said Tuesday. "This has left a bad taste in the mouths of those who originally supported the bill. It's really regrettable."

To Waters, the problems surrounding the grant allocation highlight the deeper issues of authority and oversight. When Guinn announced the commission last year, Waters, along with several Democratic lawmakers, suggested the State Board of Education was the appropriate body to oversee the grant money.

The proliferation of committees, councils and commissions has created too many overlapping areas of responsibility and hamstrung the state board, Waters said.

"It's a way of running education without handing control to the people who were elected," Waters said. "What impact does the public have if the people they elect aren't the ones making these decisions? I'm not saying the people (appointed to the commission) are bad people or the governor made bad choices. What I'm saying is this is subverting the will of the people."

The flap over the human resources allocation shouldn't taint the innovative projects under way throughout the state, particularly in Nevada's smaller rural districts, said Caroline McIntosh, an assistant superintendent in White Pine County and an appointed commission member. In White Pine County, which has just over 14,000 students, schools received $860,000 for teacher training, literacy programs and classroom initiatives.

If educators want to see SB 404 reallocated for the next biennium, they must bring proof of classroom successes to Carson City, McIntosh said.

"There isn't any legislator that isn't interested in improving student achievement in Nevada," McIntosh said. "If we can show them we're making a difference in a positive way, I don't see how they're not going to be impressed when they look at the results school by school, and district by district."