Education reform measure surfaces in Senate panel

Thursday, March 18, 1999 | 11:48 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The Senate Finance Committee Wednesday introduced a bill to overhaul the hierarchy of education, including scrapping the elected state Board of Education and replacing it with a board appointed by the governor and the Legislature.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said these items were discussed during the past 18 months by his Legislative Committee on Education.

"I wouldn't draw any conclusions from the introduction," he said.

Not all of the items in the bill have been recommended for passage by the education committee.

The state Board of Education came under intense criticism in 1997 and there was talk of abolishing it then. But the controversy eventually died down.

Throughout the 65-page bill, greater voice is shifted to the Legislature in deciding educational policy.

Senate Bill 466 provides that five members of the new nine-member board of education would be named by the governor. Three of them would have to come from Southern Nevada, one from Washoe County and one from the rural counties.

The Senate majority leader and the Assembly speaker would each name two representatives. The board would still appoint the state superintendent of public instruction but it would be for a term of one year rather than the present three years.

And the superintendent could be removed for inefficiency, neglect of duty, malfeasance or "for other just cause."

Raggio, asked if he personally favored scrapping the education board, said, "I'm open for discussion on it."

SB466 is aimed at continuing the reforms made two years ago in education that led to increased academic standards and tougher testing.

Under the bill, a nine-member business and education coalition would be created to prepare a plan for improving the public schools. Its recommendations would be presented to the governor, the state education board and the legislative committee on education.

Also, the membership on the state Commission on Professional Standards would be overhauled. The governor now appoints the nine members, which include four teachers, one counselor or psychologist, two school administrators, one representative of the general public and the dean of the college of education at a university or community college.

The new makeup calls for the governor to name five members, which must include three teachers, one counselor and the college dean. The Senate majority leader and the Assembly speaker would name two members each. Each appointment would have to be a teacher and a parent.

This commission decides on the licensing of teachers and the standards.

The bill says teachers who obtain certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards shall get an extra 5 percent pay increase. Teachers who do postgraduate course work must do it in a subject in which they will be teaching. If they do not, the school district is barred from giving them a pay raise for the added achievement.

The bill sets aside $4 million to be distributed to schools that demonstrate "inadequate achievement." This occurs when a certain percentage of their students test below the national average. Last year there was $3 million allocated for remedial programs to bring these schools up to par.

SB466 also allocates $2.4 million to the Clark County School District, $1.3 million to Douglas County, $1.2 million for Elko County and $1.6 million for Washoe County to establish and operate regional training centers for the professional development of teachers and administrators.

The Clark County center would provide the training for those in Clark, Esmeralda, Lincoln and Nye counties.

There would be $100,000 set aside to evaluate the effectiveness of these training centers and the report would be submitted to the 2001 Legislature.