Confusion is the Plan
The ‘Nevada Plan' fosters confusion about per-pupil spending
By Geoffrey Lawrence
How much do Nevada taxpayers spend to educate every child in the state's K-12 education system?
The question is straightforward and objective. Yet the answers to it vary greatly, depending upon the speaker.
School administrators, politicians, union bosses and federal and state bureaucrats all answer this question differently — while looking at the same figures. All of their answers also differ from what might be expected from a private-sector accountant or entrepreneur.
The chief culprit in this confusion is the complexity of the Silver State's school finance mechanism. The "Nevada Plan," as it's called, requires state lawmakers to determine what will be the "basic support per pupil" amount that will be guaranteed to school districts each year. This "basic support per pupil" amount — which will rise to $5,263 in the 2011-12 school year — is often cited by tax-increase advocates who complain that Silver State schools are drastically underfunded compared to other states.
"Basic support," however, should not be confused with "total support."
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