Student tally puts funding at risk

The Clark County School District might lose $25 million or more in anticipated state funding because it has fewer students than expected, Superintendent Walt Rulffes said Friday.

A preliminary count Thursday determined the district has 307,744 students. That is fewer than the 314,403 students the district projected in May, when a tentative $2.14 billion budget was approved.

District officials will again track enrollment during the state's "count day" on Friday. The number of students in district schools that day has to be audited by the state to become official.

This week's preliminary count has Rulffes concerned.

"We could be at least $25 million below projected revenue this year," Rulffes said. "We'll have to do a very close scrutiny of our budget and determine every area where we can tighten our belt."

The state allocates $4,891 per student to the district for pupils in first through 12th grades. The district is given about $2,934 for every kindergarten student.

Rulffes said the district staffed its schools with the assumption that its enrollment would be slightly more than 311,000 this school year, or about 99 percent of its expected enrollment.

Because of this, Rulffes said teachers won't be laid off, but some will be reassigned to schools that surpass enrollment projections.

Rulffes said the district's East and Northeast regions had the enrollment sharpest declines.

Rulffes said the district will not hire more teachers or administrators, unless they are in critical need areas. It also might have to cut back on the purchase of instructional materials and on overtime expenditures, he said.

The district estimated within 1 percent of its enrollment for the 2006-07 school year. However, in the 2005-06 school year, it overestimated by more than 4,000 students, causing it to lose $17 million in state funds.