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Published Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008 | 3:58 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008 | 4:01 p.m.
No state employee paying attention to the state's fiscal health was expecting a cost of living adjustment in the next two years. But now, Gov. Jim Gibbons said he plans to eliminate step increases for state workers and teachers.
The annual pay raises, which average 4.5 percent, have historically been left untouched.
Earlier in the day, Gibbons had said he plans to take pay raises off the table, including for teachers. In the last budget, state workers got 2 percent cost of living adjustment the first year and 4 percent the second.
"We fought hard to keep those in," he said.
Asked later if the governor planned to eliminate step increases this biennium, Gibbons spokesman Dan Burns said yes.
"A raise is a raise," he said.
Step, or merit, increases, happen over the first 10 years of a state worker's employment. The amount averages 4.5 percent, said Andrew Clinger, the governor's budget director.
The move would save about $160 million over a biennium, or $80 million from the general fund.
The state is facing a massive budget deficit for the 2010 and 2011 fiscal years, which the governor and legislators start working on in February.
4.5 percent has been well above inflation over the last decade. Not to mention these pay raises have nothing to do with how well these people work or how much work they do.
Sounds like this is an opportunity to switch over to merit pay completely.
Its got to be done. I would love to get a 4.5 percent raise. Been in Nevada a couple decades and never seen that.
More ineptitude by Gibbons. But who is surprised anymore?
He make a categorical statement in the a.m. and a few hours later, spins a 180 to take the opposite position.
2010 cannot come soon enough for this Nevadan.
I think the writer of the story is being coy and not giving the questions, the context of the questions nor does he fully quote either the gov or the gov's spokesman.
The Gov was talking the COLA raises which are temporary anyway.
The governor's spokesman is talking about step raises which occur every year for most state employees.
I think next year if the unions say no to reducing step raises then more state workers will be laid-off.
Clark county and city governments and unions are faced with the same question. Reduce step raises and/or COLA's or workers will get laid off. I think the police and fire unions will choose to layoff workers which will trigger the other unions to follow suit in the counties and cities.
I think that is crazy. I would choose to reduce step and COLA raises to make sure my fellow workers keep their jobs.
Especially since we have entered a period where there will be little or no inflation or even perhaps a period where the cost of living actually decreases.
In these times any job without a pay reduction is one to be thankful for.
Dedicate the annual merit pay raises (step increase raises) only for those that perform at an above average level and the state will save a fortune since most state workers actually only work about 2 hours a day. Anyone that has ever entered a Nevada DMV and dealt with one of those surly obiese clerks knows what I'm talking about.
What a bunch of greedy citizens.
How about lowering the sales tax, but adding food and possibly some other services into the mix.
Gold mines alone sold 5.5 billion dollars worth of the precious metal last year. They paid Nevada less than 50 million dollars. Do any of you get to pay less than 1 percent on your earnings? Sarah Palin would not stand for this insulting mine tax scenario.
I just "purchased" 4 years of driving with a Nevada Drivers' License renewal. I paid a whopping $19.00! Gee, I can't even buy a 5 pound roast at Raley's supermarket for this fee.
If Nevada won't value anything at current market rate, then I guess the state will and should just go broke! If they charge $75 a year to drive I would pay it. Doctors, Dentists, Lawyers, Mechanics, Plumbers and every other trade socks it to you for services. Why should the state give everything away? Teachers can find other places to work.
Please 2010. Come quickly.
That is good, let go after the teachers once again, because here in Nevada we have such a high level of education and very high standards. Let's further promote the dummying down theory that exists in this state by losing excellent teachers to other states that will reward them for their education and hard work.
