More than 1,000 attend school funding meeting in Clark County

HENDERSON, Nev. -- A series of public meetings headed for a conclusion Wednesday with southern Nevada parents, teachers, counselors, school police and students pleading for state lawmakers to fund traditional school programs.

A Tuesday session brought more than 1,000 people to the Green Valley High School gym in Henderson, including Jessica Gobles, whose voice cracked as she said her son and daughter need special education programs to learn.

"We are shooting ourselves in the feet to cut these special programs," she said.

Autumn White, whose sixth-grade daughter is in a school orchestra, said she opposes "pay for play" options because it would mean "the disadvantaged just stay disadvantaged."

On the chopping block are busing, athletics, music, counseling, physical education, library programs, special education and school district police.

County School Superintendent Carlos Garcia has been asking attendees at the series of meetings to fill out questionnaires about programs that should be maintained, reduced or eliminated.

Options include reducing the school week from five six-hour days to four 7 1/2-hour days, "pay for play" music programs and sports, increasing lab fees, requiring deposits for textbooks, paying for school bus transportation and increasing summer school tuition.

The district, with 277 schools and 258,000 students, is the nation's sixth-largest. It plans to add 88 new schools by 2008. Garcia has said it faces a $220 million budget deficit over the next two years.

The district's $1.3 billion budget for 2002-03 already cut programs including middle school sports and cheerleading, and some bus routes.

Garcia focused Tuesday on debate in Carson City, where state lawmakers are considering Gov. Kenny Guinn's plan to increase taxes by about $1 billion over the next two years.

Unless the governor's proposal is adopted, Garcia said, the fast-growing Clark County district won't be able to pay new teachers needed to educate thousands of new students.

A final meeting was scheduled Wednesday evening at Chaparral High School in southeast Las Vegas.