Today Norhern Nevada lawmakers got a crash course on what Wahsoe County's School District is gong to make ends meet.
At their traditional breakfast before the session begins, administrators and legislators talked about what to expect in terms of financing and how that financing will translate into your child's classroom

District officials are considering not buying new textbooks to help cut costs in the district. But there were more proposals today that may have an even bigger impact on your child's education.

In these various classrooms at Mendive Middle School, subjects like science, history, reading, and math are taught.
Each has more than 35-students in the classroom. The school district is proposing to increase class sizes would be increased to save money.
For history teacher Darren Fleck, that creates a whole list of ramifications, none of them good.

" Even if we have to change our schedule next year somehow to spread the kids out even more, that could mean we looked at it last year and rescheduling lost 43 instructional minutes per week and that's a lot of class time."

That increase in class size caught the eye of assemblyman Bernie Anderson. He attended today's meeting at the Peppermill with the school district board of trustees and others to get a glimpse of what they are facing in terms of budget cuts and what he can do to minimize it. As a former school teacher, he knows what larger class sizes mean to education.

" Well 5 additional desks means you can't get to the backrow."

While Anderson and his colleagues listened intently to how the district has attempted to make an ever deteriorating budget balance. At least one senator told school district officials these are unique times, and called for them to develop some unique approaches to help save the school district. Senator Randolph Townsend says trustees and administrators and teachers need to get out an present the facts to businesses and others in the community who don't think highly of the school district.

" Too many people sitting around doing nothing. Teachers only work nine months out of the year. Standard stuff you hear. And yet I'm sure a lot of educators have some misconceptions about business."

School district officials may have to cut an additional 10- to 60-million dollars from their budget, that's quite a span. But they won't have a final number until law makers recess this June.