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Salary cuts, furloughs OK’ed in budget deal
Monday, May 4, 2009 | 6:35 p.m.
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State workers will take a 4 percent pay cut by being forced to take one furlough day a month while teachers and higher education employees also will be asked to take a 4 percent cut.
A joint Assembly and Senate committee meeting Monday night voted unanimously after leadership from both parties spent hours hammering out a deal.
Gov. Jim Gibbons had recommended a 6 percent cut to state workers, teachers and higher education employees to make up for the state's budget shortfall. Last week, he said he would recommend a higher pay cut to meet a growing budget gap.
Legislative staff said they could not cut more than 4 percent from higher education and teachers because of federal stimulus dollars that require the state to maintain certain funding for education.
"This is one of the hardest decisions to make when closing the budget," said Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas. "It's fair to say, no legislature wants to cut any of those funds. Unfortunately, revenue is 44 percent below what we need to fund current levels of funding."
Legislators said the idea to furlough state workers one day a month came from the state worker's union. While no one said that taking off one day a month without pay equaled 4.6 percent, the estimate came from state budget director Andrew Clinger.
Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said, "This motion comes as a result of extensive discussions ... This is not an easy decision."
While the Legislature sets pay raises or reductions for state employees, they can only make recommendations on what school districts do with K-12 employees and higher education does with university employees.
"This stings," said Lynn Warne, president of the Nevada State Education Association. But, she added, "These are very difficult times. I believe they've done all they can do."
Because the Legislature sets the funding, if school districts don't reach an agreement with county school unions, the cuts will have to come from someplace else.
The joint committee also decided to suspend merit pay increases for state employees and longevity pay.
This is a key week for the Legislature as it closes many of the remaining large budget issues. A core group of legislators has been meeting to come to a consensus on what to cut and what taxes to raise. Buckley said after today's meeting that no agreement had been reached on anything other than salaries.
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THANK YOU GIBBONS! :-} I am so grateful to take a pay cut so that more of my co-workers have jobs too! The article doesn't say anything about lay offs! Are we saved?
4% doesn't sound so bad after last I heard he was seeking 11% cut. I can definitely live with this. I just hope this is the last time we hear about paycuts!
I seriously doubt that the 4% figure is enough to see this recessionary period through.
I expect the local government entities to lay off some to make up for the loss of revenues, which are down the road waiting for us.
You know, I am perfectly willing to take a 4% cut. I'd like to know this: why did it not occur to DEMOCRATS in particular that cutting me 4% but cutting someone in the six figures on up by, say, 8%, would bring more money to the state? Why is this cut not graduated? And why does any legislator doing this think that s/he should ever have the support of any intelligent Nevadan ever again? A beginning teacher certainly cannot absorb 4% as well as I can, nor can I absorb it as well as a high-level administrator can. This is a continuation of Nevada's stupid policymaking.
Yeah...wow...this is great...thanks Governor Gibbons. How about we cut your salary. I'm a single mom, my mortgage keeps going up, and I am barely making it the way it is as a teacher. So basically, I have to pay for my students to attend school. This is not fair. I would never ask a teacher to pay for my child using their salary. Maybe public education shouldn't be free anymore. Parents need to pay for their children to attend public school.
I love my students, but I have to put my own family first. Teachers give, give, give. I stay late after school for one-three hours every day without pay, and I take my job seriously. Responsibilities keep getting added every year, but nothing is ever taken away from our long list of duties. Well guess what? I'm not staying late next year, and when the bell rings at 3:16, I'm leaving whether I'm done with my work or not. I guess you get the kind of teacher you pay for.
Having watched our Nevada State Legislature equivocating for months now about "raising some revenue" (i.e. raising taxes); but having read today that Apprentice Gutless Wonder Senate Majority Leader Steve Horsford (Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley is Gutless Wonder in Chief) now admits we must "raise some revenue" (See "Senate leader: New revenue needed to fill budget gap," Las Vegas Sun 2 May 2009); I feel there may be some hope for our state after all -- two years in the future.
I say two years because our current 63 Gutless Wonders in Carson City, the Nevada State Legislature, will indeed (reluctantly) "raise some revenue" but not nearly enough to stave off extreme cuts in state services that -- once actually felt -- will cause us all to scream for mercy in the form of "raising some [more] revenue" - in serious amounts next time.
