Miller, Raggio unveil school-reform package

Thursday, June 26, 1997 | 11:48 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, says the Legislature this session has "done something to make a difference in education."

His comment came after he and Gov. Bob Miller Wednesday announced an educational reform package to boost the achievement levels of students, make schools toe the line and pump $27.5 million into computer purchases for the classroom.

The governor called it the "most comprehensive education improvement plan in Nevada history."

Miller and Raggio negotiated the improvement program behind closed doors during the past few weeks. It was introduced in the Senate Wednesday, where it is expected to pass without opposition before moving to the Assembly.

At a joint news conference in front of the Capitol, Raggio ticked off the problems in Nevada education: Nevada fourth graders ranked 31st among 41 states in math tests; the high school dropout rate was the highest in the nation; Nevada is 41st among the states in the number of 18-24-year-olds who completed high school, and nearly half of all the high school graduates who go to the University and Community College System of Nevada need to take remedial courses such as "bonehead English."

The Miller-Raggio package calls for a nine member council to develop by September 1998 performance standards in math, science and English and by September 1999 for social studies, computer education, the arts and health/physical education.

The nine-member council to establish academic standards would include the president of the state Board of Education and the other eight members appointed jointly by the governor and the Legislature.

The Board of Education would approve the new higher standards for students in English, math and science by January 1999 and the rest of the standards by January 2000.

The public schools would be evaluated on test scores, graduates, alcohol and drug use and the average daily attendance of students. Schools would be rated high achievement, adequate achievement and inadequate achievement.

Those who fall below the standards would have to develop an improvement plan for the first year. The second year they would be placed on academic probation and the state Department of Education would draft an improvement plan.

If there wasn't any improvement by the third year, a receiver could be appointed to guide the school.

Raggio called this a "hardball procedure to elevate the standards and the accountability" of schools. It's not uncommon for the state to get involved in local school issues, he said.

Twenty-two other states allow the state to intervene in local schools that don't measure up to standards. He said the Nevada Legislature got involved in the "financial bankruptcy" of the White Pine School District and it should be allowed to intervene when there is "educational bankruptcy " in a public school.

Miller and Raggio pointed out there is $3 million in the budget for remediation plans for students who are not progressing.

"I want to make sure we do not keep promoting kids who can't deal with fourth and fifth and higher grades," Raggio said. "If they can't read, they will be the dropouts of the future. This is a big step and I have a lot of high hopes."

So does Clark County School District Superintendent Brian Cram.

Although Cram pointed out the district adopted about 1 1/2 years ago a similar three-point accountability plan, he said the educational reform package is a step in the right direction.

"If the intent is first to increase standards and second to increase performance, that's something I don't have a problem with," Cram said. "Overall, they're looking at the right areas."

The plan sets aside not only the $27.5 million for grants to schools for purchasing and installing hardware, software and electrical wiring for computer laboratories. There is also $8.6 million for training of teachers and maintenance. Miller proposed spending $35 million for computer purchases and Raggio countered with $20 million. They reached a mid-ground.

The money allocated for technology training for teachers isn't an ideal amount, Cram said, but it's a start.

"If this was a perfect world, I would like to see an increasing amount of money in inservice funds, but I feel good that in fact both the Legislature and the governor are trying to help us," Cram said.

There would be an 11-member Education Technology Commission, seven of whom would be appointed by the governor and four by the Legislature. This commission would develop a statewide technology plan and determine how the money is distributed based on the applications from local districts.

Miller also said the plan calls for $9 million to reduce the third-grade classes to a 19-1 student-teacher ratio. There is money also for teacher training in team-taught class-size reduction programs.

Miller started the class-size reduction program in the primary grades. Grades one and two are now at a 16-1 ratio.

"This legislation completes one of the top priorities of my term in office: offering the best learning environment by reducing class sizes," the governor said.