UPDATE JULY 30: Time is up for principals to cut education spending in their schools by $17 million. Superintendent Dr. Jesus Jara's deadline to turn in a balanced budget was set for July 30, and just in time as school starts in two weeks.
The budgets will take time for the district to process. The dean's union Executive Director Stephen Augspuger says dean positions could still be eliminated by principals. The teacher's union is still threatening a strike. CCEA President John Vellardita says if any of the prinicpals' cuts affect teacher positions, class sizes, or class resources -- they will call a district-wide strike at the beginning of the year.
ORIGINAL STORY
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) -- 170 Clark County School District deans will get to keep their jobs. Superintendent Jesus Jara made the surprising announcement on Wednesday afternoon that all 170 dean jobs will be reinstated for the upcoming school year.
The decision comes after months of back and forth between the school district and deans whose jobs were on the chopping block.
During the announcement, Jara said the decision to reinstate the deans was based on a series of round-table discussions with teachers, support professionals, and principals.
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While deans will return to the position and location they were assigned to prior to the decision to eliminate the position, it now appears they're not the only ones who will get to keep their jobs.
"We will not be making any cuts to classroom teachers. We will not be making cuts to support professionals or increased class size," said Jara.
The Clark County School District is still about $17 million dollars over budget, which is why officials have come up with a new plan to balance the budget. It involves passing the budget burden onto secondary schools throughout Clark County and the principals who lead them.
"The decision was best left to our principals, along with our school organizational teams. Based on the number of students enrolled, an approximate $98 per pupil will be lost in our middle schools and our high schools," Jara continued.
13 Action News asked Jara and other district officials how principals are supposed to cut costs at high schools and middle schools by about $98 per student. No one could provide specifics, but officials said they would work with principals to advise them on their options.
"Starting tomorrow, we will work with principals to get the [dean] positions back in and balance any other positions they changed," said Jara.
District officials say they've set Tuesday as an internal deadline for principals at individual middle and high schools to cut costs and balance their budget.
There's no word yet on whether the union representing the deans plans to continue pursuing its lawsuit against the Clark County School District over an alleged violation of an open meeting law.
