In the final minutes of the legislative session, Governor Brian Sandoval signed the proposed budget for K-12 schools for the coming year.
The Washoe County School District is set to receive $5 million in appropriation funds to buy school buses, police vehicles and items related to information technology, while the Clark County School District will receive $17 million for a computer system.
The money must be spent in the coming school year. Washoe County School District said the money is less than half of what school officials have said is a $13 million deficit.
Due to the deficit, the northern school district has instituted a hiring freeze and has increased classroom sizes in grades 4 through 12. The Nevada Department of Education said it has explained to district administrators that slow growth, an increase in property taxes and the district’s own calculations are what caused the $13 million deficit.