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StumbleK-12 cuts proposal could help — or hinder — Gibbons
Conservative base will be keen on the proposed savings
Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010 | 2 a.m.
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In today's Sun
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Gov. Jim Gibbons
Rory Reid
Brian Sandoval
Democrats and Republicans agreed that the chances of success for many of the ambitious education proposals floated Wednesday by Gov. Jim Gibbons range from slim all the way to none. But that wasn’t necessarily the point.
Gibbons’ plan — which reads like the wish list of a conservative education reformer — appears aimed at exciting the conservative Republican base, while offering a way to cut the state budget.
It certainly has put his political opponents on the defensive.
The governor’s proposal, which he presented to legislators Wednesday in Las Vegas, would eliminate funding for class-size reduction and all-day kindergarten. Some of that money, although not all, would be returned to school districts, his staff said. The proposal would also add a statewide voucher program, which parents could use to pay for private schools.
Gibbons proposed eliminating collective bargaining rights for teachers and other local government employees, such as cops and firefighters.
The plan hits several favored conservative targets — the teachers union, state bureaucracy and its mandates — and emphasizes local school board control.
“Gibbons is taking on K-12 education, particularly the union, which is very popular with the Republican base,” said Eric Herzik, a UNR political science professor.
He added: “I can’t believe he expects this to pass. He knows that the Assembly, in particular, will dig in its heels and say no.”
But in a meeting with legislators, which was closed to the media, he said he would call “as many special sessions as necessary to get this passed,” according to Assemblywoman Debbie Smith, D-Reno. “He was pretty riled up.”
Smith’s account was confirmed by another participant.
Besides not agreeing with his proposals, Smith wondered about the wisdom of enacting such change in a special session, where the Legislature usually meets for only a day or two.
After the meeting, Gibbons sounded conciliatory. “We’re coming up with our proposals, our ideas. They are not the complete answer. Some of them may be totally unacceptable to legislators, but at least we’re coming up with ideas ... We’re asking them to bring their ideas, their suggestions to the table for review.”
Gibbons said his proposals would cut from $30 million to $100 million from the education budget.
Gibbons reached out to a handful of school superintendents before Wednesday’s meeting, according to his staff.
He did not apparently reach out to the Republican legislative leaders who would be needed if the proposals are to have any hope of becoming law during a special session. Senior Republican Sens. Bill Raggio and Randolph Townsend, and Assembly Minority Leader Heidi Gansert said they had not been briefed.
“This would be a difficult agenda to push through a Legislature controlled by Democrats,” Raggio said.
He dismissed the idea that the state could do away with collective bargaining altogether, and pointed out Gibbons’ history as sponsoring the “Education First” initiative. “This is a departure from that.”
Not surprisingly, Democrats were critical of the proposals and accused the governor of playing politics.
“He’s trying to shore up his dismal approval rating with his base,” Assembly Majority Leader John Oceguera said. “These cuts will do more to hurt the economy than help in the long run. It hurts schools, hurts students and ... hurts our economy.”
Some ideas are untenable, particularly in a special session, he said. For example, some recently built classrooms are smaller to accommodate lower student-to-teacher ratios, and can’t fit more kids.
Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid, a Democrat running for governor against Gibbons, said, “If the governor really cared about education, he would’ve talked about it during the two sessions when he was supposedly leader of the state. It’s unfortunate that he waits until his back is against the wall and his own political future is at stake to put out an education plan.”
Sen. Joyce Woodhouse, chairwoman of the interim committee on education, said legislators in Wednesday’s meeting were surprised by Gibbons’ proposals.
“I’m surprised at how far-reaching they are,” she said. “Many of these issues have been hard fought and won over the years. We’ve always believed they were good for the education of our children.”
But Oceguera, Reid and Woodhouse won’t be voting in June’s gubernatorial primary.
In that race, Gibbons’ most formidable opponent will be Brian Sandoval, the charismatic former judge who is ahead of Gibbons in polls and is expected to have far more money to run a campaign.
Gibbons’ proposal almost obligates Sandoval to take a position.
