Class size, accountability focus of Democrats’ education plan

By Emily Richmond

Friday, Sept. 24, 2004 | 9:40 a.m.

Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, detailed the state Democratic Party's education agenda for the 2005 legislative session Thursday, calling for "ABCs" -- accountability, better schools and communication.

When the Legislature convenes Feb. 7, Democrats plan to introduce a bill that would require schools to give parents "expectation agreements" to sign at the start of the academic year, outlining proposed homework loads and other details. Another bill would prohibit employers from penalizing an employee who takes time off in order to participate in a school-related activity.

"We hear from parents all the time that they would like to be more involved," said Perkins, who detailed the education initiatives at Gordon McCaw Elementary School in Henderson, where he graduated from sixth grade in 1971. "I don't think that's too much to ask of our employers and our business community."

Perkins said the platform emphasizes low-cost and no-cost solutions to problems faced by the state's public schools. But Democrats will also push to see any extra state revenue earmarked for education initiatives that come with high price tags, such as full-day kindergarten for all students.

Perkins, chairman of the Legislative Committee on Education, said full-day kindergarten programs are an essential component of a successful public school system. The top five states with the highest scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress -- a standardized exam given by the U.S. Department of Education to a cross-section of the nation's students -- all offer full-day kindergarten, Perkins said.

Clark County this year increased its full-day kindergarten program for at-risk students, using federal funds to pay for the classes at 54 campuses. Another 12 schools are taking part in a pilot study of tuition-based full-day kindergarten classes, with families paying $300 a month for their students to attend.

Class size reduction is also high on the Democrats' list, Perkins said. Most people don't realize that even with the limits already in place, class sizes creep upward throughout the year, Perkins said.

Jeff Krantz, vice principal of McCaw, said his school has already gained 19 students in the last week and will likely continue to see similar growth throughout the year. But the school's funding and staffing levels are set -- and remain fixed -- based on September enrollment figures, Krantz said.

"There should be some way to revisit things in April and recalculate what schools need," Krantz said.

Carolyn Edwards, treasurer of the advocacy group Nevadans for Quality Education, said initiatives that encourage parents to take a more active role in their children's learning are always welcome. But, Edwards said, the proposals outlined by Perkins may not translate into higher student achievement.

"Having parents sign something may be a way to document that schools made an effort but it probably won't increase parental involvement," Edwards said.

The Democrats' "Quality Classrooms Initiative" also calls for school district report cards that would detail budgets, safety, class sizes and teacher qualifications.

The federal No Child Left Behind Act already requires schools and districts to post accountability reports detailing those figures. The Nevada Department of Education recently unveiled a new web site where visitors can compare accountability reports between individual campuses and districts.

Perkins said the proposed report cards would focus more on how schools were using allocated resources. The report cards would also be used to let parents know whether schools were in compliance with state statutes, Perkins said.

Assemblyman Garn Mabey, R-Las Vegas and member of the education committee, said some of the Democrats' suggestions are things he and other Republicans would likely support and encourage in some form. When asked whether he expected the upcoming session to be as divisive as the fight over education funding was in 2003, he replied, "Man, I hope not."

The state needs lawmakers to work together for the best interests of the entire state, regardless of party affiliation, Mabey said.