Editorial: Legislature must hear the voters

Friday, Dec. 27, 2002 | 11:21 a.m.

Nevada is far from alone as it turns its pockets inside out and still comes up short in financing its school districts. It seems that every newspaper in the country is reporting about state budget shortages. Social programs are being cut back, new construction is stalled, class sizes are getting bigger, workers are being laid off, tobacco-settlement funds and rainy-day funds are being depleted, pay raises are minuscule or out of the question -- and yet none of these measures are enough. In many states, parents are shelling out money to augment school budgets, a "solution" that's straining family finances and creating school-to-school inequalities. At the same time, many states are facing court-ordered increases in Medicaid and education funding.

In Nevada, we hear the murmuring of educators as the start of the 2003 Legislature nears. They are talking among themselves of suing the state -- that is, suing the taxpayers of Nevada -- if the Legislature does not appropriate nearly $900 million in new funding for school districts over the next two years. We have a dim view of a lawsuit against Nevada taxpayers, yet we can understand the emotions behind such talk. Educators face severe pressure from the governor, the Legislature and the entire public regarding student achievement. On the one hand, they are being ordered to exceed national averages on standardized tests -- or else. On the other hand, especially in Southern Nevada, they lack basic resources such as textbooks and training opportunities and must contend with oversized classes.

Gov. Kenny Guinn has a lot of company among his fellow Republican governors in asking for tax increases to meet the needs of the people. The national dip in the economy has forced such conservative governors as George Pataki of New York to mention the T word along with such adjectives as "increase" and "new." Nevada's 2003 Legislature, with its 17 freshmen, will need a lot of support from voters as it reviews several proposals for new and higher taxes. Lobbyists will be out in force trying to persuade legislators that most, if not all, the proposals should be rejected. But we hope a more powerful lobby, the voters, looks around the country and realizes that tax increases are a necessity if we are to preserve our standard of living. We don't think Nevadans have to be sued to do the right thing. It's they who should be heeded, not the lobbyists.