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By Paul Takahashi (contact) 
Published Wednesday, May 2, 2012 | 3:05 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, May 2, 2012 | 6:48 p.m.
The Clark County School Board unanimously voted Wednesday to pursue a ballot question seeking voter approval for a six-year property tax increase to renovate and replace aging schools.
Although the exact wording of the question has yet to be determined, voters will be asked in November to allow the School District to launch a capital levy program that funds school maintenance on what the district is calling a pay-as-you-go basis.
Under the proposal, property taxes would increase about $74 annually on a house valued at $100,000 to begin funding high-priority school construction and rehabilitation projects.
The tax increase would generate $669 million over the six-year period, district officials said, assuming there are no further declines in property values past 2013. The property tax rate would return to its current rate after the six years.
After the six-year program’s end, the School District may decide to go back to voters to seek approval of a $4.7 billion bond program for further projects. Currently, the district does not expect to have the bonding capacity until 2018.
The district has identified $5.3 billion in “needs” relating to school construction and maintenance, the majority of which will need to be addressed by a major bond program, officials said.
If the $4.7 billion bond program ultimately is placed before voters and gains approval, the majority of its proceeds – about $3.4 billion – would go toward school renovation and replacements. About $1 billion would go to new technology and equipment for schools. The rest of the bond money would help build nine new schools in growing regions of the valley, and help the district strive for “educational equity” within its schools.
The School District currently has $33.5 million in funding through a 1998 bond program to fund some classroom technology and electrical upgrades, alarm and public announcement systems, and roof replacements.
The capital levy would “bridge” funding for high-need projects, officials said. The district plans to use $664 million of the funds raised for the following projects: (Note: Other than the schools listed below, the School District has not released names of schools scheduled for renovations or replacements.)
Major rehabilitation at 19 schools, including gym additions at four schools
Replace two elementary schools
Construct two new elementary schools to alleviate overcrowding in some current schools
Heating and air conditioner replacements at seven middle schools
Equipment replacements and electrical and technology upgrades totaling $62 million
Complete phased replacement of Boulder City High School and converting West Prep.
The district did not indicate how it would spend the remaining $5 million from the capital levy program.
A potential bond program would help close the $1.1 billion gap. The district would need to replace eight more schools, provide cafeteria additions, complete phased replacements at three schools, replace portable classrooms with permanent ones at the Sandy Valley school, upgrade softball fields, replace football fields with synthetic turf for water savings and safety and build out another seven elementary schools to alleviate overcrowding.
Check back for more on this developing story.
All six School Board members present at Wednesday’s special meeting supported the capital improvement program. Board member Erin Cranor was absent.
The board argued it could not wait for the economy to improve to address leaky roofs and broken air conditioning units at schools.
“If we do nothing, we’re going to be in a world of hurt,” School Board member Chris Garvey said. “As trustees, we should not consider doing nothing.”
“It’s essential to take care of the health and safety issues out there,” School Board member Lorraine Alderman said, noting the issue of equity. “Every school needs to be the same quality as the newer schools.”
In four years, half of the schools will be 20 years or older, School Board member John Cole said. As with a car, the cost of maintaining an older building is often more than the cost to build a new school, he added.
However, a 20-year-old school building is actually quite young, compared with schools around the country, said Victor Joecks, communications director at the Nevada Policy Research Institute. Joecks argued that the average school age around the country is 50 years old.
Further, Joecks said he was appalled by the $5.3 billion the School District says it needs to maintain its school buildings.
The 1998 bond program raised $4.9 billion over a decade to build 112 schools to address a nearly 50 percent increase in student enrollment, Joecks said. A potential, future bond program would raise more money than the previous capital campaign, despite enrollment now stabilized, he said.
“Temporary tax increases are rarely temporary,” Joecks said, addressing the School Board. “It’s difficult for the government to give back tax increases.”
District officials and School Board members retorted that asking voters for a tax increase was not “superfluous.”
The harsh desert environment puts a great deal of wear and tear on school buildings, especially air conditioning units, said Jeff Weiler, the district’s chief financial officer. If an air conditioning unit breaks – as it did last month at Las Vegas High School, prompting an early dismissal – students are left “cooking” in the desert.
(Joecks said after the meeting that harsh winter conditions in other parts of the country pose a similar maintenance issue for school districts.)
“We need to recognize that it’d be foolish of us not to make ‘the ask,’” said School Board member Carolyn Edwards. “If voters say no – and it’s in their right to do so – we will figure out what we need to do.”
Not one damn dime until there is a major overhaul of the CCSD admin structure that eliminates as much waste and excessive salaries as possible!
No way! Not another tax for a school district that is one of the worst in the nation. Not until there is more accountability for the failure to provide a quality education to the children in Nevada.
Seriously, is this April Fools day?