When times were good and Nevada could have easily afforded to raise taxes on gaming, mining, Wal-Mart, etc., no one wanted to raise taxes. But if taxes had been raised then, when everyone could afford it, we would not now be in the current fiscal mess. Now taxes must be raised when the state can ill afford it; the Gutless Wonders in Carson City therefore have a built-in excuse to (again) not raise enough taxes.
The future good news: the state employee pay cuts will be redacted, and sufficient taxes will finally be raised, in two years when Nevadans feel the full misery of living with that budget. The future bad news: We will in the meantime have two miserable years of living with that budget since Carson's Cowards refuse to raise over a billion dollars in taxes in order to hopefully save their own sorry skins.
I hope Carson's Cowards have it wrong and that their sorry skins go down in defeat anyway come 2010. It would serve them right for (as politicians typically do) putting themselves, not the state and its citizens, first -- even though they all know full well the serious harms that their tepid actions of today will bring to our state these next two years.
The hope of course, among the legislature's Democrats in particular, is that once you and I feel the extent of the LuvGuv's cuts (e.g., day-long waits at the DMV; K-12 kids wandering the streets and malls due to no more football, band, debating club; UMC turning critically ill people away, state parks shut, etc.), we will not only pitch "Governor Turtleneck" (as the Las Vegas Sun's Jon Ralston often puts it) out of office but cry "uncle" and realize the necessity of "raising [in serious amounts, this time] revenue". But this is what it will take: two years of day-to-day misery. We will simply have to actually feel the pain before Nevada citizens as a group wise up and (hopefully at least) throw these bums out tomorrow for the collective cowardice they are displaying today.
Don't bother thanking Governor Jim for the 4% cut. He wanted an 11% cut! You can thank the Nevada Legislature for coming up with a common sense approach to cutting the budget without impacting state employees as much as Jimmy Boy wanted to. Thank you Barbara Buckley, Steven Horsford, et al! A day off per month without pay is one more day per month I can go hiking and enjoy Nevada's beautiful outdoors. Now let's get on with life!
I agree that a graduated pay cut would have been better. In my opinion, people making $80k+/year could afford more, but then again 4% of a low salary such as $30k/year only loses less than $25/week.
nikpod, you say that parents should pay for their children to attend public school. if you can barely afford the pay cut, how would you pay for your kids to go to public school? public school has to be free so that even if you have loser parents, they still have the opportunity to go to school. With your nasty attitude, I hope that my kids are never in your classroom.
nevadaappleslices: "THANK YOU GIBBONS!" For what??? His personal theatre of the absurd?? You are "grateful" for a pay cut so your "co-workers" have jobs?? I can only imagine how grateful your co-workers are to have such a pushover in their midst. Maybe a 10% salary reduction - or 15% - is more your think mode?
I urge you to seek help or at least reduce your meds. Perhaps you can inform the rest of us where Mr. Gibbon's 4% pay cut is in the budget? Opps... I think that has to be changed by law. I've looked everywhere and can't find the bill proposal. That, however, would constitute "leadership" on the governor's part - something he is totally lacking.
At 4% the governor is still trying to balance the budget on teachers and state employees. State employees get one day off a month without pay, and teachers must still show up the same amount of days for 4% less. So much of this talk the last few days of 11% to 16% pay cuts to teachers to make us "grateful" they are only cutting our salaries by 4%. Don't be stupid!
some of you think that the world revolves around you. there is not enough money to go around. he had the choice of pay cuts or massive lay offs. many of us that are not greedy and take the high road tpreo fer a pay cut than losing any of our co-workers.
have you not noticed the massive lay offs from the casinos and other businesses? that every state worker is taking cuts! well, you probably can't see past yourself and I feel sorry for you.
I am a state employee who is happy to support an income tax for all Nevadans. I'll support it and I'll pay it. But a pay cut for state workers - whose workloads are increasing in these difficult times - is a tax on the few. All Nevadans benefit from state services. All Nevadans should pay for them.
I am sorry I voted for Democrats; this crisis was their opportunity to create a tax structure that would move Nevada forward. Instead, they will increase regressive taxes and implement cuts on teachers - of all people. These Democrats will have done nothing with their chance to make a difference, and they will probably suffer in future elections anyway. Phooey.
