LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — We're now getting a better picture of the budget deficit facing the Clark County School District.
In its response to questions from the Nevada Department of Education on Thursday, the district estimated its current budget is $20 million short.
For weeks, Channel 13 has reported on the budget issues the district is facing in an effort to seek accountability from district leaders.
The issue has left some schools scrambling to make new budgets after they learned they won't be getting as much money as they initially thought. In the process, the district's chief financial officer was fired.
Thursday was CCSD's deadline to respond to questions from the Nevada Department of Education about its current budget crisis.
Last week, the department sent a letter to CCSD officials asking if any budget calculations during the previous and current school years were inaccurate.
In its response to those questions, CCSD said its required budget estimates were made on or before Jan. 15, "based on information available at the time."
But some of those calculations were wrong, according to the district's responses, when it came to calculations for employee salaries and how it calculated At-Risk student funding.
You can read CCSD's response letter here:
Budget Shortfall Response_10.03.24 by aroberts.news on Scribd
CCSD has blamed its budget issues on student enrollment changes, salary increases, cyber security expenses and litigation.
Cyber security expenses and litigation costs were not mentioned in its response to the state. The district hasn't responded to our questions about how much it spent on litigation or cyber security-related incidents.
As we've reported, some schools have already been asked to lay off staff or implement other cost-cutting measures like no longer printing out students' homework.
Watch: Justin Hinton breaks down how issues with CCSD's budget are being addressed:
What comes next?
During Wednesday night's meeting, the state school board discussed the type of action the Department of Education may be allowed to take against CCSD.
We learned the state superintendent has two tools at her disposal to hold the district accountable:
- First, she could file a notice of non-compliance basically explaining what the district did wrong. CCSD would have to submit a plan for how to resolve it and then make the necessary fixes within a given time frame.
- The superintendent could also appoint a compliance monitor who would essentially view all of CCSD's data and sit in on decisions.
If CCSD fails to follow through with the plan, the state board could file a lawsuit against the district and force it to comply.
The issues with CCSD's budget have also caught the attention of Gov. Joe Lombardo.
"We are concerned with reports that CCSD's current budget issues will potentially result in the release or elimination or teachers and other staff positions," Lombardo wrote in a letter addressing the issue. "Given last session's unprecedented increase in funding education, such a scenario would be unacceptable."
Lombardo has asked the state legislature to audit the district's budget to determine how the deficit happened and what could be done to avoid a similar scenario in the future.
Find more of Channel 13's continuing coverage here:
