CCSD expects fewer students, but more money, with $3.2B budget

The Clark County School District is expecting additional revenue but fewer students during the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1.

The School Board voted unanimously Thursday to authorize the district to file a $3.2 billion tentative budget with the state.

The district is projecting an average daily enrollment of 292,486 — a “ slight decrease” of about 3,000 students, according to Chief Financial Officer Jason Goudie.

If that happens, it would be the sixth consecutive year with an enrollment drop in the district.

Despite expecting fewer students, the nation’s fifth-largest school district — which has more than 300,000 students — predicts having nearly $397.9 million in additional revenues.

That’s due largely to more state per-pupil funding. The district expects a base per-pupil funding rate of $8,721, an increase of $1,360.

The increase is “desperately needed and certainly appreciated,” Board President Evelyn Garcia Morales said.

Gov. Joe Lombardo has proposed an additional $2 billion in K-12 education funding for the biennium.

Superintendent Jesus Jara called it historic state funding that the district is appreciative of. He said the district will put the funding to good use and improve student achievement.

But Jara said he doesn’t want the community to forget that education funding is still below the national average and that underfunding has occurred for two decades.

He also thanked community members who participated in four community conversations in late March and earlier this month about budget priorities.

Where is the money going?

The district expects to spend 83 percent of its general operating fund on employee salaries and benefits.

As for additional projected revenues, the district spent some of that money already on things that weren’t budgeted last year, Goudie said.

That includes about $44.4 million in bargaining unit increases — including raising the starting teacher pay to $50,115 this school year — and $70.1 million in operational increases, including higher utility costs and two new schools that will soon open.

The district is expecting some budgeting uncertainties like enrollment, the risk of a recession, waiting on legislative approval of the governor’s recommended budget and continuation of initiatives currently funded using federal COVID-19 relief money, according to online meeting materials.

The district is also in the early stages of collective bargaining with all employee bargaining units, Jara said.

There weren’t any public comments on the tentative budget during Thursday’s meeting. Trustees will consider adopting a final budget at its meeting on May 18.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.