Sun editorial:

School budget cuts

Ending early retirement program will save money and keep experienced employees

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008 | 2:09 a.m.

Clark County School District administrators have announced plans to end an early retirement program, which they say will save about $2.5 million a year.

As Emily Richmond reported in Tuesday’s Las Vegas Sun, the district allows employees who have 15 to 29 years with the district and who have accrued at least 110 days of sick time to put some of their sick time toward retirement. That is a great benefit for the employees. It allows them to retire early and the district pays into the Public Employees’ Retirement System as if they had actually worked all that time.

It is also an expensive benefit. During the previous academic year, 233 employees took advantage of the program, which cost the district $4.2 million.

Some employees are complaining that the district’s plan to shut down the early retirement program is shortsighted and could be costly. One employee told the School Board that absenteeism will increase, saying employees will start calling in to burn unused sick days. As a result, the person suggested, the district will face increasing costs for substitute teachers.

We hope that is not true. We would think employees would use sick time for its purpose, and we would hope that they understand the seriousness of the state’s budget crisis. Clark County school administrators are preparing to cut $120 million from their budget for the next two years.

The early retirement program is a simple, and relatively painless, item to cut from the budget that will do nothing to hurt education. It may actually help the quality of education by keeping more senior teachers and administrators on the job.

A third of the district’s principals have been in the position for three years or less. And the district is continually hiring new teachers to fill vacancies.

The district should be doing all that it can to retain experienced, capable educators.

Discussion: 4 comments so far…

By vsestini

11/12/08 at 6:05 a.m.

Suggest removal

Once again the school district is providing a smoke screen plan to the public as it tries to find ways to save monies in its budget. There is still a staunch reluctance to reduce the overall top heavy administrative positions in this district. A solid cut of 40-50% of all administrative positions can greatly reduce expense. There are thousands of support administrators, supervisors, consultants, specialists, etc wandering the halls of the district and local schools. These positions need to be eliminated first, then consider cuts to lowly benefits of teachers.

For too long teachers have been the brunt of budget cuts in this district. Textbooks, supplies, and soon it will be their prep periods to be sacrified.

While teachers are the target for impending budget cuts; the district under Walt Rulffes continues to hire superflous positions in the administrtive ranks even during this most critical budget crisis. It does not make sense ! The district must post all administrative positions, their salaries, and the stated function of all positions for immediate public scrutiny. The district phone directory has over 50 pages listing all administrative positions...it is ludicrous!

The public needs to demand a drastic cut in the administration first, then consider programs, books, paper supplies and teacher positions!

Maybe it is time for the district to consider selling off its Palace of the Kings of luxury office facilities on Sahara Avenue to save money. With appropriate reduction in adminsitrative staffing this building would not be needed.

It's time for the district to demonstrate it can tighten its budget belt without sacrificing programs for students.
It should always be: Students First!
By KDR81

11/12/08 at 7:22 a.m.

Suggest removal

First, there shouldn't be early retirement benefits.

Second, the administrators of the schools should be the principal who should have power to hire and fire.

Third, teachers should be hired and fired at will, not protected by tenure which encourages teachers to stay longer and work not as hard as they otherwise would.

Fourth, tenure allows teachers to stay in longer than they otherwise would (along with overly generous benefit packages) this reduces the schools ability to attract high quality young teachers.

And that is the reason why raising teacher salaries DOES NOT improve the quality of teachers.
By random1

11/12/08 at 8:44 p.m.

Suggest removal

Start cutting here: There are approx 48 CCSD employees from admin aids to principals working at state prisons thru-out Clark County. There are approx 75 inmate education workers payed by the school district 25-75 dollars per month. They instruct hundreds of inmate students. In theory, this is a good idea, but when money is tight, the kids in school deserve these resources first.
By JeremyCarroll

11/14/08 at 10:51 a.m.

Suggest removal

While I can appreciate the desire to keep veteran teachers, why not give them incentives to stay rather than coerce them to stay? Teachers are already going to have to deal with the 200$ supply card being cut, which means that most won't have ANY paper for use in their class room. At all. None. And now the district wants to cut retirement benefits and their discussing cutting teacher's prep time. If Nevada keeps cutting away at teacher's privleges, while still expecting results and holding teachers accountable for creating those results, those veteran teachers aren't going to stay for another year - they're going to go to other states. Nevada simply won't be able to regain their economy with no educated individuals and absolutely no effective teachers.