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StumbleBudget crunch puts shorter school year, teacher pay cuts on table
Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010 | 1:42 p.m.
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Shortening the school year, cutting teacher pay and delaying textbook purchases were among the options floated at today’s meeting of the Interim Finance Committee, which met to review a potential $167 million hole in the state’s budget for K-12 education.
Gov. Jim Gibbons is calling for a 10 percent cut to K-12 education over the remainder of the biennium. That equates to $41 million for the current fiscal year and $125.6 million for 2011.
Jim Wells, deputy superintendent for administrative and fiscal services for the Nevada Education Department, said his staff has identified areas where state-level school funds can be shifted to help off-set the budget shortfall, leaving about $157 million to be trimmed by the 17 individual districts.
State law requires the public school year to be 180 days, up to five of which can be used for professional development. For each school day that is cut, the state would save $13 million in employee salaries and benefits, Wells said.
Lawmakers and education officials made it clear that professional training days – rather than instructional days with students – should be the first to be trimmed.
“From the standpoint of the public perspective, the non-instructional days should be the lowest priority,” said Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno.
The Clark County School District is facing budget cuts in basic support from the state of $27.7 million for this year and $84.7 million next year. That’s on top of the $250 million that’s already been trimmed since 2008, and doesn’t include projected shortfalls in local tax revenues.
Each day cut from the school year in the state’s largest district would save $8.8 million.
If the district were to eliminate the four days it currently sets aside for professional development, it would be the equivalent of a 2 percent pay cut for the majority of employees, Clark County Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes told the committee.
And to do that, “We would need some legislative cover to set aside negotiated agreements, on the basis of a fiscal emergency," he said.
The district is preparing to go into contract negotiations with the teachers’ union. The current bargaining agreement runs through June 30, and automatically renews unless one side requests arbitration.
Personnel costs account for nearly 90 percent of the district’s $2.1 billion operating budget. The best hope the district has to save jobs would be for the teachers’ and administrators’ unions to agree to an approach of “shared sacrifice,” Rulffes said. “The only way to really do that is a temporarily shortened work year.”
Cutting sports programs would save the district just $5 million annually, and eliminating all other extra-curricular activities would trim another $6.2 million. That won’t even get Clark County into the ballpark of what the governor is calling for, Rulffes said.
If the district increased class sizes by one student in each grade (1-12), it would eliminate 400 teaching positions and save $26.5 million.
Bumping up class sizes in grades 1-3, which have been protected by the Legislature, would eliminate 223 teaching positions and save $15 million.
State education officials and superintendents from other parts of the state urged the committee to let individual districts decide how to best to meet the required budget cuts, rather than ordering the elimination of specific programs and services such as full-day kindergarten or career and technical education.
“The goal of the Education Department is to minimize the impact on student learning and to retain jobs,” Wells said. “We want to leave districts as much flexibility as possible.”
With Nevada already ranked at the bottom nationally when it comes to per-pupil funding, Assemblyman Morse Arberry, D-Las Vegas, wondered how far back the public education system would be pushed by the proposed budget cuts.
“Will we ever catch up?” Arberry asked. “I hope it’s in my lifetime.”
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Can I suggest a reduction in pay? I know this a foreign concept but has it has been done in private employment all year.
The people being taxed to pay these salaries are making less. Why can't they pay less if that is their only option?
Are the Democrats in the majority actually owned by these public employees and their unions?
Let me get this straight. Shorten the year for students that are already 50th in the nation? Enlarge classrooms that already seem to be to large. Why not first get rid of the useless spending. When I was in school we had ONE principal not two or more. Useless spending on books. Why don't they buy there books from one source and in bulk. Instead they go to several different places and get charged excessive amounts. What they need is for someone from the private sector that is not in a union to take a look at how the money is being spent and make adjustments just like any other business.
