Teachers kick off campaign for more funding

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2004 | 11:32 a.m.

The state teachers union launched a petition drive this morning that, if successful, would create a constitutional amendment requiring the Legislature to raise education funding to the national average.

The Nevada State Education Association has until June 15 to collect the more than 57,000 signatures required to put the question on the November ballot. The union needs to get the signatures of 10 percent of registered voters in at least 13 of the state's 17 counties for the petition to qualify.

If the petition reaches the ballot it would have to earn a majority of votes in two statewide general elections -- this year and 2006 -- and then would be in place for the Legislature's session in 2007.

The national per-pupil spending average was $7,184 in fiscal year 2002-2003, according to the union.

During the last legislative session lawmakers approved raising the per-pupil funding level by 7 percent to $4,424 over the next two years. The schools receive funding from sales tax, property tax and from the state at the rate set by the Legislature.

Nevada ranks 45th in the nation for per-pupil funding, according to the union's most recent survey.

"Our members, parents and interested citizens have continually expressed support for funding to the national average," NSEA President Terry Hickman said in a prepared statement. "Through this process we are providing a vehicle for them to express this support to our elected officials in the most vivid and convincing way possible."

Agustin Orci, Clark County deputy superintendent of instruction, called the difference between the state's total and the national average "an incredible disparity."

"There are so many things we want to do to improve student achievement, and no matter what our critics want to say it costs money to provide programs for students," he said.

Raising the per-pupil funding level to the national average was a central component of the iNVest Plan, an $879 million proposal backed during the last legislative session by all 17 of the state's county school superintendents and the Nevada Education Department.

Ken Lange, NSEA executive director, said the push to raise per-pupil funding goes "hand in hand" with the Education First initiative backed by Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev.

Gibbons' proposed initiative, which he kicked off Jan. 15, calls for a constitutional amendment to require the Legislature to fund education before considering any other part of the state's budget. The question would have to receive a second, affirmative vote in 2006 to become part of the state's constitution.

But Gibbons did not set down a minimum funding level in his initiative, Lange said.

"We believe our initiative would need to pass in order for to make (Gibbons') petition work effectively," Lange said. "On its own (Gibbons' plan) doesn't get us to where we need to be. At some point we need to reach the national average. We want to provide a framework so the Legislature has enough time to get there but not so much time that our kids continue to languish without the resources they need."

Gibbons' spokeswoman said this morning that the congressman's office had not yet seen the union's initiative and could not comment until then.

School districts statewide were thrown into turmoil last summer by a five-week stalemate that delayed passage of education funding levels. The Clark County School District was forced into a hiring freeze that left it short nearly 1,000 teachers just weeks before the start of the academic year.

Gary Waters, Nevada Board of Education president, said he supported both the union's and Gibbons' ballot initiatives.

"We have done just about everything we can to economize and we just don't have anywhere left to trim," Waters said.

Doug Thunder, state deputy superintendent in charge of finance, said this would require the state to allocate $1,000 to $1,200 more a year to each student. There are an estimated 385,000 students in Nevada schools. It could cost more than $400 million.

Keith Rheault, interim state superintendent of public instruction, said the state board is going to start at its meeting Friday and Saturday to put together its proposed requests to the 2005 Legislature and one of the issues will be financing schools.

Sun reporter

Cy Ryan contributed to this story.