State schools chief says gov’s budget stymies education reforms

Wednesday, Feb. 17, 1999 | 10:38 a.m.

Guinn's budget has no money for teacher training or for test development to see if students are performing up to new math, science and English standards, Peterson told lawmakers Tuesday.

There's not enough money in the Department of Education budget to even administer the high school proficiency test, a tougher exam Nevada students must pass to get a high school diploma, she added.

And, because of some confusion, there's no money in the budget to pay for meetings of the Council to Establish Academic Standards, Peterson said.

That panel that must still develop tougher standards in social studies, computer education, health, physical education and the arts by Sept. 1.

The Department of Education budget was reviewed by a joint Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance subcommittee.

"It is imperative that we move forward at some pace, maybe a slower pace, with the development of criterion-reference tests," Peterson told lawmakers. "It is also imperative that we provide some kind of professional development to teachers so they know what the standards are and they have the strategies to teach to those standards."

There was money in this year's budget to develop the tests to measure if students are achieving the new, tougher math, English and science standards that will be in the classrooms beginning this fall, but the funds had to be returned because of the budget difficulties, she said.

Peterson also told lawmakers there is no way that the high school proficiency exam can be administered in the 1999-2000 school year on the $150,000 authorized by Guinn.

Almost $200,000 is being spent this year on the exam, and Peterson said the minimum amount required is $384,000 in 1999-2000 and $371,000 in 2000-2001.

Assemblywoman Jan Evans, D-Sparks, said that without funding for these important elements of the education reform effort initiated by the Legislature and former Gov. Bob Miller in 1997, Nevada's tougher standards will exist only on paper.

Guinn disagreed with the bleak assessment of his commitment to education reform, saying $16 million in estate taxes have been proposed for spending on these needs.

Most of the money, $12 million, has been proposed for remediation of students who don't perform to the new standards, but lawmakers will have a say in how the money is allocated, he said.

Peterson said the estate tax money has been recommended by Guinn for remediation, but the amount of money generated from the tax each year is unpredictable.

The Department of Taxation reports that estate taxes collected in the first five months of this fiscal year total $8.4 million, 45 percent less than the $15.2 million collected at this same time in the previous year.