Nearly 2,500 schools jobs at risk
School employee salaries would be slashed by nearly 8 percent, class sizes would increase and the textbook budget would be reduced by 25 percent as part of a plan to save the Clark County School District nearly $411 million for 2011-12.
Nearly 2,500 staffing positions, including classroom teachers, educational computer strategists, literacy specialists and support staff, would be eliminated to compensate for declining revenues, according to a district analysis released Thursday. The district employs more than 30,000 people.
The School Board reluctantly voted 7-0 to allow the district to plan for a “reduction in force,” with trustees clearly resentful of having to consent to deep cuts in education.
“Outraged” by anticipated reductions in state support, School Board President Carolyn Edwards called Gov. Brian Sandoval “misguided” for sticking to his campaign pledge not to raise taxes.
“I think we elected the wrong governor,” Edwards said.
Superintendent Dwight Jones said the district had no choice to but to prepare for the “worst-case scenario.”
“I still hold out hope that ultimately the (financial) numbers will get better,” Jones said in an interview. “Cutting out
$411 million, or about 20 percent, from the budget is just unheard of. I hope there is a better-case scenario ahead based on work by the Legislature and the governor.”
The superintendent said he was “most nervous about the class-size increases.”
Because of the economic downturn, the district’s budget has declined from $2.25 billion in 2008-09 to about $2.1 billion for the current fiscal year.
Next year, the district plans to increase the average class size by three students in grades 1-3, by five students in grades 4-5 and by seven students in grades 6-12, if necessary.
The recommended class sizes would become 21 students in grades 1-2, 24 students in third grade, 35 students in grades 4-5, and 39 students in grades 6-12.
If the district’s funding outlook improves, Jones and the School Board agreed that the priority should be to reduce increases to class sizes.
The superintendent also acknowledged that some pain was inevitable.
“These are going to be dramatic cuts that will hit really hard,” Jones said. “But the district is going to move on in support of kids. We’re going to have to figure it out. The adults will have to make some really difficult decisions.”
The superintendent warned there would be even deeper cuts in jobs if district employee unions don’t make concessions.
John Carr, president of the Education Support Employees Association, responded that the district could not get “blood from a stone.”
Because of an overflow crowd of about 300 people, about 100 people, including many union members, were forced to gather in the hallway and lobby outside the Greer Education Center auditorium, on Flamingo Road near Eastern Avenue.
Steve Kuhn, an art teacher at Cheyenne High School, thought it was ironic that the board would enforce the fire code when the district probably will be packing more students into the classrooms next year.
“What about the classrooms’ fire code? Seriously,” he said.
Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-374-7917.