The LOAFERS on Flamingo have to go before one red cent gets approved.
The CCSD is becoming a cautionary tale instead of an actual school district.
Not until every high school and it's feeder schools are their own districts. You will never get accountability in this valley until the schools boards and administration represent parents they serve. As long as they know all you parents will not drive to flamingo and the board and admin can pawn you off on a secretary, they will keep control and make the rules.
Outsource painters and all other union jobs and the budget is solved. I witnessed 4 painters paint one school door aneach was driving a ccsd truck!
I for one, will vote yes to raising taxes in order to help the schools--and thus help improve the entire community. The temporary tax rise is especially important because it will, "...help the district strive for "educational equity" within its schools," as stated by the author. This goal is crucial for establishing an economically successful and intelligent populace. Truly, we will ALL benefit from better schools--but it takes money and resources in order to improve schools. This is proven time and time again. If you don't agree, I suggest you read the book, "Savage Inequalities," by Jonathan Kozol. It's such a great, eye-opening book about our educational failures and what can be done to fix the problem.
Not a chance. CCSD must down size. We're losing population and they still get the old tax rates and the endless bond issues that keep rolling over. And we've heard how the teachers expect ALL money to be used for compensation and raises.
The out-of-touch administration has alienated the staff pretty well. It's easy to understand how and why that is.
They hired an instructional Guru with NO EXPERIENCE as an instructor. They pay him four and a half teacher salaries, plus many thousands to move here from Reno.
The super himself was chosen WITHOUT input from folks from his last place of employment where his record was checkered, at best.
And look at the hundreds of thousands tossed his way in pay - ten or so teachers' worth of salary and benefits - for denying respect for those carrying the load and the little ones he is paid to support.
Inaccessibility and bullying appear to set the tone for this top-down style of dogma-driven demagoguery. It's a damn shame we have so much money and power placed into the hands of so many whose sole purpose seems to remain the same old "I, me, mine." And "Screw the kids..."
Accountability has shifted from plan A to plan B with only a minor change of terms; there is no plan to upgrade quality of education, just new names for mediocrity or worse.
Roughly speaking, the odds of passing this hot potato are similar to that proverbial snowball in Vegas in August.
I had to read the headline a few times and couldn't stop laughing although this isn't even funny. More taxes, for the school district. You have got to be kidding right?
Here's a free site to get your kids involved in their own understanding and your improving utility bills - honest, no taxes, no losses...
http://www.examiner.com/article/3green-e...
And here's what I found on the way home from school one day...
http://www.examiner.com/article/beware-t...
Are we reelin' in the years, stowin away the time...?
No.
They've wasted enough of our money building schools, from the defective plans, specifications, and consultants overseeing the construction of the facilities, we've had enough. Architects and their teams assembled to design the projects have zero accountability with our money where it's time the district comes around and place the liability of the project on design / build with contractors, not Architects.
Wow 13,000,000 Illegals in the USA.Thats more than Nicaragua 5,815,514 + El Salvadore 6,227,000 = 12,042,514.We have more Illegals than these two whole countries and we are called racist for being tired of them destroying our social services and schools. Give me a break. We are supporting whole countries of Illegals.
I wonder how come our schools need more money.Hmmm. Lets see Wyoming doesnt have this problem or other states with low Illegal populations.Wow i wonder what the problem is?Lets see States with low Illegal populations dont have school finance problems or bankrupt social services. States with high Illegal populations do. Maybe we should create a Government panel to research this and use more of our tax dollars.Oh thats right we would be racial profiling these whole countries that have moved within our borders.
Tim,
though I agree the spending on qualified personnel seems high, the bigger issue is accountability.
Contractors have their own immediate gain first and foremost. I know. I am one. The responsibility of an architect and certified construction manager is a bit more altruistic, if you will. Yes they make good money, but their primary responsibility is the best building they can assemble using available resources as wisely as possible.
Now, if they'd just give ME one of those OLD and DECREPIT 20 year old buildings, I would employ some great contractors to train kids in how things work. We would convert that building into a combo structure that supplies housing, community service needs and retail shops. We might even have room for a learning lab! Something this place could USE!
Then I'd have an army of talented and motivated young-ins who together with a GC could build lives and a much better community. And you and I could retire before we're 90!
Tim, a case in point.
One of our architects tells me of a problem found in a twenty-five year old Old Folks Home. The plans called for some rock under it, but that step was eliminated by the builder in order to save some dough. Well, as you know when clay dries out from being under a slab, the stuff shrinks a bit.
25 years later there's this awfully bad smell from the busted drain pipes and the pile of sewage under the place.
The builder is long gone but the results of saving a few bucks linger on.
If ya need more proof of what can happen when some profit-oriented people have no checks or balances, then I've got some bridges for ya...