How is this fair for all? I will take my 4.6% cut but why are the state employees the only ones? The teachers take a 4 percent cut, but get their merit increases. That is a .5 percent RAISE. I lose my merit so I take a 9.5 percent cut. Like I stated, I will do my part but this is not fair. Non-educational state workers are the ONLY government workers who are actually taking a CUT and that is not right!
Graduated salary cuts are crucial, and can still happen since the legislature doesn't directly pay for Higher Ed or local k-12 teacher salaries. The legislature takes the money out of the pot. For Higher Ed, the Regents and the University or College Administrators will hack together the cuts. They may still do a graduated cut with furloughs. Let's hope they do...
I don't think voters are going to forgive Buckely, Horsford, et al next election. nikpod had it right - the only people really sacrificing here are teachers, professors and those who support them. And to the average Nevadan, all they see is education going down the tubes, services being cut and then record profits for foreign mining companies in Northern Nevada.
"the only people really sacrificing here are teachers, professors and those who support them". Really there bremskraft? "Those who support them" are sacrificing? My 9.5 percent doesn't count? Come on buddy, give me some credit here, after all, I am one of the government employees who is actually taking a CUT. Fairness is out the freaking window here. Maybe everyone skipped K-6th grade and didn't learn how to be fair to everyone.
So, do support staff CCSD employees get the one furlough day a month or a pay cut? I'd like the day each month to golf. Oh and when does CCSD let go of all the consultants and overtime?
What a crock, once more the burden is on the backs of the teachers. They have to work more hours with increased class sizes with no supplies AND take a pay cut.... 4% smells like 20% to me. It just shows once again that education is the furthest thing that Nevada cares about.
The governor proposes salary cuts of up to 16%for state workers but why not for all workers in city, county courts and other government entities that also receive state monies. Directly or in directly they are all recipients of state monies. Judges, police, firefighters, clerks, etc.,etc all receive monies from the state...let's be fair about this and cut all of their salaries 16%...
This is, laughably called, NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK. WOW ! How wonderful it is to be a teacher in Nevada and the CCSD ! Rewards of appreciation abound on a daily basis...teachers only need to look at their class loads and pay checks to realize how fortunate they are to be teachers in this state and district...!!!
Where else can a teacher enjoy 40+ kids in a classroom, without adequate modern textbooks, equipment and supplies? Where else but CCSD and Nevada could teachers be expected to buy their own supplies like paper for tests and pencils for the students to use?
Where else do we have multi-billion dollar resort casinos continuing to rape Nevada of her wealth while they continue to build lavish complexes world wide by refusing to pay more of their share of taxes...where or where?
Yes, teachers the CCSD really appreciates you and all of your hard work by continuing policies of harassment and requiring meaningless, mindless and abundant paper work to justify the high salaries of the 'in the clouds' administrators like Walt Rulffes? Will they ever implement a 'Teachers Bill of Rights' in your contract to end this nonsense...no, never!!!
Happy Teacher Apprecition Week Teachers....you continue to be the lowest paid, least appreciated suckers ever....
I hope the next Gov. has the balls to raise/create new taxes so this crap will end.
Hey Teachers - keep in mind that state workers pay their retirement - yours is paid for by the counties. Therefore, you are 10.5% ahead of state workers. In addition, state workers work more days then you = 365 - 24 weekends -11 holidays - 15 vacation days = 315 work days to your 180/188 days of work. So when you think state workers are over paid compared to you - keep these facts in mind.
We should use this opportunity to get rid of half of these make work jobs anyway. Has anyone been into a state agency lately? It's a perfect case study in laziness, fraud, waste, and abuse.
the cats,
Hey Teachers - keep in mind that state workers pay their retirement - yours is paid for by the counties. Therefore, you are 10.5% ahead of state workers. In addition, state workers work more days then you = 365 - 24 weekends -11 holidays - 15 vacation days = 315 work days to your 180/188 days of work. So when you think state workers are over paid compared to you - keep these facts in mind.
I am a teacher, I don't think you are underpaid; an insignificant tax hike could have solved all of this and set us up for a huge rainy day fund in later years so this would never happen again. So I think it is Bull@#$% that you are taking any cut. All individuals should cover this, but even the democrats want to get elected or reelected and they don't want to stand on the podium and answer questions about huge tax hikes. All I know is the voting population in the state is very small, and the people they are alienating are a major percentage of it. I'm not going to forget.
