CCSD parent company says cuts to vulnerable funding could have been avoided

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Last year, Shanna Haynie was part of the organizing team at Liliam Lujan Hickey Elementary School, also known as SOT.

She has two children in elementary school and said she wanted to be more involved in their education and learn how it works.

““It was a good way to find out how things were going,” Haynie said.

SOTs include parents, teachers, support staff, community members, and high school students.

The SOT can participate in the selection of a new school principal and vote for the adoption of the school operating plan (strategic budget and school performance plan).

When their SOT group met on Sept. 25, they were concerned about how the current CCSD budget situation would impact their school budget.

Although they were willing to have a conversation about taking on the deficit, they were surprised when the principal informed them of another major budget issue, a decline in their venture funding.

Risk funding is additional money that schools across the Valley receive from the state for students who are considered English learners, special education students or children who simply need extra help meeting academic standards.

The exact amount each school receives varies from school to school.

At-risk financing does not contribute to the potential budget deficit of approximately $20 million that CCSD faces.

The total decline in at-risk funds at Hickey Elementary is more than $200,000, according to Haynie.

She said they would have to cover the shortfall with money from their carryover funds – or savings account – to ensure services for their children would not be affected.

“I am so frustrated that these issues are not being communicated to us in a timely manner. We could have used these funds for something else to help our students,” Haynie said. “Our funding specifically was reduced by $200,000, which is a huge achievement. And our school population has not declined as predicted. “It's actually increased a little bit, but a school right near us, the high school, their student body has dropped by at least 200, and yet funding has increased.”

“We wondered if the cuts to our funding for at-risk individuals and English language learners were a state issue or another budget issue caused by former CCSD Chief Financial Officer Jason Goudie,” said Jessica Jones, SOT chair at Hickey Elementary.

In a letter to the State Board of Education addressing CCSD's budget problems, Interim Superintendent Brenda Larsen-Mitchell acknowledged there were inaccuracies in the measurement used to calculate at-risk funding.

“On or before January 15, 2024, pursuant to NRS 388G.680(1), the District prepared the required estimate based on the information available at that time. However, it was determined that the data for which the students were found to be eligible “Free and reduced lunch eligibility was developed for the at-risk funding instead of the GRAD score. This inaccuracy has been corrected for the fall budgets and the district has updated this information on openbook.ccsd.net,” Larsen-Mithcell said.

The GRAD score is a measure the state uses to determine which students are most likely to drop out.

“We will receive our budget in September. Don't you think you made a mistake in February or March?” said Haynie.

Haynie still wants to know how and why the wrong measurement was used to determine at-risk financing.

She and other SOT members sent a letter to the Nevada Department of Education demanding answers.

The department said it is reviewing the district's statement of budget crisis and will respond accordingly.

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