Carson City School District could be facing major budget cuts

Carson City, Nev. News 4 - Fox 11 — The Carson City School District could be facing budget cuts in the coming school year. Currently, the District says they have a $5.7 million deficit and they plan to bring that deficit down by $3 million next year.

The pressure comes from a lack of state funding, according to the District's Director of Fiscal Service, Andrew Feuling.

Feuling says that over the past eight years the state has given Nevada schools an average annual increase of 1.4% per pupil for funding.

Due to inflation and increasing costs to meet state standards for education, the District says they have been stretched thin.

CCSD's Superintendent Richard Stokes says,

After three reviews of public education funding in Nevada by a nationally-respected educational analysis firm over the last 13 years and the remaining challenges public schools face due to lack of funding, now is the time for the citizens of our state to become involved in the legislative process by asking their representatives to adequately fund education in Nevada.

According to Feuling, the District is avoiding any impacts on the classroom. At this time, Feuling says no teachers are planned to be laid off and no classrooms are expected to increase in students.

The District will be cutting costs in technology, renewing curriculum and potentially laying off support staff.

At this time, the budget proposed to force these cuts still has to pass through the lawmakers at Legislature.

Fueling says their final budget should be decided on no later than May 28th.