I am always fascinated by the geniuses out there who spout out pay by merit or performance raises, perhaps you should attempt to map out how that would be discerned. Perhaps they should be rewarded to teach to a test, let's can critical thinking because that would be logical right? The herd mentality is brilliant when it comes to attacking; they offer opinions but no real solutions to the issues. Let's cut their step raises because ""Been in Nevada a couple decades and never seen that." Well perhaps you did not do anything to deserve a raise. While I realize that it is incumbent upon our elected official to balance budgets and cut pork, perhaps they could evaluate waste such as, a new City Hall building or money going to fund the Neon Museum just to name a few. Perhaps they could regulate the chronic waste that goes on at the administrative level in the CCSD. Perhaps they should look at a 4/10 work week to save money on transportation heating and electrical costs. All viable solutions to the problem, however, they would require work from our elected official and our esteemed Governor.
Why work to make the problem better when you can just cut teachers pay.
Shame on you, Nevada. Shame on you for touting a reputation as one of the meanest states in the nation to the homeless, for having some of the poorest or non-existent services to the mentally ill, being one of the worst in the nation in providing medical services to our children and paying the least per child in education.
You are right, you get what you pay for.
Jim Gibbons as Gov.
One can always see the true character of people in tough times.
Nevada definitely shows that.
Stingy, shortsighted and a total lack of creativity in problem solving.
A good education can take care of those deficits. Too bad you didn't plan ahead -look what keeping education at the bottom has done-given us Gibbons and the rest of the poorly educated running our state. I'm disgusted.
Lotsa folks attacking Jimmy on here .. but.. not many offering suggestions on how to make up the budget shortfall in these tough times.
I bet that the gov. would be receptive to any ideas that would treat the patient without killing him.
Unfortunately I am strong on sympathy for the effected employees but weak on cash to help them solve the problem.
It does not come as a shock that some of the teachers are up in arms about theer contract. But, if you read carefully Gibbons says that next year there will be no raises. Meaning the start of the physical year July 1 2009. It seems strange that your contracts run out on June 30. Oh, by the way to make it fair to all State employees I would give up my Longevity pay, as I do not receive Step increases any more. And again what are the rest of you willing to do?
The Gov can only recommend budgets.
It is the Democratic dominated Legislature that actuallys approves and passes the budget.
The Governor submits the budget and has veto power.
The Democrats do not have the votes to override a Gibbons veto.
Gibbons signs the budget into law.
Gibbons clearly has more power.
At what point will no one want to be a state employee/teacher in Nevada? Gibbons will show us.
To all that believe merit pay is the way to go, consider this:
Should a dentist's pay be based on merit pay? Can he make his patients go home and brush and floss correctly after every meal? Absolutely not!
Teachers face the same dilemma: we have no control over what the students do when they leave the classroom. We certainly cannot make them go home and do their homework or make them ask questions when they don't understand.
Todays parents are under the misconception that it is the SOLE respponsibility of the school to educate their children and they are wrong. The parents are responsible for ensuring their children receive a proper education and the State provides the service for free.
Until the parents start holding their children accountable for failing grades, we will likely never see a change. I see hundreds of students with failing grades with $100 Nike shoes, the latest fashion clothes, cell phones, IPODs, MP3 players, etc.
Parents are NOT teaching their children how to be responsible and yet the public is being misled into thinking we must have the worst teachers in America here in Nevada!?! Granted, have some teachers that should find employment elsewhere, however the major problem lies with the parents of our failing students.
Merit pay? I haven't heard of a fair way to implement it yet. Any suggestions?
The governor can not do any budgets cuts.
He can only recommend them.
Only the Democratic dominated legislature can approve of budget cuts of which they have been doing for the last year.
Yes a dentist gets merit pay.
If he sucks then his patients will go to other dentist and his practice with his salary will go down.
Public education is a government run monoply that holds a gun to its citizens' heads demanding tax money to support it.
It is nearly impossible to fire a government worker.
Some parents choose to opt out of that monoply and home school or fork out $1,000's to go to a church or private school.
"The governor can not do any budgets cuts. He can only recommend them. Only the Democratic dominated legislature can approve of budget cuts of which they have been doing for the last year."
Wrong, again.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/12530561.html
"The spending reductions are expected to generate nearly $284 million in savings. The remainder of the $440 million revenue shortfall will be made up by tapping the state's rainy day fund and making cuts in capital construction and other one-time expenditures. The plan doesn't require a special session of the Legislature."
