Education official: State can’t meet requirements

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005 | 11:15 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Nevada probably won't meet the federal requirement that teachers have a "highly qualified" designation by July 2006, a state education official said Tuesday.

The state also is continuing to fall short in efforts to recruit additional math, science and special education teachers.

Keith Rheault, state superintendent of public instruction, told the budget committees of the Legislature that the state hires 2,800 new teachers every year, with more than 600 coming from Nevada universities.

He explained that to attain the "highly qualified" designation, a teacher must have a major in the field they teach and pass a test. Many states do not require testing, he said.

Currently 75 percent of the elementary teachers in Nevada are "highly qualified," but Rheault said he doubts the state will ever reach the 100 percent standard as required by the federal government next year.

The Clark County School District has taken aggressive steps to ensure its teachers meet the "highly qualified" designation by the federal deadline, footing the bill for workshops through the UNLV College of Education and broadcasting study sessions on its affiliate, KLVX Channel 10.

Rheault said the federal government is "playing a sham game" with the federal No Child Left Behind Act that requires all schools to make yearly progress. He said the government increased its funding under the program from $63 million to $67 million but then took away other federal money.

The funding increase to Nevada was only 1.2 percent, even though more requirements were added.

"It is very underfunded," Rheault said.

Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, asked if Nevada could pull out of the federal program and wondered whether Nevada would be better off setting its own standards.

Rheault said all of the federal funding in other programs would be threatened if the state did not participate. There is $250 million in federal funds in other federal programs that could be lost each year if the state refused to abide by the federal act, Rheault said.

Gloria Dopf, deputy state superintendent of public instruction, said several states have threatened to pull out of the federal program because of the red tape but not one has followed through.

Rheault outlined Gov. Kenny Guinn's proposed school aid budget that calls for the state to supply $827.7 million next year to the districts. That's down from the $884.3 million this year. In the 2007 fiscal year, the amount of state general fund would go to $881.9 million.

The current support level of $4,424 per-pupil would fall to $4,385 next fiscal year then rise to $4,477 the following year. But that funding rate does not include the $50 million a year the governor has proposed for the low achieving level schools.

It was also discovered that Guinn failed to include the proposed 2 percent inflation increases for such items as electricity and natural gas. Deputy State Budget Director Andrew Clinger said that was "an oversight," and it would be corrected by the end of the week with new figures.

Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, complained that "every session we go through this. This is shortsighted."

She said the governor's budget was "underfunded" for the coming two years. In the present two years, 33.9 percent of the state's budget goes to the public schools and she said that has fallen by 2.3 percent.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said Guinn's proposed budget includes generous allocations for the public schools for such things as more training for teachers and full-day kindergarten.

Assemblyman Morse Arberry, D-Las Vegas, chairman of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, asked what would have happen if the Legislature passed a bill to cap or freeze the property tax values.

Public school funding includes a portion of all property taxes collected. Douglas Thunder, chief financial officer for the state Department of Education, said the state funding budget is computed on property values rising 8.4 percent next year and 7.1 percent in 2007.

Thunder said if legislation is passed that reduces the property tax revenue, the state may have to make up the difference or school programs would have to be "significantly cut."

There have been suggestions that the property tax values be frozen or capped at 6 percent or less.

Rheault also said the Legislature may want to examine the extra benefit given teachers in at-risk schools. The state currently gives these teachers a one-fifth increase in their retirement. Otherwise when they stay four years, they get a fifth year credit towards their retirement. He said many of these teachers prefer a bonus, such as the $2,000 given new teachers coming into the public schools.