Columnist Jon Ralston: Teachers needs Guinn to take initiative

Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2000 | 10:05 a.m.

Jon Ralston, who publishes the Ralston Report, writes a column for the Sun on Sundays and Wednesdays. Ralston can be reached at 870-7997 or by e-mail at ralston@vegas.com.

Now it's all about courage and candor.

Don't tell anyone, but here's the truth about the teachers union plan, which officially qualified for legislative submission this week, to create a 4 percent business profits tax to infuse money into education:

Gov. Kenny Guinn has similar thoughts -- he just doesn't want all of the money to go to education.

The gaming industry loves the plan -- casino bosses don't want it restricted to education, either, and some don't much like being included, but most consider it a small price to pay to broaden the tax base.

The public will embrace the idea -- unless you believe the business types' own polls, which contradict what other local and national public opinion specialists have found.

In other words, unless you are a Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce spinmeister, a closed-minded businessman or maybe state Sen. Ann "No new taxes ever" O'Connell, you generally believe that education is underfunded in the state and that having business pay its fair freight is not such a bad idea. Unfortunately, the teachers union is an inherently flawed messenger.

Remember, while the group itself is called the Nevada State Education Association, even its press releases call it the "teachers' initiative." As long as this is seen as a way to increase teacher salaries rather than improve education, the union's enemies will have a loaded gun.

The gaming industry is an even more tainted group to carry this water. As long as this is seen as a way for the gamers to avoid Joe Neal's more substantial tax increase, the industry will not be taken seriously.

Some legislators who have fought hard over the years for education funding -- even a Republican or two -- may voice some support for the teachers' tax, or some reasonable facsimile thereof. But their voices either won't reach a wide enough audience or will be seen as politically motivated.

No, there is only one person who can successfully make the case for putting more money into education and for getting the business community, which essentially has a free ride in Nevada, to pony up. That person, of course, is Gov. Kenny Guinn, who ran for office because he saw trouble on the horizon for the state budget, a former schools superintendent who believes that not enough money is going to educate children.

But what's a governor to do? To his credit, Guinn hinted in his first State of the State speech -- and has continued to occasionally be struck by fits of public candor -- that he believes the tax structure as it is currently constituted cannot sustain a state with this kind of growth and extra-Nevada threats to gaming revenues.

In a letter that accompanied his first budget sent to lawmakers, Guinn wrote: "These continued demands have created a defining moment in our history. We are no longer able to fund certain services solely through growth in our revenue base. Simply put, our demands are exceeding our means."

Now Guinn has to stand by those words and define his moment in history. He has sent mixed public messages during the interim -- no new taxes, maybe new taxes, I'll consider all taxes. But privately Guinn has told business and gaming leaders, and others, that the state will have a shortfall by the end of his term unless something is done to fix a tax structure built on gaming and sales taxes.

He is rightly opposed to the initiative process, believing that governors are elected to make such decisions. But now that the teachers have qualified their petition and it will be presented to a trembling Gang of 63 in Session '01, Guinn will have to act or let it go on the ballot in 2002. He will need help -- and I'm sure the gamers will oblige.

But unless the governor can find a way to communicate the true state of the state budget to the public and then have the courage of his convictions to do what he deems best, even though he faces re-election in 2002, the teachers plan, narrow and flawed though it may be, is likely to pass.