Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: All kids are important

Tuesday, March 23, 1999 | 12:01 p.m.

GOV. KENNY GUINN'S proposal for using half of the tobacco settlement for higher education scholarships will be assured when the U.S. House of Representatives allows states to spend these dollars as they see fit. The Senate has already approved of this action and Guinn has submitted his plan for the approval of the 1999 Nevada Legislature.

Next year, the Nevada high school graduates with a B average or better will qualify for $2,500 annually if attending UNR or UNLV. Those attending any of Nevada's community colleges will receive grants of $1,250 a year. This will give all of our colleges leeway to provide more scholarship opportunities for the culturally disadvantaged and at-risk students.

I've worked on other scholarship programs with Guinn during the past several years and he knows exactly how such a program should be operated. It's necessary to make certain that cash grants aren't dribbled away and the recipients follow a course of study that terminate with the achievement of a selected goal in a set period of time. This takes a personal touch and a guiding hand from people in the education system. Last week, before the Sun editorial board, the governor made clear that he is still in touch with reality and is creating a program that should be most effective with the least amount of paperwork and cost.

Guinn may stub his toe along the way during his first legislative session, but it won't be in putting together an effective scholarship program. He has had plenty of experience in this field and probably is better qualified than any person in the state to make certain it functions effectively. His background in education at all levels is impressive, but scholarship programs are almost a separate endeavor and have different demands. He has had experience in this area that is unmatched by any legislator, regent or Board of Education member now serving the state.

A closely related matter is also on the governor's platter, and that is the desperate need for school buildings in White Pine County. This need reminds me of Clark County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenny Guinn making his budget presentation before the Legislature in the 1970s. He met with the governor the night before and was informed that his request would eat up too many of the dollars available. A slight reduction would allow for the dollars needed in some of our poorer rural areas. "Those kids are just as important as those in the cities," he said. The governor agreed and the next day Guinn made that allowance and showed his interest in all children.

Now, as governor, the former school superintendent must take into consideration the request of White Pine County School District which is spelled out in Assembly Bill 274:

"The Lund K-12 School and the White Pine Middle School were both built at the turn of the last century, and mechanical and architectural studies state that the buildings can no longer by patched together, but instead must be replaced or wholly renovated; and there are 56 children who live in Pleasant Valley, Nevada, who face a 1 1/2-hour daily commute over a rough and rutted road to Utah's West Desert School, where they are not taught the State Song of Nevada or any of the history or culture so precious to this state; and state funding of school construction in White Pine County is the only way to ensure that the children of White Pine County have the same educational opportunities to meet the high rigorous academic standards established by the Council to Establish Academic Standards adopted by the State Board of Education of Nevada and to ensure that thes e worthy pupils are held to the statewide standards of content and performance established for the State of Nevada." These needs can only be met by a state

bond issue.

Going over past and proposed capital outlays paid for with state bonds, there is no doubt that these listed school needs are every bit as important as some of the prisons, supply facilities and other buildings under construction or to be built in the near future. If these needs can't all be met this session, maybe they can be partially met this year and during the coming sessions.

Also it should pain the Legislature little to forgive the White Pine School District the continued repayment of a $2.5 million loan plus interest that the Legislature so "generously" made after the district collapsed financially in 1995. This item is taking $367,000 a year out of the district's distributive school fund and unfairly deprives the students of many things other Nevada students have.

There's no doubt that Nevada's new governor believes all kids deserve equal educational opportunity. Now's the time for him and the 1999 Legislature to guarantee the 2,000 youngsters in White Pine County have the same quality of buildings and programs offered in Elko, Reno, Carson City and Las Vegas. Just a couple of positive steps in that direction can get the process started, and after a couple of more sessions they can point to some of the positive work we expect from our tax dollars.