Editorial: Counseling session

Sunday, Feb. 25, 2007 | 7:23 a.m.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada was startled when he heard that the Clark County School District has only about 600 counselors for its 300,000 students.

During a roundtable discussion on education, Reid learned that middle and high school counselors in Clark County often have 400 students assigned to them.

"The number of guidance counselors should be quadrupled," Reid said in a Las Vegas Sun story by Emily Richmond on Friday. "I'll do what I can at the federal level (to support initiatives for more staff), but the Legislature is in session. They should do something about it right now."

This is yet another issue for the Legislature to address, one of many regarding the state's ailing public school system, which has suffered from years of inadequate funding.

Counselors are important because they can help students prepare for college or jobs after high school. Given these ratios, though, it is difficult to imagine that the average counselor would have much time to do the job effectively.

Clark County has one of the highest student-to-counselor ratios in the nation. The district is trying get more money to reduce it to 300-1, but that would still be 50 students above what educational experts recommend.

The debate in Carson City over the next few months will center on what schools need, and given the regular drumbeat of depressing facts - bulging class sizes, not enough teachers, low achievement - it should be clear that the schools need a boost.

This year the Legislature should make education a priority by spending the money needed to recruit more teachers and counselors, pay them a salary they deserve and boost the education system overall.