Guinn promises teachers a raise

Friday, May 3, 2002 | 11:09 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn says he will put enough money into his next budget for a 2 percent pay raise for schoolteachers, saying he is keeping a promise he made during the 2001 Legislature.

Guinn said Thursday he will include $34 million $36 million in the budget to guarantee the teachers at least a 2 percent raise as of July 1, 2003.

The governor and the Legislature approved a 3 percent bonus for teachers this fiscal year and included enough money for a 2 percent raise starting in July. A so-called "trigger" mechanism was enacted so that that if state revenues are higher than expected, the teachers would get up to another 2 percent.

Mary Ella Holloway, president of the Clark County Education Association, which represents 12,000 teachers, said the extra 2 percent is badly needed.

"When teachers are as underpaid as they are here in Clark County, every little bit helps," Holloway said.

The teachers' union is currently in arbitration with the Clark County School District over a new contract. Guinn's announcement will not affect those negotiations, Holloway said.

State Budget Director Perry Comeaux, chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee on Future State Revenues, which met Wednesday to review the state's financial status, said the "trigger" to set off the extra pay raises won't go off.

The formula called for a 1 percent raise for teachers if the state's general fund balance or reserve reached $154 million on May 31. And if it reached $194 million by the end of the month, a 2 percent pay raise, in addition to the guaranteed 2 percent, would kick in.

The governor said he will include the extra money in the base of his next budget. And he said the amount will be guaranteed to go for salaries. He said the school districts will not be allowed to negotiate over this money to use it for other purposes.

The state Board of Examiners meets May 14 to officially certify that the reserve won't reach $154 million. The governor told a reporter he is also committed to bringing Nevada's educational funding up to the national average. But he says it can't all be done in the 2003 Legislature.

The National Center for Educational Statistics reported that in 1999 the average per student expenditure among the states was $6,508 while Nevada was at $5,587 or 38th in the nation. But a report presented to the Governor's Task Force on Taxes suggests Nevada trails the national average by $400 per student, not $1,000.

Sun reporter Emily Richmond contributed to this story.