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Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford talks to the media after a meeting of the Senate Revenue Committee on the second day of the 2011 legislative session Tuesday, February 8, 2011 in Carson City.
Monday, Feb. 14, 2011 | 12:10 p.m.
Sun Coverage
CARSON CITY – Education is taking the biggest hit in reductions in Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposed budget while state prisons are getting an increase in funding, says Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, in a battle over numbers.
Horsford questioned state Budget Director Andrew Clinger today about why there are cutbacks in education, but prisons get more money.
Horsford's analysis showed the governor reducing spending by $709 million, with $664 million or 93 percent of the cuts being made in education. He said some students won't be able to attend college with proposed increases in tuition.
He suggested the state prison budget was being increased by 11 percent, and questioned the priorities of the governor.
Clinger replied that education is taking a proportional share of the reductions and added that he didn't think education was being hit with 93 percent of the cutbacks.
“We don’t have the resources to cover all the needs,” Clinger said. This proposed budget “does the least amount of damage.”
Clinger said the prison budget is being lowered by 5 percent, not increased 11 percent. To cut it more would mean closing prisons and releasing inmates, he said.
Sen. Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, said she would like to see reforms in the prison system. Inmates with mental problems could be released to be enrolled in programs run by the state Division of Mental Health, she said.
Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, suggested there be reforms in the university system. She said students should graduate in four years, and suggested there be changes in the classroom, such as higher quality teachers.
Cegavske said the Nevada System of Higher Education only comes asking for more money and doesn't suggest improvements to the system.
Sandoval has reduced the general fund budget for universities and community colleges, and has suggested part of the shortfall could be made up by higher fees and tuition.
Also Monday, Horsford suggested Sandoval’s plan for putting the state Division of Museums and History under the state Tourism Commission would create a budget hole in the future.
Horsford, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said the Tourism Commission would have to take $3.7 million out of its reserve to cover the cost of the museums and arts council.
The chairman said once those reserve funds are exhausted, there would be a shortfall in the budget in the 2014-2015 budget. He directed tourism officials to prepare a five-year projection of how the museums and arts council would be financed in the future.
Steve Woodbury, of the Tourism Commission, said if there is not enough money then cutbacks would have to be made. The commission is financed by three-eighth of 1 percent of room tax collections.
The agency is projecting $14.3 million in revenue this fiscal year; $14.7 million in fiscal 2012 and $15.4 million in fiscal 2013.
So, Senator Cegavske insists that college students should "graduate in four years" as a way to cut costs. How incredibly out-of-touch can a person get? Yes, a traditional full-time program leading to a bachelor's degree is set up to be completed in a four year course of study on a full-time basis. How many students is she familiar with that have the time and, especially financial resources to do that in today's world? I wasn't when I went to school "way back when" in the 1970's and I'm still not today. I either studied full-time and worked part-time, studied part-time and worked full-time, and even tried studying full-time AND working full-time a couple of times. I NEVER had the privilege or opportunity to attend school full-time as my only activity like she apparently did. Senator Cegavske, I call on you to apologize for your rude and insensitive comment on this issue.
"Cegavske said the Nevada System of Higher Education only comes asking for more money and doesn't suggest improvements to the system."
This has been the problem for far too long. Politicians (Horsford is a good example) say that you either care about education, and allocate more money, or you don't care and reduce funding. They never/rarely offer any real ideas. That's stupid. I disagree with many of Sandoval's ideas, but I like that he's pushing real reform in our schools. I actually find it amazing that using a common sense approach is considered "reform" or "thinking out of the box". Reward the good performers, eliminate the poor performers. Seems pretty rational to me. And yes, I think year over year improvements on test scores is an effective way to identify which teachers are performing, when they're combined with manager reviews.
They increase fees and tuition, and Horsford thinks that fewer people are going to go to school. Apparently he isn't familiar with the student loan industry. There are so many options for support, and if someone truly wants to go to college, they'll make it happen. I personally know this very well. We need to focus on the quality of the schools/teachers, not just pushing kids into college that have no business being there, and don't have any intent on finishing a 4 year program. Remedial classes are ridiculous, as is the % of kids that actually earn a degree in 4 years from NV colleges.
Our schools are broken, and it isn't just due to lack of funding. Offer some ideas, and then you can talk about the money required to fund those ideas. The strategy/plan should be the focus, not the money.
pass special legislation to release OJ and put him on permanent house arrest - no real reason for him to be in prison
improveLV--what ideas did Sandoval offer specifically for higher ed besides cutting the state funding, taking county property tax funds, and raising tuition (while also asking for the Board of Regents to allocate more money to financial aid)??
If you run a hotel and it is a 3 star hotel and you want it to be a 5 star hotel, can you make that happen without spending money? If you want a better state education system than what you have now, do you really believe you can accomplish that with 'reform' that really just means 'cut the funding'??
TheFacts, I'm sorry, I incorporated some comments on his K-12 education plan, since Horsford responded in a similar way to those cuts. I realize that made my post a bit confusing. I haven't seen any ideas from Sandoval for higher education, and I think there's an opportunity there.
You're right, it requires money to improve the quality. Higher salaries, more money for research, etc. I'd have to see the math, but I don't think raising the tuition to offset some of those costs is unreasonable. I'd like to see ideas from the regents to improve the quality, then discuss the money required to make it happen, and from where the money will come.
I'm DEFINITELY not opposed to increased funding for education, quite the opposite, but I think we're dealing with a terrible economy, and tax revenues are down, and I'm opposed to just giving more money without a new strategy. I know the existing strategy is filled with waste and inefficiencies, and I disagree with our priorities. I'd like to see at least one university (preferably UNLV, for selfish reasons) at a higher tier than where they are now.
It's true that the economy could hardly be worse, but it is not the case that BS does not have a choice about the budget. He does have choices. He can show some real leadership and reform the tax system so that we have a broader tax base and are not totally enslaved by gaming. No one can argue that higher Ed or k 12 is perfect, but they are not asking for handouts either. The Washoe Supt. of public schools has been clear that he would like enough to do the job, not an increase. UNR is only looking to maintain its core mission as well.
I applaud the Washoe Supt. of Schools for his reasonable acceptance of a pile of money to do his job; now if teachers were to accept this strategy, we could improve the bottom line.
But will this improve our schools by reducing the outlay?
Do you think parents will pick up the slack in the TV-addicted, gaming-addicted, cell-phone-addicted, sugar-crazed kids who have little concept of what is required to learn, to know and to apply their god-given powers to a world gone goofy?
Do you think potential business enterprises will look at our state as a place where values drive our manifest humanity to achieve our best?
Kids don't learn when they see no reason, feel no engagement of opportunity and personal prowess to become a better person, and are inundated with mediocrity and constant crap.
They have little chance in a world that celebrates a do-nothing approach to life.
Motivation comes from within. Our kids are starving because we neglect their self-knowledge, their self-reliance and their ability to grasp the realm within their reach. Poor kids!