Editorial: No retreat on smaller class sizes

Thursday, April 26, 2001 | 9:02 a.m.

The state Senate took a curious turn this week when it passed 17-4 a bill that would weaken Nevada's commitment to class-size reduction. Senate Bill 127 would allow all school districts to carry out so-called "demonstration projects," allowing the student-teacher ratio to be 22:1 in the first five grades. Currently the law places a 16:1 student-teacher ratio in the first and second grades, while the third grades are allowed more flexibility in establishing lower student-teacher ratios.

If this bill were to become law, it would represent a significant shift in the state's education policy. During the 1990s policymakers placed a premium on class-size reduction in the early grades, noting that it was essential during these critical years for children to get more individualized instruction. In 1999 the Legislature did grant Elko County the authority to initiate a pilot project to let the rural county use a 22:1 student-teacher ratio, but so far no one has effectively demonstrated why this pilot project should be expanded elsewhere.

Sen. Ray Rawson, R-Las Vegas, said that the Clark County School District would use the 22:1 student-teacher ratios in only a limited number of schools -- less than a dozen, according to Rawson -- but the fact is that school districts might be tempted to employ this on a widespread scale. Since school districts are faced with tighter budgets, it wouldn't be surprising to see them increase the number of children in a classroom to save money. Meanwhile, supporters of the bill note that the state Board of Education, state Board of Examiners and the Interim Legislative Finance Committee all would have to sign off on any waivers sought by a school district. But Sen. Dina Titus objected to this provision, correctly noting that all the members of the Legislature would not have a chance to review these requests.

Only four senators wisely voted against the bill -- Southern Nevada Democrats Titus, Maggie Carlton, Joe Neal and Terry Care. It is hoped that the Assembly stops this badly conceived legislation, which would eliminate a key building block for children. If the Legislature wanted to show leadership on the issue of class-size reduction, it would be considering ways of making class sizes smaller in grades four through six instead of looking at avenues to lessen the importance of this worthy program in the lower grades.