Sandoval is walking a tight line, trying to show his conservative bona fides to beat Gibbons and former North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon in the Republican primary while keeping an eye on the general election when he will need to appeal to moderates.
Sandoval last week told the Las Vegas Sun that Gibbons’ budget approach was “prudent.” He was unavailable for comment Wednesday, according to his campaign. Instead, in a statement released by his campaign, Sandoval said, “While I’m an advocate of school choice, expanding empowerment schools and increased parental involvement, I believe it is an extremely bad idea to be laying off hundreds of teachers in a time of record unemployment in Nevada.”
But others had nothing but praise for Gibbons’ plan. The conservative Nevada Policy Research Institute called it a “win-win” for Nevada and a “day of hope for Nevada’s children thanks to the governor’s proposed education reform.”
Conservative consultant Chuck Muth wrote in his analysis of Gibbons’ proposal: “This is exactly the sort of thing which might, just might, put Gov. Jim Gibbons back in the running for the Republican nomination and re-election next fall.”
Indeed, Wednesday’s announcement, with its talk of dismantling the elected State Board of Education and crushing unions is a reminder of a touchstone moment in the conservative movement, during the Ronald Reagan era.
Reagan ran for president in 1980, promising to abolish the U.S. Education Department. Conservatives still look back fondly on the ire of labor supporters after Reagan fired air traffic controllers when they went on strike in 1981.
The push to end collective bargaining for public employees, which would essentially crush the unions, echoes Reagan’s dramatic move, which is widely viewed as the beginning of a sharply anti-labor turn in American governance.
Still, Gibbons has to watch out for a backlash.
Alison Turner, president of the Nevada Parent Teacher Association, said full-day kindergarten and class-size reductions were proven strategies to improve education.
“It will be crippling to the state, taxpayers and kids,” Turner said. “Businesses moving here require a first-class education system.”
Indeed, Gibbons might be taking on relatively popular punching bags, like the union and state bureaucracy.
If it hits citizens in a personal, tangible way — your child’s class size gets bigger and the respected teacher you know gets laid off — anger will mount. And teachers are still considered a popular group.
“If the rank-and-file teachers get riled up, if they can separate themselves from being the ‘union,’ Gibbons has picked a fight with a large and powerful group,” Herzik said.
Sun reporters Cy Ryan and J. Patrick Coolican contributed to this story.
David McGrath Schwartz can be reached at 775-687-4597 or at david.schwartz@lasvegassun.com. Michael J. Mishak can be reached at 259-2347 or at michael.mishak@lasvegassun.com.
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The proposals are the only way to save services in Nevada. The teachers union and public employee unions have strangled the life out of our state, counties, and cities.
Go Governor, this is perfect
"Go Governor, this is perfect."
2 words for you, neiman...
NEVER HAPPEN.
saddest part of all...
that little gibbons monkey...
will try to save his failed political career on the backs of our children...
at the expense of their education...
sad...
truly sad...
The little Gibbons Monkey is trying to squeeze the banana from the tree before it's time, and time is one thing Gibbons don't have much of. Bye Bye Little Monkey...
As a NY teacher (25 years)hoping to move to Las Vegas I read this paper to learn about what's going on. I say, full speed ahead!!! Watching the slow death of eduation in NY (despite the fixed test score results they use to prop up their BS decisions) I believe the only way people will learn what is important is to let their own stupidity rule. Punish teachers for doing their jobs, cut education funds, promote vouchers and charter schools, do it all. Then when it all comes crashing down (and it will) we can end the foolishness once and for all. So, Go For It, Gibbons, Patterson, Bloomberg, and Duncan!! Show us the light, geniuses!!!!!!!!!
Hey Governor Gibbohs: you want to eliminate unnecessary expenses in university education? Cut out the crappola big time football, basketball and other sports. Think of the money you will save not having to hire coaches, assistants,etc? Sell of the sports areanas and stadia and see how much money will be left.
Cut out the buy out contracts for coaches; no more buyouts and bonuses for coaching ...
UNLV is short of funds then, why did they hire a head football coach for $350,000+ all the addtional bonuses; what about his assistants and their salaries? It time to end the horse pucky thinking... college students need quality acadmeic instructors not expensive useless coaches.