Gibbons mandated cuts less than a year ago. Do you have that short of a memory that your forgot already?
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jan...
"Gibbons has made pronouncements about cuts, and then withdrawn them. He has made decisions without any counsel from legislators or their budget analysts, who know the fiscal picture better than anyone. And he has taken the state's strong executive powers to Bushian levels of authority -- and he is the worst kind of would-be dictator: an inept one."
And the best quote:
"The truth is that unless the state's reserves fall below $80 million, the governor, thanks to a state law passed after 1991 budget cuts, can act unilaterally."
In other words, you're wrong, again.
For those who want merit pay instead of step increases, what happens when many teachers do a great job, and there is no money to pay them?
Why don't we eliminate step pay increases with peace officers? Implement merit pay for police officers too!
Ksand99.....you must think that the legislature has no power and you are quoting old news.
He has some leeway to move money around up to a point but he has to sign-off from the Legislative council (dominated by Democrats) to actually perform any cuts. There are some things he can not do without approval in a special session.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/18252444.html
"State Controller Kim Wallin has refused to implement the cuts in her office, citing a legal opinion she received from Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto that states that they must first be approved by the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee"
"But other reductions can be approved by the IFC if necessary, which is made up of the seven members of the Senate Finance and 14 members of the Assembly Ways and Means committees. The IFC meets mostly in-between legislative sessions, primarily to make needed modifications to the budgets of the different state agencies.
Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, a member of the IFC, is one lawmaker who has argued the Legislature has a say on any budget cuts. "
Every single cut by Gibbons has been approved the Legislative council which is dominated by Democrats.
Each time there is special session the budget cuts have to be ratified by the whole legislative branch which is dominated by Democrats.
"For those who want merit pay instead of step increases, what happens when many teachers do a great job, and there is no money to pay them?
Why don't we eliminate step pay increases with peace officers? Implement merit pay for police officers too!"
You'd have a special fund set aside just like the do for other education related expenses. We'd also be firing bad teachers and that would free up funds to either hire new teachers or pay the good ones even more.
And yeah, why not pay police merit pay. Maybe they'd stop people from breaking into cars around here and help reduce crime.
A dentist already gets merit pay.
He gets paid for each customer he attracts. They only come to him because he provides a satisfactory service.
His pay is also dependent on other factors like how he can reduce costs in his office since he has to pay the insurance bill, electric bill, lease on the building, and the wages of his assistants and secretaries.
Teachers have no incentive at all and we are too reliant on their good nature - that simply isnt enough.
mwh710, sounds like you went to a private school then.
I make about as much as a starting teacher (and I used to be a teacher), I have 3 degrees and I'm paying my student loans and doing just fine.
First, teachers in this state make decent money. However, if you are young and a really good teacher you are getting screwed. There is some overpaid underworked not very effective teacher out there making twice as much as you for no good reason. That isn't fair.
On the other hand, you shouldn't go to an elite private school if your goal is to become a teacher. That's just bad planning. But I don't fully blame you, the government is partly at fault for offering you low interest subsidized loans and distorting your cost benefit analysis.
If you are a state worker then you can retire on a hefty percentage of your salary in 25 years.
I do not see many people retiring from private jobs at the age of 50 getting a hefty percentage of their salary.
Plus they get subidized private health insurance during retirement.
Plus they get all kinds of days off that private Joe/Jane does not get.
Plus there is very little pressure to perform and it is very hard to fire a government worker.
kdr...er, patrick...from NPRI; or nance... "ask the experts" time: does Gov Gibby
have the authority to unilaterally void a union contract, or portions of it? I believe step increases in the teachers contract are negotiated through collective bargaining. I assume there is a provision in state law?
Also, I'll remind you, there has to be reasonably good incentives offered to RECRUIT & RETAIN good personnel to CCSD. I'll say it again; you get what you pay for.
I OK with gmag.....I guess he will just have to layoff state workers instead of reducing raises.
K-12 teachers contracts are county contracts.
