Editorial: Petition a last resort

Sunday, May 13, 2007 | 7:03 a.m.

The state teachers' union is so frustrated with the lack of sufficient funding for education that it is talking about organizing an initiative petition to get a measure on the ballot next year that would increase taxes.

We strongly support more revenue for education, but our first choice for bringing this about is through the Nevada Legislature. Elected legislators have a responsibility to consider the merits of proposals and make decisions based on how they would affect the whole state.

Initiative petitions are often emotional reactions to one issue and usually do not concern themselves with the bigger picture.

Yet initiative petitions are allowed by many states and can be a very powerful force, as proven in the 1970s by California's Proposition 13. Approval of that ballot measure, which decreased property taxes, set in motion consequences still being felt today.

To avoid problems associated with initiative petitions, the Legislature should be staying on top of Nevada's education needs, and acting before a petition gets started.

Currently, Nevada's per-pupil expenditure is last in the nation.

The state has large class sizes and low showings on standardized tests. Teacher shortages are common because of substandard starting pay. Educators, including members of the Clark County School Board, say Nevada's schools are being shorted by at least $1 billion.

The Legislature and governor are abdicating their responsibility by ignoring the effect that insufficient education funding has on the state. By doing that they are just inviting an initiative petition that could be divisive and not very well conceived.

The Legislature needs to act before someone else acts for it.