Little Cleanface (Rory) is such a phony. If HE was any kind of leader he would have dealt with UMC a long time ago. Instead, he takes his payoffs and babies die. Nice one, Rory! Little Cleanface has so few ideas (none), he needs a "citizens committee" to think them up for him. Then he steals the ideas and calls them his. Nice one, Rory! You did a good job learning from your old man!
@ skisailmtb40: you are way off topic.
Ok, geniuses, I got a question for ya. How do you know that all-day k and class-size-reduction do NOT work? All you claim to know is that things have stayed the same. How do you know that without those two items, our kids would not have done even more poorly in learning the basics? See? You can't know. So look at data. Those things do work. It stands to reason that they would. Start learning when your brain is a sponge. Get more quality time with teachers with less distraction. Personally, I think,as mandatory reporters, every teacher in the state should be on the phone to CPS reporting on the Gibbons proposal to abuse and neglect.
The problem is that class reductions are not in place in CCSD. Those are recommendations, but go into any classroom and you will not see low class sizes. My wife works at a title 1 school, and even though they receive additional funds her kindergarten class has 25 students for her to teach alone (in previous years they had unliscensed aides). The numbers only increase as you move up in grades. High school classes with 45-50 students. So eliminating class size reductions is impossible because they don't exist.
Never going to happen. Keep smokin Neiman.
Nice approach Gibbons. Trash the state so that you have any chance at competing in the Republican primary. Our state is facing the biggest crisis of the century and you are trying to salvage your political career.
Air,
Full-day kindergarten is nice, but not necessary. The governor's plan removes the requirement that district's have the program and gives them a good portion of that money to spend as they please.
Classroom size reduction does benefit students - IF, you have classrooms lead by great teachers. Nevada has no means of testing whether or not teachers are great, as no means of rewarding great teachers, and does not attempt to recruit great greaters by all possible means.
Thus, the result of classroom size reduction has been to increase the likelihood that children are taught by ineffective teachers.
The money would be better spent hiring and rewarding high quality teachers and packing as many students as possible into their classrooms. In fact, research has shown that highly effective teachers are 10 to 20 times more powerful than small class sizes.
Quixotic59
New York's charter schools outperform public schools according to random assignment studies done in the district. Btw, New York has drastically increased spending and is still beat in many areas by Florida, a state which spends half as much http://npri.org/publications/frivolous-i...
Vouchers also greatly benefit students, especially low-income and minority students. Vouchers also make public schools better as public schools must compete to keep students. Vouchers, research has also shown, tends to increase racial diversity in schools. Ironically today's public schools are highly segregated.
Its funny how Gibbons came up with this 1 day after Gov. Arnold, announced the same thing in California. This is all about getting the federal money. He (Gibbons) doesn't care about anybody but himself, He has proved this over and over again, especially in his personal life. And to threaten with special sessions over and over again until its passed is ludicrous. He only wants control over the millions that are due to our children, just the same way he seized the stimulus money. The only hope for Nevadans is to impeach this bastard.
School Choice Faq: http://www.friedmanfoundation.org/newsro...
School Choice Myths: http://www.friedmanfoundation.org/school...
School Choice programs: http://www.friedmanfoundation.org/school...
Ok Patrick,
How do we cajole GREAT teachers into our system at $35k salary?
They get: class size of 40-100, expectations to read, understand, grade a ream of papers daily, design differentiated instruction for each child for each deficit in each standard, design and deliver inspirational lessons to encourage growth, curiosity and acculturation while being forced to take on-going coursework to maintain license and spending 10-20% of their takehome pay to satisfy this req?
Then they walk out to their car at the end of the school day and find tires slit, windows smashed and smelly brown things inside along with the scent of urine.
They are threatened, stabbed and spat upon by the dregs of society.
Who ya gonna get, some Master's-degreed quarterback from Oklahoma??
Rory Reid said: "If the governor really cared about education, he would've talked about it during the two sessions when he was supposedly leader of the state."