Either take a pay cut or soon many of them will be out of a Job so....is it better to keep their positions & benefits with a little less or have nothing at all. I bet you they get all upset and demand no pay cuts and no lay-offs. Well....wouldn't we ALL love to have that guarantee?? Sorry, it's a different world today. There are simply no job security guarantee options left for any of us really.
Chuck 321..Thank you for mentioning the fact that they definately have an Employee Position Glut. When I was in School we also had ONE Principal, & ONE Vice-Principal and Teachers on Staff would divide up the Students by Last Name and act as their Counselors. The Counselor Staff in my Opinion do absolutely Nothing these days. At least any time that I needed their help with my Daughter they would simply pass the buck and usually back to me.
Raggio is friggin terrible. He needs to go. I think his goal is for the entire state to be half retarded.
We should implement something similar to what Florida did 10 years ago. I realize that the liberal's anti-christ, Jeb Bush, was involved, but it actually appears to have worked. Major changes without spending too much. Sounds like it graded schools based on improvements from previous years, and teachers in high performing schools got bonuses (imagine that, pay for performance!).
I'll admit that I don't know everything about the plan, so I'd be interested in hearing some criticisms, because it seems the results speak for themselves.
My suggestion: just cut school out completely. Let's be honest here, it's not working anyway so why nickel and dime it to death, put it out of its misery quick and clean. Then take that dough we would have been spending on school and put it towards programs that are working. Exit stage right and let the comments roll on.
I just LOVE all of you Professional Education Haters. Nevada is, by and large, dumb as a stump. Do you know why? Because YOU DO NOT VALUE EDUCATION.
All the comments about eliminating school completely or these other know-nothing suggestions do nothing to further the debate about how to maintain the quality of the public schools.
All the teaparty folks have to understand that we live in a society and that everyone plays a part. Eliminating an essential public service, be it public education, transportation, parks and social services, is simply not an option. A constructive debate would focus on creating an equitable tax structure and recognition of priorities.
Everyman, I agree that eliminating public schools is a joke, but I don't think anyone wants to "maintain the quality of the public schools" in Nevada. I'm obviously very opinionated about this, but I think that only a fool would be satisfied with the quality of our existing education system.
We need radical changes that help everyone. Every kid deserves a chance to succeed. Eliminating public schools would (sorry to sound cliche) make the rich richer and the poor poorer, depending on how it's done. Our poor public schools are already cheating these kids out of their chance to succeed.
I'm more interested in giving everyone their first chance than giving others a second chance. So I think we keep that philosophy in mind when making budget cuts.
gmag: " Nevada is, by and large, dumb as a stump."
First, don't be so hard on yourself.
Secondly, I believe most people that now live in Las Vegas did not get their education from within the state. Most moved in from other states.
So your argument is worthless which is not a surprise to any of us.
improveLV, I agree with the point that the quality of education must be improved. Drastic funding cuts and the consquent staffing reductions will only make it that more difficult for the children of Las Vegas to have successful and prosperous lives as adults.
I am a teacher and realize that a pay cut is coming, but there is plenty of waste that needs to be eliminated too. My school has "specialists" -- teachers who do not teach students but instead provide "assistance and guidance" to teachers. They are a waste of money. My school has four of these positions. Three of the teachers are paid a 12-month salary.
And that's another thing we need to eliminate: year round. My school, like many, doesn't need to stay on a year-round schedule. We have enough classrooms for all tracks. It would not be difficult to serve all students at once. Eliminate year round, you save tons of money in energy costs and a lot of money for the several 12-month contracts.
Thank you for your comments, "stgrock."
I was thinking of you specifically; aren't you from Nevada "originally"? I mean, what type of people typically do stuff like give their unwavering support to an idiot like Gym Gibbons?
They also misrepresent themselves online, by switching their screen-names; when people get sick of their crap under one name, they switch to another, more "heroic" sounding name... Isn't that right, "sgtrock", er... JFNANCE32?
