Editorial: Emergency budgets are not a bluff

Monday, May 12, 2003 | 9:24 a.m.

With three weeks remaining in the 2003 Legislature, there is still no word on how education will be financed over the next two years. At the start of the session in February, Gov. Kenny Guinn presented a tax plan that would have increased the state's revenue by about $500 million a year. Alternate proposals are still being debated, which has forced the Clark County School District to prepare two budgets. One budget assumes the Legislature agrees on a tax plan that will approximate Guinn's proposal. The other budget assumes something far worse -- that the Legislature agrees on a patchwork of new and increased taxes that will fall short of meeting the needs of the district, which is the country's fifth largest. And as today's installment of the Sun's seven-part series "Children Left Behind" demonstrates, Nevada fares poorly in state support for our public schools. That translates into overcrowded classes, a high dropout rate for high school students and relatively dismal showi! ngs on academic achievement tests compared to other states.

In our view, the bottom-line of Guinn's proposal was about right. Although the state could put a higher increase to excellent use, the governor's amount was a good starting point. Future legislatures will be faced with urgent state needs as well, and it would be better for them if there was a precedent for passing a significant tax increase -- their task wouldn't be so hard. There are precious few days left in this session, but it is our hope legislators will take the time to read at least the highlights of Clark County's alternate school budget.

In that budget, the district would cut its school week to four days. This does not appear to be a bluff, as districts in at least seven other fiscally strapped states have gone to that schedule, which usually involves expanding the school day by 90 minutes. Is our state really so poor that we have to resort to a four-day school week? In a few years, when even that schedule is straining the budget, will the week then be cut to three days? The district, whose classrooms are already overcrowded and whose services are at minimal levels, would also cut 900 employees under its pared-down budget. Transportation and sports would take big hits. District officials are even talking about cutting school police by as much as 25 percent, which would jeopardize the safety of students and employees.

We believe the Legislature has a responsibility to review the contingency budgets being prepared by districts around the state. They can ignore the possibilities, but only at the risk of everyone in the state, especially the students.