Cyndi Loza

The joint meeting, between Sparks and Reno city councils, Washoe County School District and the Washoe County commissioners, is planned for 8:30 a.m. Monday in the Washoe County Commission chambers at 1001 E. Ninth St., Building A in Reno.

In December, Gov. Jim Gibbons ordered a 4.5 percent statewide cut that reduced funding to school districts by $95 million over the next two years. In May, Gibbons asked agencies and school districts to present “what-if” budgets with 14 percent cuts to operating costs for the 2009-11 school years.

In June, a special Legislative session was held where school districts were directed to cut an additional 3.3 percent in addition to statewide textbook cuts for the 2008-09 school year.

Students are not likely to notice any cuts to education this year, but “the effect will be really in what they don’t see,” Superintendent Paul Dugan said.

To adhere to the cuts, the district postponed items such as adoption of new K-5 science textbooks and expansion of full-day kindergarten.

However, students might notice the budget crunch more with the 14 percent cuts to operating costs, Dugan said.

Dugan said an increase in class sizes and continued cuts in textbooks are some possibilities, if those cuts were to occur.

“Obviously, everyone’s hoping that we won’t have to implement those cuts, because it certainly will be devastating to education in this state,” Dugan said.