Education called No. 1 infrastructure need

      Education should come first when it comes to funding Southern Nevada's infrastructure needs, Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones and City Councilman Matthew Callister declared Wednesday.
      "We need to ensure that every child that is raised here has the opportunity to a first-class education," Jones said, standing before a field of frolicking youngsters at McMillan Elementary School in northwest Las Vegas.
      Jones and Callister called for a new "education first" account, funded by real estate and gaming taxes, that would be earmarked for school construction and supplies.
      "Right now teachers are reaching into their own pockets to pay for books and supplies," Jones said.
      The Clark County School District is growing by 12,000 students a year. Voters approved a $643 million school bond issue in November, but School District officials say that money may be exhausted within three years.
      Many schools are turning to year-round and double sessions to handle the influx, and class sizes are mushrooming, the two said.
      Jones' and Callister's announcement was part of an ongoing discussion among local officials about how to keep pace with the Las Vegas Valley's explosive growth. More than 5,000 people per month are moving in, filling schools beyond capacity, jamming roads and straining the area's water supply.
      Estimates on what it will take to fix those and other problems range from $2.4 billion up to $10 billion. Other needs include fire and police protection, parks, and libraries.
      Officials have yet to decide whether to craft one gigantic infrastructure package or separate proposals to pay for each need.
      For education, Jones and Callister said they prefer the second option, saying the advantage is that money automatically would go to schools, as opposed to reliance on local governments to provide it annually.
      "We need an ongoing funding stream that will go directly to the classroom," Jones said.
      A disadvantage could be that money targeted specifically for schools could not be used for potentially more urgent problems.
      Although some earmarking is inevitable, "You need to have flexibility so you can respond to infrastructure needs as they arise, rather than having to come up with a new funding source every time there is a problem," said Guy Hobbs, a former finance director for Clark County.
      Jones' and Callister's education plan would be funded through a combination of new taxes and expanded bonding capacity for the Clark County School District.
      The gaming industry has volunteered to increase its room tax by 1 percent and to reallocate revenue from an existing casino tax, which will generate about $27 million a year. Jones also suggested raising both impact fees on developers and a real estate transfer tax.
      The proposals would raise about $65 million a year, all of which would be used for education, Jones said. She said the plan to expand the school district's bonding capacity, meanwhile, could generate $90 million a year starting in 2005.
      All of the proposals need the Nevada Legislature's approval.
      Clark County Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates, who is leading the talks on infrastructure, welcomed Jones and Callister to the table.
      "Infrastructure funding in the valley is critical, and it's good to see the Mayor and (Callister) engaged. I certainly welcome their input," Atkinson Gates said, adding that she wished their proposal had come before she addressed an Assembly committee on infrastructure last week.
      At the same time, Atkinson Gates suggested that the focus on education may be too narrow.
      "I think education is just one important component to our overall infrastructure needs," said Atkinson Gates, a former member of the Clark County School Board. "We need to have a comprehensive planning approach. One issue shouldn't be singled out."