In a regular session, it's the Legislature that chooses the topics and sets the agenda. In a Democratically controlled Legislature, the Governors' education proposal would never see the light of day. Now in a special session, it's the Governor that gets to choose the topics and sets the agenda. This is why we are hearing it now rather than in the last regular session. I think the Governor played this hand perfectly. Bravo!
You do away with the silly requirement that teachers have some step salary system and create a merit pay system. You also do away with the requirement that you hire 22 year old kids from the bottom of the graduation pool by eliminating certification requirements or at least creating meaningful alternative certification methods.
How many teachers, assuming they were rock star teachers, would take a 6 figure salary to teach 40 or 50 kids a class? The Koreans do that and they kick Americans in the pants on every major international exam.
PS, its often the bad teachers who have given up on the kids and end up blaming parents all the time. Good teachers figure out a way. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/201001/go...
Patrick, lowering the standards for teachings and eliminating certifications is just plain dumb. If you want better teachers, stop recruiting "education" majors. IMO, this major is to easy and is for the lazy and/or dumb. Your rock star teachers are going to come from real majors - a math teacher with a REAL math degree, a biology teacher with a REAL bio engineering degree, etc. Other states do this - you get a real major, take 2 education courses and a state exam, and you are a teacher.
Oh, but I guess that people that have real qualifications probably won't want to teach ghetto kids in LV that come from families where education is not valued and they might as well get better jobs.
Patrick,
When I taught in Korea, I found the cultural disposition significantly different there than here. The Koreans actually VALUE education, spend 30-60% more time in school than Americans, and as a result, DO out-perform us as you say.
The gap will not disappear overnight. Let's say your plan is law tomorrow. How long before our six-figure rock stars turn the tide? How long before they burn out dealing with kids who see no reason to waste time in school when they could be out having fun, making $6 an hour and getting drunk like mom and dad when they're not in jail?
It's probably not a bad dream, buddy, but the cultural reality of our entitled generation who see technology as something that fell from the sky for THEM is quite obvious to those of us who have actually done this kind of work for generations: living in the nanosecond-to-nanosecond kaleidascope world where nothing connects does not inspire development, self-engagement or life-long learning as well as the respectful, disciplined and earnest approach of most of the Koreans I came to know and respect.
My son went from a class of 20 in 3rd grade to 35 in 4th grade this year. There has been a steep drop off in his homework--because the teacher has more to grade--and consequently my son's overall engagement with school. If you think class size is not important, you are nuts. If you think teachers are overpaid, you are nuts. Is there some waste in K-12 bureaucracy? Perhaps, but not as much as you think. After living here for 8 years and taking the chance to make this a better place, I am seriously doubting the future direction of this state, especially when my childrens' education is at stake.
lvsreader, IMO, if you cared so much about their education, why are you sending them to schools here; I mean do you really live in Nevada and expect the schools to suddenly/magically become top schools?: You had to know what you get when you live here and if you'd like to pay extra taxes to get more benefits, then live somewhere else.
Abolish unions..finally somebody makes sense. This will never pass though because those unions keep democrats in office so the demos won't vote for it. And cutting the budget? No Way! Spend spend spend that's what Harry and the boys like to say.
lvsreader nailed it from the perspective that counts, the parent.
It may be just another insignificant datum to the likes of applecore, but the truth is plain to see. Johnny gets help and thrives; he gets neglected and fails.
Very likely this family chose to waste the kid's future just to live here among dunderheaded dolts like the appleseed.
The most important investment for education is extending the school year. Studies show that during the long summer breaks, and at the elementary level even the track breaks, students lose information. When students return from break teachers typically spend weeks or months reteaching material that students have forgotten.
The model for schools should be the Kipp schools. I don't agree with the extremely long school day that has kids staying up late at nite to complete homework, but most of their policies should be implemented. The problem...it actually costs money. That's why its successful, and that's why it will never be implemented in this state.
This big stupid education idea, came from one of his mistress's, Kathy Karrasch, if you remember the text message's on Gibbons cell phone to Karrasch where about education, this is what Gibbons told everyone, when he got busted for the text messages, why was he talking to her, because she supposedly is a expert on eduction, and this proposal, that Gibbons is trying to pass off to us, is what Karrasch wanted to do with our schools... Now we have his mistress running the Governors office....hehehehe
rejco,
I assume there's a short bus somewhere with your name scrawled on the seats. Wait a minute... did they HAVE school buses back then?
