Lawmakers say tax system overhaul is needed to fund public education

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2003 | 9:58 a.m.

Public education in Nevada is reaching a crisis point that will likely require a "major overhaul" of the state's tax system to fix, lawmakers told an audience at a public forum Tuesday.

Even with the state facing an $800 million budget shortfall, the state still has a "constitutional responsibility" to appropriately fund education, said newly elected state Sen. Warren Hardy, R-Las Vegas.

"We don't know what the governor's budget looks like yet, and it's premature to discuss it," Hardy told an audience of about 150 parents, teachers and community members assembled in the gymnasium of Thurman White Middle School in Henderson. "But our tax system is broken, and we need to go into the legislative session with that in mind."

Nevada's 17 superintendents teamed up to write the iNVest plan, which calls for $867 million in additional education funding. The money would go to numerous areas, including teacher salaries, training days and enhanced bilingual programs and services.

Lawmakers need to be prepared to make difficult -- and unpopular -- decisions in order to boost education funding whether its through the iNVest plan or another proposal, said Sen. Terry Care, D-Las Vegas.

That will mean increasing taxes for gaming and leisure activities, Care said.

"They don't want us to tax people playing a round of golf for $150," Care said. "But if you go rent 'Tin Cup,' a movie about golf, at Blockbuster there's a tax on that. And I don't understand that as being fair."

Newly elected Sen. Sandra Tiffany, R-Henderson, said she's bracing herself for fierce debate when the Legislature reconvenes next month.

"Everything's on the table, tax increases, sin taxes, cuts," Tiffany said. "It's going to be an interesting time."

Despite the state's budget shortfall, Tiffany said she expected previously-approved pay hikes for teachers and an increase to per-pupil funding levels to be protected.

In addition to rewriting the tax code, Nevada will have to change something else -- it's attitude, said Assemblyman Mark Manendo, D-Las Vegas.

"We're the 'All about me' state," Manendo said. "We need to decide what type of Nevada we really want to live in. People need to realize that everybody that lives here has a responsibility toward the education of our children, not just parents."

Laura McBride, who has two children in Clark County schools, said the forum made her realize that a deep divide apparently exists between parents and the state's other residents.

"You can't have a democracy, a community, if you don't make educating children a priority, and that means everyone's children," McBride said. "I'm dismayed that a lot of people in this state don't show that willingness."

Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, said she's tired of lawmakers taking a "Band-Aid approach" to solving Nevada's public education woes.

"The Clark County School District is spending $1.2 billion a year just to maintain the status quo, and the status quo isn't that great," Titus said. "I say if we're going to do it, let's do it right, once and for all. Our children deserve better."