Walt Rulffes has all the ideas about how to possibly save money except the one that is most obvious to the public: totally eliminate all of the administrative positions he has created and filled since he has been superintendent. He has created jobs and filled them with his 'good ole boy/girl cronies'...it is time to cut the crappola and reduce all school administration by no less than 50-75%.
He talks very smoothly about saving student services which means he wants to keep the administrtors that serve as mentors, advisors, specialists, consultants, managers, directors and othe superflous positions. 90% of all administrative positions do nothing directly for students. Cut out these jobs first 'Uncle Walt' then think about increasing class sizes. You already have dangerously overly large science classes in chemistry, etc.
If you can't reduce administrative salaries with or without the administrative union consent then end those jobs and cut them from the budget completely. If the job no longer exists, they no longer have a position to fill in the CCSD...even a blind jackass can understand that. Do you understand that fact yourself Dr. Rulffes?
You want to delay textbook purchases? Hell, there are some subjects where students barely have a classroom set of math books, etc to use now...how do you justify that saving when you have so many administrators drawing $100,000+ salaries? How do you justify that, Dr. Rulffes?
Walt Rulffes either you and the CCSD Trustees make the necessary reductions of 50-75% in administration or the taxpayers will certainly make it for you at the next election in 2010 or whenever you decide to float another multi-billion dollar school bond issue... Do it now, or we, the taxpayers will do it for you.
Neiman1 says,
"can I suggest a reduction in pay?"
"The people being taxed to pay these salaries are making less. Why can't they pay less if that is their only option?"
Under your premise, we should all contact the people we contract with for ANYTHING and say, "listen. I'm making less this year, I'll have to pay you less than I promised. Sorry about that."
What it really means is, you don't want to have to live up to your obligations. You want someone else to pay for the fact that YOU are making less. That sure sounds like what the repubs keep screaming at the left about... that the "liberals" are shirking their responsibilities... Asking for handouts... Getting bailouts...man, what ever happened to that republican mantra of "personal responsibility?
There are 3rd world countries whose students continually outperform American students. It is a misnomer to think that educating a child is dependent upon lots of money. Even though we read about how much money a state spends on a child's education as if that translates into a child recieving a better education. I'm not advocating paying teachers less. They more than earn their salary. But there is plenty of fat to trim in other areas of the educational system that for some reason never is a priority.
Raise mining tax from its current 0.5%. Nevada families pay 7.25% sales tax currently. mining should pay its fair ahare.
Raise the tax paid by Wal-Mart to be equal, by ratio, to what Nevada Small businesses are payinjg. Yes, small businesses in this state are paying more than major corporations like Wal-Mart.
Use some of the 4 billion in Clark County construction money that is just sitting there to pay the 881 million shortfall. Or use it to pay all of it.
Don't implement a permanent solution like ripping apart education to solve a temporsaty problem. Thats dumb public policy.
This world is just buildin up anger towardes all politicians perty soon there will be revolution by the people to remove all political garbage . the pot is stirring
What is wrongs with your people?
We only need to educate girls to the fourth grade and boys to eighth.
Anything more than about 40 days in school is extravagant.
Have the Govenor issue an Executive Order to cancel fire codes and we can put 90 kids in a classroom.
Why have trained teachers with degrees when we can hire unemployed sheetrockers at $8.00 an hour?
Who cares if Nevada is dead last in the nation for high school graduates and college graduates, and the US is repidly falling behind the world in science, technology, and engineering?
As long as Nevada has an adequate supply of busboys and "escorts" why are we worried?
Why are people worried about a adequate (never mind about excellent) education for their children and grandchildren? Don't they know that could cost potential tax dollars?
Here's how to fix UMC, unemployment and school funding. Deport the illegals, all of them. Then you can cut teachers and class sizes. Oh wait, car and health insurance will go down to! The list goes on and on. Oh, but I forgot, the corporations that own our elected officials want to keep wages artificially low so this will never happen! What a bummer!!!
