Carson school superintendent: Legislature’s funding discussion ‘positive’

Carson City Superintendent Andrew Feuling for several years has been saying Nevada’s school funding is not adequate.

He again delivered that message March 25 during a joint meeting of the Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees. Feuling called the hearing a good exercise for representatives seeking to understand the significant struggles the state has in achieving educational funding adequacy.

The joint meeting called for information from the state’s 15 rural school district superintendents on funding recommendations for K-12 education. Clark and Washoe counties and charter schools were expected to make presentations on Friday.

School district leaders were asked how money could best be used for staffing or programmatic needs.

Feuling discussed Carson City’s demographics, use of federal relief funds, literacy support, staff vacancies, student priorities and other challenges.

For example, Feuling said the district has spent more on English language learners than any in the state with “great success” when asked about its 46% Hispanic student body.

Feuling told the Appeal the governor’s proposed $2 billion budget, the message that everyone would receive $2,000 per pupil in education funding and the districts’ request to explain what they would do with this funding ultimately results in varied expectations or outcomes for each of the superintendents.

“Everyone is getting impacted a little different,” Feuling said. “I think (the legislators) were surprised the money doesn’t go as far as expected. There’s a feeling that we’ve been talking about putting money into education for so long and trying to get to adequate funding, but it’s still far away from adequate funding.”

The Commission on School Funding says “adequate” funding for 2024 is $16,478 per student. Spencer Winward, Carson schools’ chief financial officer, reported state funding per pupil will be $9,233, even with the proposed increase.

“The money the governor is suggesting as a figure is fantastic, but it’s still not getting us to this adequacy idea, which goes back to these legislative studies that I’ve said,” Feuling said. “To have adequate education, you need this many teachers. But (the conversation’s) moving in the right direction, so that’s positive.”