When was the last time you were in a school?
60, 70 years back? So many comments from people that have NO CLUE what they are even discussing, beyond the usual; $$$$$$$$$. ALWAYS talkin' bout' the MONEY!
nevadaappleslices, you are, at your core, rotten.
Patrick, well, this must be like a wet dream for you.
Life in the "think tank" must be very festive today.
Do you have a wormy apple on your computer today as a "funny" for your fellow thinkers?
You kids must be a barrel of laughs!
Air,
There is no silver bullet to fix education. There needs to be serious and numerous reforms. Merit pay for rock star teachers is just one example.
Part of the teacher burn out is due to the large bureaucracy. Teachers don't have real control over their classroom, principals don't have real control over their schools, and parent's have no control over where their child is educated.
That all adds up.
Nevertheless, there are dozens of examples of inner city public schools (acting with more autonomy), charter schools and private schools that take the kids many leave to rot and turn them around. Good teachers and good schools figure out away. The more autonomy they have and the more incentives that are present the more successful they are likely to be.
Nevadaapples,
Many certified teachers in Nevada, and across the nation, are already recruited from the bottom half of college graduates, you can't get much lower than that.
Eliminating teacher certification requirements won't hurt students. Research from the liberal Brookings Institute (where Sun owner Brian Greenspun is a board member) showed that there is no statistical difference between certified and uncertified teachers. But because we won't hire uncertified teachers we lose out on the half of uncertified teachers that actually can positively impact students.
You could either A) Get rid of the certification process all together and just grade teachers based on value added assessment or B) create meaningful alternative certification routes that don't force professional adults to go back to the college of education.
PS, bad teachers are already teaching at the bad schools. Because the pay system doesn't reward success the only way for great teachers to be rewarded is to move them to the schools or classrooms with the best students. And because tenure makes it very hard to fire bad teachers, bad teachers get moved where parents are least likely to complain -- to low income schools predominantly dominated by minority students.
The unintended outcome of your education preference is to create not only a system of semi segregated public education but a system of education where blacks and Hispanics are most likely to be taught by the worst teachers in the district.
You would struggle to design a system that produced a more racist outcome if you tried. Good intentions in public education have unintentionally produced terrible results for low-income and minority students.
Wow, rejco...
Have you ever read the book or seen the movie "One Flew Over The Cukoo's Nest"? You remind me of one of the characters!
I know you don't like the "brain frying meds", but you may want to consider one of those old-fashioned lobotomies... you might find it soooothing.
Rejco100:
"NOWHERE IN THE PLAN DOES IT SAY THE KIDS WILL BE TAUGHT ANYTHING!
It's all about money for adults! Absolutely EVIL & INSANE!"
"The teachers teach the same tired old lesson at a $20,000 salary as do the $100,000 salary teachers.
1 + 1 = 2 and George Washington was the first president of the US, is all the same NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU PAY A TEACHER!"
"gmag39, Sorry, but I don't think "How to put on a condom" class for boys & "How to schedule an abortion at Planned Parenthood and make it to Cheerleader Practice on time" class for girls is needed in schools."
Apparently Rejco100 is the only one that comprehends what public education is, a big-business government mandated scam, an unjust costly rip-off perpetrated upon Americans -- a deserving failure requiring complete abortion.
Salary & benefit cuts, de-unionization, vouchers etc. all nonsense.
Basic public educational services should be available to all at any time in numerous lanuages.
Requiring millions of children and adults to attend classroom environments daily to have basic education lectures regurgitated is stupid, inconsistent, costly and an inefficient, antiquated approach which has unjustly placed a life-long servitude burden upon property ownership while denying the public the best educational services and opportunities available.
: {
Whoa! Harley, on board with rejco! Cool!
We have the nuts gathered together here.
with nevadaappleslices on top! or, in the middle...
