Report questions spending at Las Vegas, NM schools

Posted at: 11/18/2009 8:05 PM | Updated at: 11/19/2009 8:03 AM
By: Gadi Schwartz, Eyewitness News 4, and Kurt Christopher, KOB.com

State documents obtained by Eyewitness News 4 point to serious financial issues at the two school districts serving Las Vegas, New Mexico.

After education budgets escaped sizeable budget cuts last month, the state's legislative finance council is taking a closer look at some New Mexico school districts in order to determine how money is spent.

The official report, to be released Thursday, raises some serious questions about the two districts in Las Vegas.

The glaring money problem for Las Vegas City Schools is legal costs.  The district has faced a football hazing scandal at Robertson High School, a former Robertson teacher charged with raping a student, and just recently a Robertson coach fired for allegedly fighting West Las Vegas football players in a McDonald's restroom. 

Lawsuits are expected to cost the district more than $750,000.  Most of that money is covered by insurance, but according to the state report, insurance premiums for districts across the state could skyrocket because of those high legal fees and settlements from Robertson High.

Across town, the report finds the big problem with the West Las Vegas School District is money management.  The report shows the district has been using emergency funding from the state to give raises to employees.  The district also spent nearly $250,000 on a consultant who provided tips on how to keep energy costs down, something the state would do for free.

Plus, two West Las Vegas elementary schools about 1,500 feet from each other that qualify for extra state funding because of their small size, the report states.

The report also found both school districts in Las Vegas to be extremely top heavy when compared to districts of similar sizes, having about twice as many administrators per teacher than the state average.  In West Las Vegas, that works out to about one administrator for every 260 students, as opposed to the state average of one administrator per 660 students in districts of similar size.

Money management at the West Las Vegas School District is not a new concern.  The state Department of Education says it took control of the district's finance board several years ago, and it says it is likely to keep that control into the future.

"The Public Education Department has no intention of returning the board of finance to the West Las Vegas Public schools until it sees some consistency in business office," said department spokesman Don Moya on Wednesday.

The report also states that West Las Vegas had problems answering their phones and emails when the legislative finance council had questions.  When Eyewitness News 4 called and left messages Wednesday, no one responded either.

Las Vegas City Schools said it would wait until the report was made public Thursday to comment.

Print Story