Nevada schools receive nearly $6.1 million for class-size reduction

Carson Country school districts will receive a portion of $6 million during the next year to help with class-size reduction.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said school districts statewide will receive $6,094,045 during fiscal year 2000 - money that will help ease overcrowding in classrooms.

Part of the money, however, will be earmarked for training teachers to upgrade their certifications, said Reid spokesman David Cherry.

Carson school district will receive $142,792; Douglas will get $98,728; Lyon is earmarked for $114,202; Storey is to receive $4,174 and Churchill will get $82,226.

''Smaller classes taught by well-trained teachers produce better students and better schools,'' Reid said. ''The Clark County School District has nearly doubled in size over the past 10 years and we need every dollar that we can find to train and hire more teachers.

''This federal funding will build upon the success that Nevada has had at the state level in lowering class sizes in the first three grades. The upper grades need assistance to achieve a smaller teacher-to-student ratio as well.''

A 17.6 percent increase in public and private kindergarten through 12th-grade enrollment is expected in Nevada during the next 10 years.

The nearly $6.1 million represents Nevada's share of $1.3 billion in funding aimed at hiring 100,000 new teachers nationwide. This is the second installment of federal money. Last year, Nevada received $5.6 million.

The Clark County School District will receive $4.2 million.

If all of that money were to go just toward hiring new teachers, the district would be able to add 87 new teachers - $48,276 per teacher per year including benefits - to its 12,770-member teaching staff, said George Ann Rice, assistant superintendent of human resources for the district.

''We will not be able to determine how many new teachers we will be able to hire until we look at (the funding) parameters,'' Rice said. ''But we are happy about anything we can get.''

Washoe County received $974,899 of the federal funding, followed by Elko County with $148,493.