Anti-Education, mmm, mmm, mmm!
not true - a lot of ghetto schools pay higher salaries and if you teach in them for so many years, they forgive some of your school loans.
This is a good thread. You guys are addressing the root of our national malaise: stupidity, shortsightedness and incompetence gone to seed.
The sooner we get some resolution on how we can engage those little minds, direct them to develop and absorb, the sooner we'll be doin' solar energy, serious energy conservation,indoor air quality, universal respect for life, outreach to include minorities, poor and disenfranchised and interrupt the cycle of violence, ignorance and antisocial behavior that dominate the lives of undereducated and struggling fellow Americans... like applecider
Its been a plan all along, dumbing down America.There used to be very dedicated teachers at one time, but now all we have is a bunch of liberal, unionized baby sitters. Once the parents let the schools take over the roles as parents, and let them teach the liberal agenda, our education system has totally gone downhill. Its a shame. As, another poster stated about condoms, abortions, etc..this is NOT what school is for.
"Whoa! Harley, on board with rejco! Cool!
We have the nuts gathered together here.
with nevadaappleslices on top! or, in the middle...
Anti-Education, mmm, mmm, mmm!"
Wrong socialite, I am not anti-education at all, quite the contrary -- I believe the very best educational services should be available to all without being funded by theft through taxation -- utilization of technical advancements make such not only possible but viable -- I also believe the classroom environment is an unhealthy dangerous one, yet I don't oppose those believing the contrary as long as they take the responsibility to finance their beliefs for themselves -- I am of the opinion that some of the best schooling is done in the safe home, where it belongs -- I simply refuse to accept the current antiquated methods and manners which have become a non-viable disservice to Americans of all languages seeking to learn.
"All progress has results from those who took unpopular positions." -Adlai Stevenson.
: {
As usual, Gibbons offends State employees ("It's time to stop whining that education in Nevada doesn't work because of lack of funding.") and the intelligence of the general public. Nevada has one of the most poorly funded education systems in the country, and Gibbons cuts education funding more. Despite many positions being payed for by federal funding, Gibbons forces those folks to take furloughs (meaning less work is getting done to support the students, schools, and districts).
Now Gibbons wants to disband the elected Board of Education and replace it with appointed personnel. I wonder who will do the appointing. I wonder who they will be friends with.
Nevada has a horribly decentralized education system with districts having great autonomy in deciding how they will do things despite the recommendations of the state. Is it true a house divided cannot stand?
Mr. Gibbons: support your staff. Quit interpreting our complaints about your lack of support as "whining" about lack of funding. Our students ARE underfunded, under-supported, and have thousands of district and state personnel who are trying to help them with one and frequently both hands tied behind their backs.
GIBBONS GOTTA GO!
butcher the wild horses and serve them for the school lunch program to save money
I'll vote for Gibbons!
Tame the wild horses and canter, gallop and trot across the salty sands in solidarity with nature's harley. See god in that beautiful beast's eyes. And acquiescence to humanity and respect. Take the reins, feel the love, join that caravan of horsemen in the sky from time immemorial that knew the joy of equine splendor.
eating them is disgusting. Go eat soap mred
Inter,
Take a look at this before you cut and paste the same points again: http://www.crpe.org/cs/crpe/view/project...
Spending more money will not likely make our education system better.
Patrick_R_Gibbons writes: "Merit pay for rock star teachers is just one example." How do you determine a rock star teacher at the elementary school level? Many different types of teachers help with struggling students. For example, the literacy specialist works with students struggling to read. If lit teacher helps students learn to read, and students scores increase in reading, does the classroom teacher get the merit pay? She (or he) did not help student increase reading skills, the lit teacher did. But how do you determine who was the rock star teacher who should get the merit pay? That is just one example. Other specialists may have helped students succeed academically--does the classroom teacher get the pay for that?
I love hearing the same people who demand a top rated and top dollar football coach for UNLV ("you have to pay for the best to get the best") then argue money doesn't makes any difference in teaching ("hire an unemployed sheetrocker for $18,000 to teach English, math, history, computer science, biology, or handicapped children.")
Causality is simple: Nevada invests the least in its children's education and in return Nevada earns the lowest high school and college graduation rates.