So if the counties want to layoff instead of reducing raises then that is their choice too.
If I was a state worker then I would prefer raise reductions instead of layoffs.
But, hey, if that is want the unions want then that is what they are going to get....layoffs.
I'm not talking about "making choices"... I'm talking legally here. Step increases are in the negotiated union contract. Jeez nance, what would you rather have; a bunch of first-year teachers making the minimum because that is all you can afford, or would you rather do without one of your cheeseburgers from mcdonalds to help educate the future of our country properly, by INVESTING IN IT.
You guys are living in LaLa land.
The economy is going to force the state to make more cuts next year.
The gov is proposing to cut raises to save government jobs.
The alternative is layoffs.
The Democratic dominated legislature will go along with the gov with that as it has done so far.
There will be some tax increases like on mining but that will not raise that much money.
I guess unions are going to put their foot down.
Expect layoffs................
Anyone in the private sector expecting a raise this year? How about all you construction workers? Did I hear a peep out of all you casino employees? How are those tips going for you?
C'mon, be serious about this. Nobody in the state are looking at raises, why would government employees expect what nobody else is getting? Be happy you have a job/retirement/benefits etc.
Ivice: Last time I checked, construction workers, and casino workers do not have B.A. or Master degrees. We work hard to keep current on our education and seminars to be better teachers. How many casino workers do that each year? We are professionals and we deserve our step increases. Many teachers are leaving Nevada because the pay is just not enough for us to live here and survive. Why should we be happy with retirement/ benefits etc anymore than other professionals? I just hope that they give us our raises or Nevada will some great teachers to other states that are willing to pay us and treat us like the professionals we are in this state. I hope the unions do put their foot down, that is why we pay them to watch our backs. People are just ever-so eager to screw teachers over and that is a big mistake. The students will suffer with subs in their classrooms. Most sub are not trained, nor do they have the knowledge or education to properly teach students. They are just glorified babysitters. If this is what parents want for their children they so be it, but don't complain when they have a sub-standard education. We work hard for the money and we deserve our raises.
lvice, Where is the profit sharing for teachers during good times? Do you live on forty thousand a year in Las Vegas - with college loans to pay off, and courses you have to continue taking? Already there's a chronic inability to fill teaching positions. I suggest, ice, that if you're laid off, you come teach.
By the way, maybe you can explain why many other government workers are paid better than teachers?
But everyone in Congress gets their automatic cost of living COLA raise. Guess prices only go up for those people huh? For the rest of us peons do prices NOT rise as well? Government, politicians in general really stink to high heaven - when will the people finally get a fair shake?
jffduncan - you are absolutely correct. I see, daily, the way girls go to school dressed like sluts and boys looking like thugs and gang-bangers and that's all I need to see to know exactly the type of parents you would have to deal with should you, heaven forbid, reprimand their 'precious babies'. I wholeheartedly agree that it's much more the fault of the parent than the teacher when it comes to kids who aren't 'achieving'. You can lead a horse to water.... same holds true for these kids. I honestly don't know how teachers can even put up with this nonsense - my sharp tongue would put me right out of a job LOL.....
"I see, daily, the way girls go to school dressed like sluts and boys looking like thugs and gang-bangers and that's all I need to see to know exactly the type of parents you would have to deal with should you, heaven forbid, reprimand their 'precious babies'. I wholeheartedly agree that it's much more the fault of the parent than the teacher when it comes to kids who aren't 'achieving'. You can lead a horse to water.... same holds true for these kids."
"I honestly don't know how teachers can even put up with this nonsense"
We put up with it because administrators are afraid to cross students and their parents. You have to understand that parents only become "concerned" parents in their child's second semester of their senior year. Parents figure that since their "Precious Little One" spent 3.5 years in high school, they should graduate. They don't want to hear that their "adorable child" only earned 6 credits in 4 years. The teacher must be the culprit when it comes to this state of affairs.
To get rid of the slut-like and gangster clothing, a uniform dress code should be enforced at every high school in this county. A student who doesn't wish to dress in this style should be shown the door.