Cats,
Sorry, I meant I don't think you are overpaid.
travislv86 - I don't think teachers are over paid either - we need to stay together and not be pitted against each other. I agree with the tax increase. As state workers/teachers we did not get to share in the gains that private companies/individuals etc were making when the times were good. We, as state workers/teachers, plodded along at a steady slow/low pace and now we are asked to take the lion share of the pain with a combination of wage cuts and increase in costs for insurance and retirement. The contractors, casinos, etc. did not share their profits/gains accordingly but now cry for us to take the pain because they don't wish to pay more taxes! As a state worker I do not want to be compared to the hospitality industry or casino worker nor do I want to be compared to the construction industry and the real estate agents. I chose to work for the state knowing I would not make hugh salary increases but I did not expect to take the "fall" for the state. Doing my share is one thing but caring the burden is another. What is Gibbon's vendetta against state workers/teachers? Any ideas??
thecats4,
I agree with you and travislv86. We need to stick together. We should not have to carry the burden of the entire state budget problem on our salaries. Much of all this talk about pay cuts is posturing to make us feel grateful that we are "only" taking a 4% cut. The governor is targeting education, because teachers and universtiy faculty are educatated and they can see through governor's plan that will destroy the core or our state. It kind of reminds me of a certain leader in histroy, who orderd people such as teachers and journalists or any other "thinking people" to be put to death, so he wouldn't have any opposition to his tyrannical rule!
thecats & travis,
Teachers and state workers need to stick together on this because it really amounts to a tax hike on one group of people (from NO TAXES Gibbons). This isn't like autoworkers agreeing to wage concessions to save GM or Chrysler, the state is NOT a company, its services do not just benefit state workers and teachers, they benefit everybody, and its services are used by everyone. However, not everyone is being asked to sacrifice to balance the budget to save the state. Gibbons says that taxes take money out of people's pockets and that will hinder economic recovery, but wage cuts that put money directly into the hands of the government equates to taxes and so you'll soon see how much (or how little) state workers and teachers will be spending to help out the economy in the near future.
Some of you embarrass me on behalf of educators. There is a serious budget problem, educators receive the smallest cut among the state workers, and you are claiming that the budget is being balanced on your back? Be careful, they could just decide to instead lay off 1000 people. I'll say thank you for the trivial 4% pay cut, thank you very much.
Let's be real here, it is not only a 4.6% salary cut. I am losing my merit (2%) and step raise (2%) as well as being forced to contribute 2% more to retirement (now 19%) So for most state law enforcement and fire fighters we are losing a combined 12.6%. I can see withholding step and merit raises for all employees, but taking the additional and increasing PERS contributions is more than most can afford. Where are these wonderful tax cuts our illustrious President is supposed to give us? And why is there not a tax credit for families who have a stay at home mom. These families are making the BEST choice for there family and are not getting the same benefits as those who choose to weaken there family bonds This is done by giving more benefits to those who choose to put there families last by putting both parents in the workforce and reward families for having others raise their children. Just a question for thought.
Correction....we are losing a combined 10.6%
nevadaappleslices,
You continue with the same rant daily. So as I see it, you are one of two people. 1, you have a spouse that makes a ton of money, or 2, you enjoy eating ramen noodles and oyster crackers. Either way, if you want to give your money away, go to the MGM or Wynn and lose a couple grand, they need the money. By doing that, you will be graciously giving away your salary which you have openly expressed a joy of doing, and you will also be keeping casino workers employed. So save your embarrassment for when your pants fall down in public. If you don't need your money, your opinions on this topic are moot. I think you should be embarrassed as to how you judge people's integrity with having no knowledge of their finances. So please Nevadaapple, tell me, if the four percent isn't going to hurt you, and you think it will save jobs, why then are you opposed to tax increases, which would still take your money, and also save the government workers you seem so concerned about? Why aren't you championing that rout?
nevada apple slices is not a teacher, nor a public employee about to get a pay cut. CORRECT, NANCE?
Just a TOTAL FLAMER, trying to incite the poor people upset about having their salaries reduced, so they'll write in to these pages.
It's a BIG FUNNY JOKE to have people worry about paying their bills. ISN'T IT FUNNY??? LOL!!!