The writing is on the wall for teachers. I have taught for 8 years and it is obvious that some sort of cut in pay is going to happen. How big is the issue. If we dont agree to at least 4-5%, then many teachers will lose their jobs and that is a pretty selfish and greedy thing to do. The more teachers dig in their heels to avoid this unpleasant truth, the more the public is going to turn against us. Don't buy the union bs..they are just as bad as any corporation that only thinks about their own bottom line. Im not happy about it, but life will go on.
A shorter school year is a really, really bad idea and it should never have been brought to the table.
Nevada's education funding ranks 26th to 47th nationally, depending on what is counted. Please feel free to check the U.S. Department of Education or the U.S. Census Bureau's figures yourself.
Catching up? Catching up to what? Nevada's per pupil spending increased 169 percent between 1959 and 2007 -- and that is after adjusting for inflation.
165% using these figures here from the U.S. Department of Education http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d09/t... (this adjusts for inflation to 2007-08 dollars, I had been doing 2007 dollars).
Education budget cuts should stay out of the classroom. Possibly focus on the administration and other support services. It is also time to quit paying to educate illegals and start taking care of Americans first.
I'm getting sick and tired of hearing and listening about cutting the budget for OUR kids in Las Vegas! Yes, OUR kids! Every home owner, whether they have kids or not, pays property taxes to fund teachers salaries. Instead of starting with cuts in education why don't we start trimming the fat where it needs to be trimmed. Let's start cutting in our prison facilities first! From what I hear they have three meals a day, exercise, TV, INTERNET!, there own room(maybe they have a roommate), etc..... Do they really need these privileges? Why don't we start putting more inmates in prison cells, to cut back on prison guards? If we cut education this is where our kids are going to end up.....PRISON!
teacher must rise up this election year take out gibbon and republican and conservative they don't care about teacher and union. union must vote them out. must vote democrat this years. don't believe republican saying education number 1 . we learn from last election.
"Catching up? Catching up to what? Nevada's per pupil spending increased 169 percent between 1959 and 2007 -- and that is after adjusting for inflation. "
WRONG, Mr. Gibbons.
Spending in Nevada rose from $3101 to $8682 per pupil between 1959 and 2007 adjusted for inflation, Nationally, the spending increased from $2,703 to $10,720 or 4-fold after adjusting for inflation.
$8017 increase nationally, but only $5116 in Nevada.
Teachers have been given a snow job by the NEA, NSEA, CCEA and the school district administration. They are not interested in saving your salary and jobs , they are interested in saving their own, that of the administration.
When have these NEA clowns and associates spoken up for teachers? When have they publicized the fact that teachers are overburdened with ridiculous paper work and other make work assignments by the over abundance of administrators in this district? When have they outlined the number of $100,000 salaried buffons who supposedly support teachers in the classrooms but have to justify their jobs by making up paper and pencil projects for you to fill out on a daily basis?
When will the NEA, NSEA and CCEA actually publicize what teachers actually do from day to day in overcrowded classrooms, with minimal consumable supplies and textbooks under constant pressure from micromanagers? When will they end the myth that teachers are highly paid and have paid vacations like Christmas, Easter, MLK Day, etc.,etc. The public believes this ridiculous myth to this day, but your organizations have done nothing, and do nothing to dispel these ridiculous myths.
Wake up teachers you are being taken for fools by both the Trustees and the administration. They have worked the public against you, thinking you only want a salary... It is time to wake up and get rid of the organization-association clowns who are looking to feather their own beds with cushy administrative jobs.
Just what has the CCEA done for you lately? Have they fought for a Teachers Bill of Rights to assure fair evaluations and reduction in harassment tactics? What have they done to assure you that you can teach in a classroom free of disruptive, disobedient and sometimes violent students? How well does the administration in your school support your classroom management policies, discipline procedures, grading and homework policies? How free are you to be a creative teacher?