Enrollment decline and improved employee retention will cause the Clark County School District to reduce its budget by $51.6 million this fall, the district said Friday.
Schools will face $29.1 million in budget cuts, while the district’s central office will reduce its budget by $22.5 million through a 2.5 percent across-the-board cut, according to a school district fact sheet. Principals must submit their school budgets to the district by Friday.
The district said an enrollment drop of more than 10,400 students between last school year and this year as one of the primary causes of budget reductions this fall. The district had 291,587 students last school year, according to Nevada Department of Education data.
Since enrollment dictates some state funding for schools, the loss of students translates to more than $100 million in reductions to the district’s budget, the fact sheet said.
This year’s enrollment decline, which was larger than the district had projected, is being propelled by fewer kindergarten and first grade enrollments as a result of lower birth rates and increased competition caused by more school choice, the district said.
Increased employee retention rates are also creating higher-than-usual employee costs, the district said.
Long-tenured teachers are eligible for greater pay under the teachers union contract, and the district hired 67 percent fewer first-year teachers ahead of this school year. These factors, the district said, have led to a higher overall average teacher salary.
Still, the district said it anticipates having to make more staffing reductions this fall due to serving fewer students. It said there are about 160 open licensed teaching positions, but it did not note how many it could fill.
The Clark County School Board in May approved a $3.8 billion district budget through June 2027 based on forecast enrollment and employee counts.
To make budgets more predictable, the district said it will ask the 2027 Nevada Legislature to allow using prior-year enrollment numbers to create fall budgets.
“This approach would significantly reduce disruptions for students, teachers, and schools by providing greater budget stability and avoiding significant adjustments after the school year has already begun,” the district said in an email.
Contact Spencer Levering at slevering@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253.
