Local News

Actions

UPDATE: Clark County School District addresses budget shortfall with parents, teachers

Posted
and last updated

UPDATE SEPT. 22: Parents and teachers showed up to the first of several meeting held by the Clark County School District to address the budget shortfall.

The school went on to explain how the district ended up with a $60 million budget deficit in the first place.

Many things that staff salaries and a lack of state revenue have been cited as the issue, but also unfunded mandates like special education.

The district with continue holding meetings with the public.

ORIGINAL STORY

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) -- Millions of dollars in additional cuts are coming to the Clark County School District.
                
The belt tightening is about to get even tighter after trustees voted 5-1 Thursday to trim $13.9 million more from the budget. Those cuts are on top of the $43 million approved in August.

RELATED: School administrators get pay raises amidst budget crisis

"Before we cut, we need to know where we are at,” said Trustee Kevin Child.

“I have asked for an audit and I want to know where we’re at," he added.

Child was the only dissenting vote in the decision. He said there are some cuts he just cannot go along with.

"When safety is of the utmost, I can't go with that,” Child said.

“Especially when I have constituents call up and say safety is number one,” he added.

Contact 13 obtained a lengthy list of cuts, which makes up the $13.9 million. Landscaping, Transportation, and cuts to “central services” were the biggest categories affected.

More than 300 vacant positions were eliminated. No teaching positions were affected, yet.

“They're saying, by Monday, we're going to have some more cuts to do,” Child said.

Internal memos obtained by Contact 13 show district leaders have prepared schools to brace for potentially $80 million in total cuts.