Editorial: Fairness in school funding

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 1998 | 11:42 a.m.

The dollars are staggering. A state panel estimated Monday that $810 million is required to repair public schools in Nevada. The Sun's Benjamin Grove reported Tuesday that an interim legislative committee studying school maintenance may recommend that for the first time state funds be used for maintenance and new construction of schools.

The need is genuine. Some school district officials argue that even when bond issues pass they can't keep pace with the explosive growth Nevada has experienced. In addition, the Nevada Legislature routinely passes mandates to local schools without providing funding from the state to pay for the programs. One of the prime examples is class-size reduction, a worthy program to give students a better learning environment. The problem is that while the Legislature mandates more classrooms to teach students, it doesn't provide the funding to pay for building new classrooms.

"They (lawmakers) can no longer view providing only instructional dollars without providing students with a safe, warm, comfortable environment in which to learn," Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, who is also a special education teacher, said. "It is a state responsibility."

But before lawmakers become too enamored sending money to the local school districts they need to be careful about the message it sends about fairness. While the estimate of $810 million includes Clark County, it doesn't take into consideration the fact that Clark County residents this month passed a bond measure that will provide $3.5 billion in improvements over the next 10 years. Although Clark County residents are willing to step up to the plate, some voters in other parts of Nevada balk at passing bond issues to pay for basic school improvements; Storey County voters refused to pay for something as basic as new boilers.

So should Clark County residents be hit twice for doing the right thing while residents elsewhere in the state get a free ride? And if the Legislature decides to provide some level of funding, will it reimburse counties that have already made substantial contributions on their own?

Nevada should do a better job of providing funding for education. And a hallmark of fairness in educational funding is equity, reasonably making sure that all students in Nevada can expect the same type of education, whether they live in a wealthy or poor area. Any funding formula should take into account whether schools are in economically depressed counties.

But in order to build public support for the state funding of maintenance and the building of new schools, the 1999 Legislature should make sure that the reckless behavior by some counties to shoot down responsible bond issues isn't rewarded with more funding. To do otherwise only would serve to antagonize Clark County voters who have been doing their fair share in passing bond issues.