LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — In the last scheduled meeting of the year for the Clark County School District, the focus is said to be returning to the kids in the school system.
Supt. Dr. Jesus Jara is back, and the district tried to close out the year on a more positive note.
Thursday’s board meeting was tame, which is a positive indicator for kids in the district. It ended just after 8:30 p.m., a far cry from recent meetings adjourning past midnight.
Next year's budget was discussed in the latter part of the meeting. The district is about $100 million under-funded when it comes to maintenance staff, though there are no proposed cuts to schools.
The board of trustees approved the amended final budget, which includes total expenditures of about $2.9 billion and an ending fund balance of $250.3 million. The district says about 82% of the general operating fund dollars are spent on employee salaries and benefits.
“We need to re-center our focus on students and education specifically,” said Sam Hwang, a junior at W. Clark High School.
After being let go in October and re-instated in November, Superintendent Jara was in attendance. And the board was void of any apparent dissension.
“School goes on, no matter whether these things occur or not,” he said. “And I think it’s vital that we take a deeper look at what’s happening in our schools.”
Some progress was made with the approval of a transfer of responsibilities (6-1) giving principals of rural schools the responsibility to maintain their own school grounds instead of waiting for crews from Las Vegas.
“We have the ability to work hard, and if we set aside our differences, everything is possible,” Hwang said.
