Education spending not clear-cut
CARSON CITY -- Despite a slight increase approved by lawmakers in the state's base per-pupil spending for kindergarten through 12th grade students, Nevada's public education chief said Tuesday that school districts actually will have less money per pupil for the upcoming fiscal year.
State schools Superintendent Keith Rheault said the extra state dollars will fill shortfalls resulting from lower estimates for both local taxes on property and sales, which along with the state-guaranteed money fund the dollar amount that Nevada spends per pupil.
Legislators approved a figure of $5,251 to be spent per K-12 student for the next fiscal year, $38 more than the 2008-09 figure of $5,213. Rheault called the increase "a little deceptive" because the state had to come up with $329 million to make up for the reduced projections in local taxes.
"When you look at the overall picture for both the state guaranteed amount and local revenue, school districts will have less money per pupil this 2009-10 fiscal year than that of the 2008-09 fiscal year," Rheault said.
Rheault said he met Monday with local school superintendents who are planning cost-cutting measures that may include increased class sizes, negotiating reduced salaries and leaving positions unfilled.
Rheault said school officials are even more worried about fiscal 2010-11 because projected revenues and inflation costs might lead to further cutbacks. For fiscal year 2010-11, lawmakers approved $5,395 in per-pupil support.
"They are leery about the economy," Rheault said. "It is much harder to cut after budgets have been passed."
