Two education funding bills introduced

Two pieces of legislation that would dramatically increase funding for public schools have been introduced in the Nevada Legislature.

Senate Bill 2 by Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, would appropriate $1.34 billion from the state treasury to the distributive school account over the next two years.

Assembly Bill 4 by the Legislative Committee on Education would add more than $9.3 million to school budgets to provide full-day kindergarten in low-performing schools.

The purpose of Schneider's bill is to bring Nevada's per-pupil funding up to the national average. He says there are about 404,400 public school pupils in Nevada for the next school year and more than 421,000 the year after that.

Estimates, he argues, show the state and local governments combined spend about $1,500 per pupil less than the most current national average spent on kindergarten through 12th grade in other states.

"Two years ago we were 45th in funding. This year we're 48th. We've got to stop the hemorrhaging."

The bill, referred to the Senate Finance Committee for study, would add $1.34 billion this biennium to the more than $3 billion already in Gov. Kenny Guinn's general fund budget for the schools.

That would increase per-pupil funding from an average of $4,431 in Guinn's budget to more than $5,900.

Schneider said he has no illusions the state can afford that much this budget cycle.

"But let's set a course. Let's put out a 10-year plan of how we can get there," he said.

The other measure, AB4, would require the state's Education Department to set up criteria for elementary schools to apply for full-day kindergarten funding.

Those criteria would include scores of pupils in the school on standardized tests and the results of assessments in compliance with Reading First grants under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

It too was referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

n Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.