Education bill passes Assembly

CARSON CITY -- Assembly members jumped the biggest hurdle needed to close the 2007 legislative session Thursday when they voted 41-0 to approve a $2.3 billion public education budget for the next two years.

Assembly Bill 627 will be forwarded to the Senate where it likely will be approved today and then sent to Gov. Jim Gibbons for his signature.

There had been no doubt the bill would be approved since a Tuesday news conference when Gibbons and legislative leaders announced an agreement on the $6.8 billion budget for the next two years.

Legislators have to approve the public education budget before other state spending budgets. Approval of general government spending, salary increase and other spending is now expected to come quickly as the Legislature races toward a Monday night adjournment.

Assembly Ways and Means Chairman Morse Arberry, D-Las Vegas, noted that state per pupil student expenditures will increase from $4,696 in the current school year to $5,122 next year and $5,323 in the 2009-10 fiscal year.

No Republicans spoke about the bill on the Assembly floor. Approval came in less than three minutes.

The education budget includes almost $10 million for an empowerment program in 29 schools, at a cost of $400 per student. Gibbons had asked for $60 million to fund 100 empowerment schools.

The budget also includes $15 million to establish full-day kindergarten classes in 63 additional schools. Democrats had wanted full-day kindergarten in all 340 elementary schools in the state. Full-day kindergarten now is offered in 114 schools where more than 55 percent of students qualify for free or reduced cost lunches.