Nevada higher ed funding formula under microscope

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) -- Nevada lawmakers are drilling into the details of a new funding formula for higher education will send more money to campuses in southern Nevada at the expense of the northern and rural areas.

Gov. Brian Sandoval has proposed $472 million a year for the Nevada System of Higher Education, the same as existing spending levels. But how that money is divvied up is creating angst among institutions that will lose money, especially community colleges.

Under the plan approved by the Board of Regents, funding will weighted and based on how many class credits students complete instead of on enrollment. For University of Nevada, Reno and community colleges in northern Nevada, the shift will mean a loss of around $13 million that will go to schools in southern Nevada.