‘Extremely concerning’: State education head demands answers from CCSD

The head of the state’s Department of Education is demanding answers from the interim superintendent of the Clark County School District about the district’s potential budget shortfall.

In a letter dated Wednesday, State Superindent Jhone Ebert posed several questions to Brenda Larsen-Mitchell and said the answers need to be provided by Oct. 3, or next Thursday.

“The reports of a potential budgetary shortfall are extremely concerning,” Ebert wrote in the letter.

Among the questions asked in the letter: “Does a budgetary shortfall currently exist at Clark County School District, and if so, what is the approximate amount of the shortfall?”

On Tuesday, Ebert told the Review-Journal she was committed to working with Gov. Joe Lombardo on his investigation into the district’s budget.

“Before asking principals to redo their budgets and asking them to make cuts, the Clark County School District needs to ensure they have exhausted all other alternatives, including using unrestricted funds and reviewing central expenditures,” Ebert said in a statement later that day.

In her Sept. 20 message to staff, Larsen-Mitchell said that the district has identified a “potential central budget deficit,” but has yet to determine whether a deficit exists.

CCSD has not responded to multiple requests from the Review-Journal regarding the amount of the potential budget deficit.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com.

Letter to Dr. Larsen-Mitchell 25 Sept 2024 by Las Vegas Review-Journal on Scribd