Editorial: Strong voice for education

Thursday, Aug. 25, 2005 | 10:58 a.m.

The field of potential candidates in the race for governor narrowed by one Wednesday after Chancellor Jim Rogers ended speculation by saying that he would not run. Rogers said at a press conference that he will continue in his current position for two reasons; one, he gave his word to the Board of Regents that he would head the state's university system for three years, and, two, because he wants to remain wholly committed to increasing the quality of education in Nevada.

On the latter point, Rogers let it be known that he meant what he said. The wealthy owner of Sunbelt Communications, which includes KVBC-TV Channel 3 in Las Vegas, announced that he would fund a political action committee called Nevadans Committed to Education with at least $2 million of his own money. He said the money will be used to keep Nevadans informed about education. Rogers also said he intended to personally play a high-profile role as an education advocate in the gubernatorial campaign. "If I find as time goes on there are candidates who are not supportive of education, I will say so," he said.

As chancellor, Rogers is striking partnerships among the colleges, universities and K-12 school districts. "It's really one educational system," Rogers told the Sun last week. Nevada has historically shortchanged secondary and higher education and Rogers is taking on the job of reversing that trend. In a recent questionnaire he sent out to the presumed candidates for governor in next year's race, Rogers sought to learn their views on education and educational funding.

We welcome Rogers' attention to the governor's race. He promises to be an active and outspoken counterweight to the conservative and libertarian forces in this state that are aligned against even adequate funding for our schools and institutions of higher education. Those forces have helped hold down education here for years, a situation that is obvious to independent analysts. The latest study of Nevada's K-12 schools, conducted by the nonprofit, San Francisco-based WestEd, a nationally prominent evaluator of public education, found that "a fundamental problem is that education is not a priority in Nevada."

With Rogers' PAC keeping education in the public eye, we're looking forward to a governor's race in which our schools will be a leading issue. Nevada's children and families will not be served by a governor who doesn't understand the need for making education a top priority.