Well, inevitably, nance, the joke will be on you. There will be no reduction in teacher pay. You'll see, dear.
Now; QUIT WITH YOUR SILLY PRETENDING, you are upsetting the grown-ups.
I'm curious to hear when Mr. Gibbons is going to offer to not receive his $141,000 pay check for being the worst governor in this state's history. He's already getting retirement pay from being a Congressman, retirement pay from the military and will most likely take Dawn for everything he can, so he's not exactly destitute. I think he should sacrifice a bit so that his staff can have their lavish pay raises.
I believe it is beyond time for the voters and citizens of Nevada to stand up to the Luv-GUV and demand the recall of Governor Gibbons. His poor money management and lack of leadership are driving our state into a horrible financial state which will take years to climb out of. Responsible voters and citizens on both sides of the political line need to come together and save our state from financial ruin.
go this web site to recall the Love-GOV.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/recall-...
CoolBill89701, that petition is closed. If there is another one out there I would very much like to know the addy so that I may circulate.
travis and gmag, you two are something. I guess that you would rather have no job at all instead of a slight pay cut. As I said before, a 4% pay cut is trivial and I'm happy to do it if it saves jobs for my co-workers. I love my co-workers and while I would quit if it were a 30% pay cut, the 4% is no biggie and worth it.
ha ha ha! xxxoooxxx.
I'd take the 4% cut to save my fellow worker's job also.But I do believe we will never get the 4% back as a whole and will continue to be asked to take cuts. I believe we will be addressing this same issue in 6-9 months if taxes are not addressed adequately. There has to be a better tax system. Oh and a better governor. Wonder what dasterly deeds he will impose later on us!
travis and gmag, you two are something. I guess that you would rather have no job at all instead of a slight pay cut. As I said before, a 4% pay cut is trivial and I'm happy to do it if it saves jobs for my co-workers. I love my co-workers and while I would quit if it were a 30% pay cut, the 4% is no biggie and worth it.
NVappleslices,
You have been called out; you respond to nothing, you are as bright and as insightful; as a flea on a cat's ass. Go away. I will sleep well tonight knowing you are smarter than you represent yourself on these reader boards. Let me steal a quote from you, Hi, my name is Travis. I hate money, in fact, I despise it, please come take it from me, because I secretly am the governors' illegitimate mistress. I am in love with the luv guv, but we didn't meet in a garage.
Slices of Nevada: suggest removal of "nevadaappleslices" as s/he (or alien waiting for it's mother ship) contributes nothing except how much s/he wants to do for "co-workers." By taking a pay cut? Continually lavishing praise on Mr. Gibbons? 4.6 % is far from "trivial." It is on average about $4K for state workers. Additionally, Gibbons never fought for additional Obama monies. (Mr. Reid might face a few questions about this as well. More on him later..)
The governor, besides his uncanny devotion to exposing his near-perverted private life - is a shrewd and devious politician. His ten years or so in DC was a great education. Screaming 16% payroll deductions, layoffs, and eventual doom - he (along with help from near-equal stupid politicans) got many state employees to embrace the latest proposed 4.6% payroll reduction - it is so transparent. Instead of leading (I think that's what the governor is elected to do) like a real human (yes, some politicians are human) he went and hid from the legislature - screaming that they could offer nothing against his bold, no tax economic strategy. He could have easily proposed sunset legislation of a mild state income tax. He could have called it the 'Sierra Sunset Stimulus'... or something equally appealing. He could have led the way by contributing one year of his salary into the fund. Instead he rants and rambles in a Henderson boat showroom - what a perfect background. With Lake Mead at near historic low levels - he implies his boat showroom friend will make less of a profit - profit, less of, still a damn "profit" - not a loss because of the bad economy during this fiscal year. Bizzare?
No need to start a recall campaign as Captain Gibbons remains focused on saving the deck chairs on the Titanic. He insists on going down with the ship. Unfortunately, Nevadans have another 19 months of the LuvGuv before he sinks into the political mud of the deep.
I am a higher education teacher. We are not being allowed to keep our merit raises; they were frozen a year ago so cannot be frozen again. We are taking a 4% pay cut. Our health insurance is being reduced, and our premiums raised. In my case, my premium increase amounts to 6% of my gross salary - yes, it is an even larger amount than the 4% pay cut. So . . . as class sizes increases, opportunities for professional development disappear, and supplies become non-existent - I will take a 10% gross cut.
