Teachers union qualifies petition

Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2000 | 11:27 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The secretary of state's office announced Monday the business tax petition by the teachers union has qualified and will be submitted to the 2001 Legislature.

Elaine Lancaster, president of the Nevada State Education Association, said its members will now be talking with legislators and the public to show how their proposal will lead to quality schools in Nevada. And they will talk to the governor before the 2001 Legislature.

While many have talked about proposals to improve schools, Lancaster said the union is "the only one with a plan."

The 4 percent tax on business profits would produce about $250 million a year that would be added to the state's school support budget. Local districts would have the opportunity to decide how the extra money would be spent -- either for salaries, reduced class sizes and other programs.

Susan Morandi, deputy secretary of state for elections, said county clerks have verified there were 63,795 valid signatures on the petition, more than the 44,009 names required. The union said it submitted petitions bearing the signatures of 86,000 voters.

But many were disqualified because they were not registered to vote or asked their names be withdrawn from the petition.

The petition qualified in every county except Esmeralda, where there were 50 valid signatures and 55 were needed. In Clark County, there were 39,737 signatures of registered voters, far in excess of the 25,760 needed. To qualify the teachers needed 10 percent of the registered voters in 13 of the 17 counties.

The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce is leading a drive of businesses that oppose the measure. The Legislature has 40 days to decide whether to approve the petition. If the Legislature rejects, fails to act or changes the petition, it will go on the 2002 election ballot.

Morandi said this was the first of four initiative petitions being circulated to qualify to change the law in Nevada. The deadline for submitting the signatures is in November. Sen. Joe Neal is pushing a petition to raise the gaming tax on big casinos from 6 1/4 percent to 11 1/4 percent of gross, and Assemblywoman Sandra Tiffany, R-Henderson, is circulating a petition to change the law to allow a breakup of the Clark County School District. There is also a petition to ban prostitution.

Already qualified is a petition to amend Nevada's Constitution to prohibit gay marriages. That will appear on the election ballot this year. This is different than the others because it seeks a change in the constitution, not the law.

Lancaster said union officials would be talking with Gov. Kenny Guinn, who has opposed the plan. He does not favor taxation by petition.

Lancaster said her association is willing to listen to alternate plans as long as the additional $250 million is allocated to schools. People support the teachers initiative once they are informed that the money is going into education and not to the union, she said.

The association has spent about $500,000 so far in getting the petition drafted and getting the signatures.