About 50 people crammed into the Bob Ruud Community Center Tuesday morning to support a request by the Nye County School District for $1.8 million in the Educational Endowment Fund.

But they learned a hard lesson in Nye County Civics 101: commissioners voted 3-2 not to bend the ordinance which allows the school district to touch only the interest on the $10 million fund created by the payment equal to taxes from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Commissioner Fely Quitevis, who spoke early on in the discussion about a loan, voted against the motion. So did Commissioner Gary Hollis, who didn't contribute to the discussion.

The school district wanted $773,885 for new textbooks required by law and $339,324 for instructional software. That's compared to a budget of $61 million in expenditures with only $56 million in revenues.

Superintendent Rob Roberts suggested if not a grant, the county commission could approve a capital loan.

"I'm trying to get the benefit from that fund for the students of Nye County," Roberts said. "If we leave them behind and we leave a bank account of $10 million, what are we saving it for?"

The school board has received over $300,000 annually from the interest. But Paul Willis, who opposed the request amid boos, noted the last two years the school district had to use interest in the fund to repay an erroneous $1.2 million tax distribution from the county to the schools.

Commissioner Lorinda Wichman said it's time for the school board to come up with innovative solutions.

Commissioner Butch Borasky wanted to know if the school district would have to ask for the same thing next year. Roberts said that could happen, but he was optimistic at improving economic statistics, like a 17 percent increase in housing sales nationwide as was reported Tuesday morning.

Commissioner Joni Eastley inquired about reports the state provided a 2 percent increase in funding for education. Roberts said the school district is getting $29 less from the state per student, $176,000 less in state aid, which is a small part of a $4 million drop in revenue, due largely to a drop in sales tax, property tax and other revenues.

Eastley said state Assembly Bill 429 allows the school district to seek waivers on buying books. Roberts said the school district may not have an answer on that request until next winter. He conceded he'd have to send a letter or e-mail to state officials listing all the laid-off school employees.

At times it sounded more like a school board meeting on education needs.

School board member "Doc" McNeely said the board already made significant cuts in areas like transportation.

Jerry Hill, assistant superintendent for student achievement, said the district has improved a lot since he came to Nye County 13 years ago from new York.

"We were looking at test scores and we were looking at elementary test scores, in particular at the gains students had made. It was very impressive, double-digit gains throughout the years," Hill said.

Mary Berg said she paid over $2,000 to send her daughter to the Sylvan Learning Center in Las Vegas to improve her education.

"I don't want to see her go to middle school and sit in with 35 to 40 children in a classroom," Berg said. "She just finished fifth grade. There were close to 30 children in that room and this was before budget cuts."

"When we put 30 and 35 children into a classroom and say to one teacher, work miracles, turn them all into doctors and lawyers and future teachers, we're giving them an impossible task," she said.

Jennifer Hagen, a teacher who was laid off, said the on-line Renaissance Program that would be funded by the county aid, was a huge success. Teacher Sandra Williams added that the program allowed a child in her second-grade class reading at the four-month level in kindgarten, or a 0.4 level, to upgrade to a 1.4 level, while a bright student reading at a 3.8 grade level upgraded to a 7.2 level.

Pamela Mason was concerned over reports elementary grade levels could be combined next year.

But Janet Rogers from Beatty said schools in her community and Amargosa Valley have had to endure 27 students per class and a melding of different grade levels in one class for some time.

"When it came time to get those teachers replaced, I'm sure we would get good teachers," Rogers said.

Judy Lister, a second-grade teacher and treasurer of the Nye County Teachers Association, said, "It was extremely unpleasant to have people sit across the table from me and say you won't have a job next year."

"Once someone leaves this community, especially a teacher, they probably won't come back, and the more people leave who are gainfully employed, the lower the tax base will be, the lower the economy will be. They also will be taking their children with them, and in many cases they have a lot of children in our schools," Lister said.

But Borasky said the county ordinance didn't allow them to touch the principal in the Educational Endowment Fund.

"Those funds were put into place for future generations," he said. "They're there for the interest only, and once we breach them, you can kiss them all goobye."

Wichman said, "My dad told me at an early age you cannot borrow your way out of debt. The money that is in the endowment fund is to offer opportunities to those seeking education to those who would not normally have it through the school system."