Governor’s plan gets ‘F’

Fri, Jan 15, 2010 (3 a.m.)

Gov. Jim Gibbons recently unveiled his plan to cut millions of dollars from the state budget and improve education. If that sounds like magical thinking, that’s because it is. The plan would save money by decimating education in Nevada.

After the plan was roundly criticized, Gibbons’ office ridiculously tried to defend the proposal. His staff complained that the Legislature wouldn’t work with him, which is no wonder. His ideas are dangerous. For example, he proposes eliminating the state requirement for smaller class sizes in first through third grades. That would result in teacher layoffs and larger class sizes. How is that good?

Gibbons’ plan also targets other areas to cut, including full-day kindergarten, and he attacks teachers unions for what he says are high salaries. Please. Since when have teachers been overpaid? He also claims there is a spending problem in education, ignoring the fact that the state’s past attempts to reform education have failed because Nevada hasn’t put a sufficient amount of money into them.

Gibbons’ spokesman, Dan Burns, said the plan was not about saving money but about improving education. He told KLAS Channel 8 that the plans “are education reforms because the children of the state deserve better.”

The children of the state, not to mention the citizens and businesses, do deserve better in education, but Gibbons’ plan is nothing more than a fraud. The only “reform” the governor is planning is of his image. He heads into a re-election bid with dismal approval ratings and a few strong challengers from his own party. By spouting off right-wing talking points, Gibbons is attempting to rally the conservative base of the Republican Party for the primary.

The state desperately needs to improve its education system to help improve student achievement, boost the quality of the workforce and diversify the economy. But blindly cutting the budget, which will harm education, and calling it “reform” is ludicrous.