The Clark County School Board of Trustees turned its attention to furlough days Thursday night as a means to ward off a third round of budget cuts that would overwhelmingly affect support staff.

Trustees voted unanimously to direct school district staff to negotiate up to two furlough days for all employee groups, including administrators, teachers, police and support staff. In the same vote, the governing body also approved eliminating three administrative-level positions and 27 unfilled positions as well as reducing some operating expenses.

The move puts pressure on the unions to either approve the furlough days or leave the district in a position of making cuts beyond the up to $4.1 million proposed Thursday.

Why: The district loses money with each day it doesn’t rectify its budget woes.

Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky said he would ask at-will employees, who, like himself, don’t belong to unions, if they would accept furlough days, too.

“I’m more than willing to do that and would ask my staff if they would be willing to do that as well,” he said.

The unified board action — a rarity since the deficit was announced in July — capped an end to a six-hour meeting filled with impassioned pleas from both staff and students to avoid more budget cuts.

Andrew Calhoun, a construction supervisor with the district, implored board members to hold off making a decision that would result in vital, and sometimes overlooked, employees losing their jobs. Instead, he called for furlough days.

“Find out for yourself what it is we do as an employee for you when we’re wearing these shirts,” he said, tugging at his khaki-colored work shirt. “I don’t think you guys really know exactly what our job entails.”

The proposal before trustees Thursday would have cut as much as $4.1 million from the district’s budget, largely by eliminating support staff positions. The facility and operations department alone would have lost 40 part-time custodians.

If the trustees had approved the plan, the district could have reached a savings of up to $61.3 million, including previously authorized cuts. The board gave the green light to cuts worth $43.2 million on Aug. 28 and $13.9 million on Sept. 14.

“Support professionals should not be asked to absorb almost the entire burden,” said Virginia MIlls, president of the Education Support Employees Association. “Support professionals are the lowest paid and most at-risk of all CCSD employees, and most of them are minorities.”

The testimony apparently struck a chord with Trustee Linda Young. She voted for the first two rounds of budget cuts but said she couldn’t justify approving the ones proposed Thursday night, which she called “unfair.”

“I’m not going to vote for this,” she said. “I’m just going to tell you straight up.”

The audience broke out in applause.

“This doesn’t merit a clap,” she said. “It’s too heart-wrenching.”

Trustee Carolyn Edwards eventually made the motion that could spare some jobs if the furlough days become a reality. District officials estimate that one furlough day for all employees could save roughly $8 million.

Skorkowsky said he would contact the unions Friday to begin discussions about the furlough days. It’s unclear how soon the district could have an answer.

The board on Thursday also broached the long-awaited conversation about pursuing a forensic audit — as some trustees and unions have called for in the wake of the district’s estimated $60 million budget shortfall.

Trustee Lola Brooks, who seldom speaks during meetings, asked Trustee Kevin Child for a definition of what he means by a “forensic audit.” He mostly skirted the question, instead describing it as “an opportunity to be open, honest and very, very transparent.”

His answer didn’t sit well with Brooks, who took a hard stance against the idea. Among her reasons: the potential large bill for undertaking a so-called forensic audit.

“If you want me to support something that costs that much money, you have to tell me where the money is coming from because most likely it’s coming from jobs, it’s coming from classrooms, it’s coming from support staff,” she said. “With as much pushback as we have in the community about budget cuts and being fiscally responsible, I don’t think that’s a fiscally responsible decision.”

The board ultimately decided to first pursue an examination of the district’s internal financial controls. More details about what that may involve will be brought back to a future meeting.

The Clark County School District isn't the only system  in the state grappling with budget problems. Earlier this week. The Reno Gazette-Journal reported that the Washoe County School District may be facing a $22 million to $28 million deficit for the 2018-2019 academic year.