America’s 5th largest school district announces budget deficit after union deal
A Nevada school district is facing a budget crisis related to low enrollment and exorbitant teacher raises.
The Clark County School District (CCSD) – the fifth largest district in the nation…
A Nevada school district is facing a budget crisis related to low enrollment and exorbitant teacher raises.
The Clark County School District (CCSD) – the fifth largest district in the nation – informed principals on Sept. 16 that it was dealing with a budget deficit, reported Crisis in the Classroom.
Part of the problem is declining student enrollment and a new teacher contract mandating double-digit raises.
The district’s director of comprehensive planning reported in August that CCSD would likely lose at least 5,000 students over the next few years due to declining birth rates.
And the Clark County Education Association (CCEA) recently bargained for 10% raises in the first year of new teacher contracts and 8% increases in the second year.
However, CCEA leadership refused to take the blame for the district’s money troubles – and even denied that a deficit exists at all.
“To suggest that there’s this deficit district-wide for these schools, we have a hard time accepting the validity of that,” said John Vellardita, executive director of the union. “We just see too many sources of large chunks of money that the school district has.”
But the situation has only worsened since the deficit came to light.
CCSD fired its chief financial officer, Jason Goudie, on Friday, despite him telling local media he hadn’t done anything wrong.
“I was terminated without cause,” Goudie said. “We built the budget based on the information that we had available to use based on where we thought negotiations [with the teachers’ union] were.”
And local parents are hearing rumors about more firings.
“I’ve already heard that some teachers, some admin positions, are getting let go because these schools have to make these cuts,” said CCSD parent Stephanie Valdez. “They’re essentially being forced to.”
The budget is so egregious that Gov. Joe Lombardo is getting involved.
“Governor Lombardo is concerned by the recent operational and fiscal issues within the Clark County School District and Clark County School District Board of Trustees,” Elizabeth Ray, the governor’s spokeswoman, wrote on social media. “To address these concerns, Governor Lombardo will use all the state’s authority to investigate the school district’s budget and help determine corrective next steps.”