A resolution is being circulated among all 17 of Nevada's school districts asking the state to provide more funding for K-12 education; that resolution was signed by Humboldt County school board members at last Tuesday's meeting.
The resolution is a unified approach to legislators in regard to public education funding, according to Superintendent Dr. Dave Jensen.
"We need to have a consistent message we send to legislators," he said. "The base funding is inadequate and we are near the bottom when it comes to education funding."
Jensen said the resolution asks the state to raise the base level of support up to the national average, because as it stands now the state is at the bottom of the national average.
The resolution also asks that a "rainy day fund" be established. Jensen said that when local revenues increase, the district has to send a check back to the state as a form of truing-up. That money, which was originally intended for education funding, is then put back into the state's general fund and distributed from there.
Through the resolution, the districts are asking that the true-up funds be placed in a separate fund that can be used for education when local economies experience a downturn.
"We are encouraging legislators to take a closer look," Jensen said. "We've got to do better in the state of Nevada than we are doing now."
Jensen said the districts are in agreement that they need to be held accountable for student success, but they need better access to resources and more assistance to make that happen.
The timing for the resolution is important, according to Jensen, because committees are forming and gearing up for the 2015 legislative session. He said the districts want the document in the hands of legislators prior to the start of the session so they have time to look over and discuss it.
"It's important to get that out now before legislators return and convene so they can consider it now," he said.
Jensen said 16 out of 17 districts are definitely on board with signing the resolution. There is a slight hiccup with the wording for one district, but he is hopeful that those board members will work out the problem and sign on.
Contact Jessica Powell at j.powell@winnemuccapublishing.net.
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