Yes, you do "get what you pay for."
Now the governor proposes less money to education, more students in the classroom, fewer teachers, and with pay and benefits that will create a revolving door of teachers leaving for better paying careers.
Nevada needs to invest in education if it ever wants to diversify its economy. High tech and international businesses will not relocate to Nevada if it offers an employment pool with skills limited to causual labor.
I contend the State of Nevada has no right even being in the educational services racket.
Why do the masses so adamant about separating of their choice of worship from the state (separation of church and state) fail to demand the same separation regarding their educational choices?
Governor Gibbons should propose a change to the State's Constitution which completely removes the people of Nevada i.e. "The State" from obligations involving the educational services sector.
: {
didactic, VERY WELL stated.
Contrary to what Pat will tell you shortly.
Hey Governor Gibbons, don't you have better things to do like chase around married women, LoL
If you want them to spend more on education for children, start paying a state income tax. You can't skip paying taxes that other states have and then complain that you want the state to spend just as much.
The most unnecessary expense we Nevadans are faced with is Gibbons salary, let's do away with that. A 30 to 100 million dollar cut in education will certainly help a major city already boasting a 50% drop out rate. It will help to widen the road between the have's and have nots. He is right! How much education do you need to park cars, make beds and clean toilets, stick up convenience stores, break into houses and steal cars. Please stop this guy!
NVapple many people aren't complaining that more money needs to go into education. I certainly don't want a state income tax. Cuts need to be made and that is it. Throwing money at the problem will not fix it. It only makes it more expensive. We need solutions. Breaking up the teachers unions will be essential.
Politicians out there keep pitching the stupid ideas that money fixes everything. Someone is poor so let's give them money for food, shelter, insurance, more money for their childrens meals, let's pay them money during during tax season for not paying into the system and then lets see what else we can pay for. Throwing money at our problems have only, only made them worse.
LAWALKER, where do you think most of the dropouts are located? They are in the ghetto's. The ghettos will always be ghettos because of the trap mentioned in the paragraph above. I'm not saying they can't change but they won't under the current governmental philosophy. It is had to believe but money does not fix everything. However if we continue to waste money in Nevada on new City Halls, firefighters' pay and benefits, city workers' pay and benefits, and on several welfare programs (not all) we will have a bigger problem, we really won't be able to pay for it. When I say pay for it, I am only talking to those that pay taxes after tax season.
Personally, I don't think that a non tax paying individuals should be allowed to vote bills that lower or increase taxes.
jr99 says that the more you make, the stronger your vote. So, Mr Gates, what'll it be?
Uh, what do you mean?
Well, you're the ONE who will decide how things will be. How would you like them, your wealthiness?
Well, I think everyone should have a chance.
But, sir, we have gobs of dumb, poor, lazy worthless chunks of ugly manifest humanity who don't deserve a chance to develop, speak or vote. You surely don't mean EVERYONE...
"'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me; I lift my lamp beside the golden door' she cries with silent lips"
Gibbons doesn't get it but I would be surprised if he did.... It's great that he's a short timer & we won't have to see or hear from him after next Fall's election....
The status of public education in Nevada is about as low as it can get. Cutting educational funding will simply make matters worse, not better.
Nevada spends very little on education when compared to most other states. The last time I looked, Nevada was 46th or 47th among the 51 states (Washington, D.C. included...) when it comes to per pupil funding...
Contrary to what some people believe, you get what you pay for when it comes to education.
Teacher discontent is very high among those teachings in the Clark County School District. Also teacher turn-over is very high with hundreds and hundreds of quality teachers leaving the CCSD each year. Some move on to other districts, and others simply look for other ways to make a living....
Can you blame them?
Low pay, large classes, undisciplined students, a lack of teaching materials (some classes have NO books..) and weak administrators are just a few of the reasons why very good teachers give it up or move on to greener pastures..
Nevada is not alone, however, when it comes to facing numerous problems in education. Many school districts across the country are facing the same problems that we're facing.....
Our future as a nation is in serious jeopardy, and if we fail to solve our educational problems, we may find our selves moving toward third world status.