It doesn't make sense for Nevada to keep cutting education. Businesses which don't invest in people, equipment, or supplies go under. Our education system is already drowning - if we don't change our tax structure, it will go under.
I believe that the very idea of cutting teachers pay is completely cruel and inhuman! Lay off new teachers, it's last hired, first fired. Just leave the veteran teacher's paychecks alone. We have put in time and education for our paychecks and there is no way you can convince us to "be happy we have a job" brownie button.
Most of us have our Masters degrees, I don't see Doctors, Dentists and the like taking pay cuts! No one cares that teachers can not make it with a cut in pay! Nevada is fast becoming more and more costly to live here. Next year, they will still increase our class sizes and cut our classroom budget.
I just received something in my email about a "Mentoring program" the district wants information about for next year. I told them the program was a huge waste of money! The mentors do absolutely nothing all day and take 2hour lunch breaks. The whole program is a complete joke and all of the teachers I talked to that attended this program last year, thought it was a big waste of time, and yet, they are running surveys to find out what to do to improve the program for next year,
CCSD needs to cut out all of these wasteful programs and stop wasting money. If CCSD wants to know how to keep teachers in Nevada, they need to LEAVE OUR MONEY alone!!! Treat the teachers that are here with respect and stop hiring additional teachers for next year!
Lay-off all teachers that are new to the district, cut down the kitchen and janitor staff. Send the FASA home for good. Cut down to one dean per school. Cut the ELL position and cut the Literacy position.
Stop offering summer school for kids that fail during the year. STop offering after school tutoring unless parents want to pay for the service.
I imagine teachers who have any type of job opportunities, anywhere else in the world, will leave Nevada this summer. Working in Nevada as a teacher is a very thankless job and it just keeps getting worse.
Wow starrynite as long as you get yours right? So firing a teacher who probably moved here from out of state and committed to Nevada should be tossed out on their rear? That wouldn't be inhumane at all...would it? I hate to tell you but we would save more money by firing you than the newbie. If the newbie can demontrate the same core competencies as you then the one with the higher salary gets the axe. Cutting positions and programs is not the answer. People in this state need to start sharing the burden in times like this. Install a small income tax, call an emergency session in a year to see the results, but placing the burden on state workers just sounds like we will have lazy state workers.
As someone above pointed out, a pay cut is just like a tax increase for those people. Wouldn't it be better to increases taxes for everyone and not just cut pay for some? I'd love to see the a comparison of the savings coming from 4% salary cuts compared to the increase in revenues we'd get from a 1% sales tax or property tax increase.
starry, how are you even going to compare the value of teachers to doctors? Laying off young teachers? I feel bad if young teachers have to work around selfish, old teachers that think that way. I like my co-workers, I could never suggest they be fired over a small 4% pay cut.
As a life long Dem, I too am disappointed in the utter lack of courage. The Gov. is on the ropes and they're too afraid to deliver a knockout because they fear a veto? So lame. As for Gibs, he hates government and it figures he would use this moment to choke the life out of it. I guess we won't see any state employees buying any personal water craft from his buddy in Hendo any time soon.
Mr. Schwartz writes..."State workers will take a 4 percent pay cut by being forced to take one furlough day a month while teachers and higher education employees also will be asked to take a 4 percent cut."
I want a furlough day instead of a salary cut! If we are going to "spin" things here, then lets make it an even "spin". Give teachers a furlough day and see the parents of our state's students go crazy looking for a baby sitter!!! I'm with the state workers on this one, a furlough day it is.
This state revolves around keeping our people uneducated, as uneducated people are "easier" to deal with. Nevada will pay for it's sins much sooner than later on this one.
How to create a stir, take the built in child care away from the system... teachers! Give them a furlough day and watch the "taxpayers" come out of the woodwork and raise holy heck about who's going to watch their kid while they are at work, assuming they have a job right now. Public education is merely babysitting for the rest of the state, when it should be the cornerstone of or state's forward thinking.
Apparently, Nevada is not willing to forge ahead and provide a stable tax base for education, but why should we think that now. There have been opportunities for over 30 years and never once has any politician suggested doing so.
A no strike state... so was the state I grew up in the 70's & 80's and teachers walked for their rights.