Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
By Anjeanette Damon (contact) 
Published Tuesday, May 10, 2011 | 2:37 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, May 10, 2011 | 3:25 p.m.
Sun Coverage
In continuing to portray Gov. Brian Sandoval as severely underfunding education, Democratic lawmakers today are forcing through a public schools budget that is more than $700 million higher than what Sandoval proposed.
In a party line vote this afternoon, the Assembly passed lawmakers' alternative to Sandoval's education budget, sending the bill to the Senate, where a similar vote is expected.
A source said Sandoval's office has been put on notice to receive the bill today.
The move is akin to Democrats' effort to get legislative Republicans to go on record against education funding.
Democratic leaders hope to use Sandoval's anticipated veto in their ongoing campaign to whittle away his popularity, but, perhaps ironically, they also hope it might provoke some compromise.
"This is clearly a message of where Democrats stand on education funding," Assembly Speaker John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, said. "The law is to fund education first, so we're sending over a budget that does just that."
Asked about the strategy behind the surprise maneuver, Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, replied: "He doesn't have to veto it."
"And then they would have to consider our revenue alternatives," he added.
Education funding is a joke now. Democrats say that lack of funding for education is having a negative affect on recruiting business to our area. I have also been hearing that we will not be able to compete with with other states and countries. If we are going to provide additional funding, then lets fund education for those that are pursuing degrees in mathematics and science. Lets take a hard look at reducing the funding of education for people who are pursuing degerees in basket weaving and babysitting. Funding education for the pursuit of math and science degrees is the only way that we are ever going to compete in a global economy. If Democcrats were serious, they would stop trying to increase funding for B.S. programs.
Excellent!
I agree with Larry Kaplan (above)...let's focus our funding efforts on higher education programs that will help our economy. Why is it that the largest cuts appear to be coming from colleges of business, engineering, education, and sciences? Why are liberal arts and fine arts receiving far less in cuts?
Let's focus on those programs that will give us the greatest return in terms of attracting new business to the area. Let's focus on engineering, sciences, business, law, and other professional degrees that can help support new industry in the area.
Yet more troubling signs for the once great State of Nevada...cutting higher education while the bloated police and fire departments milk State and County coffers like cows. Particularly distressing is the fact that Metro officers are among the highest paid in the country, while embarrassing and costly mistakes, bullying, assaults, traffic fatalities and murders made by these same officers occur again and again (and these are just the events we hear about!). But go ahead, cut UNLV's philosophy department so Metro can pay for the mega lawsuits that follow...good stuff!
Larry Kaplan - I might agree with you if it were 1811 instead of 2011. The world has passed you by, my friend, and we need more than math and science graduates. I think the same goes for basket weaving degrees - most of those programs were cut with the development of pottery.
You're an ignorant man, Larry Kaplan. How did you ever figure out how to get on the internet?
Yes, let it be known who is against education: Republicans. Raising class sizes in K-12, cutting salaries of teachers, and forcing tuition increases on college students is NOT education reform. Let them go on the record for not supporting teachers and students and jobless adults needing to learn new skills. Come election time, I will vote against anyone who supported Sandoval's education budget.
FRICKIN BEAUTIFUL!!!
for the first time this session...
i am proud of the democrat leadership...
let that maggot sandoval's true colors shine thru...
a scum bag willing to do irreparable harm to the innocent children of nevada...
so he can add a line to his resume...
scum bag...
FRICKIN BEAUTIFUL!!!
They are gonna get a compromise alright - its called a VETO. Its getting fun!
Again the liberal name-calling. That's all they have in their arsenal.
Call your legislator at 1-800-978-2878 and demand that they start representing Nevada's working families by supporting education and stop representing the foreign mining corporations who Republicans refuse to tax.
Still all this hand wringing for education?? Now they want to hardball it like the Dems always do. Good stuff, the Repulican response should be to fund ALL of it, hang the $700 million shortfall on the necks of Dems. Then proceed to slash and burn public services, all wages from top to bottom 20%. Fire everyone who has worked for the state for less then 5 years and file bankruptcy on the PERF spin it off the way GM did with the UAW's to get it off the books. This state would be awash in revenue. Stinking filthy rich to be honest. Honestly, the largest expense after education is the cost to maintain benefits to State employees. Give them the same benefits WalMart gives it's employees. Nevada would turn a surplus the envy of every state in the nation.
Two years from now when graduation rates are worse then they are today and our proficiency ratings have fallen yet again we can hold public executions of educators that felt it was better to play political Russian Roulette then to make shared hard choices.
Honestly I thought we learned our lessons back in 1998 about holding education hostage to the demands of people so consumed with self interest. Hypocrites! Consider your bluff called!
The most brilliant of our scientists - now and in the past - were also highly educated in liberal arts. Good science and good engineering require more than just applying math formulas. They require creative thinking. Einstein, for instance, was proficient with the violin. Any good scientist will tell you that developing "right brain" skills (a poor way to state it, but you get the idea) is essential in the overall development of a good scientific mind.
Also, the reason why science and engineering are currently facing cuts is because they are often technology-intensive, and that costs money. But cutting liberal arts to fund that will still miss the point. If all you want is a human brain that can crunch numbers, well, you can program a computer to do that. And since businesses are not currently hiring number-crunching computers but, rather, are hiring people with a broad, sensible education, then you need to start expanding your own understanding of what education is about. Liberal education involves critical thinking, not basket weaving. The fact that you confuse the two speaks highly of your credibility on this subject.
I love it. Education is essential and not paying for it will have long term consequences. All of this for the "no tax" mantra? We cannot continue to cut and not generate revenue. That's like us cutting household expenses, to save money, without any income coming in. Eventually, you will be homeless.
One final thought, for all of you chronic "no tax" whiners, no other profession would exist without teachers.
Please wake up Nevadans, if you don't want to fund k-12/higher ed, then realize that who will want to move here. Watch your property value decrease even more. The only people buying anything around here are out of state investors who are picking up the scraps and renting their properties. No real interest in the community. Thanks for reading this post.
Tony V, too bad you can't come up with a constructive comment.
LasVegas2011... Teachers are HARD WORKING TAXPAYERS too. What is this really about? What is going to happen when all of the great teachers are gone? What will you have left to complain about? Perhaps the ignorance of the children that you seek to not properly education??? We are all adults, and should have learned that in life you get what you pay for. Short change education....you will end up with many ignorant generations to come.
Gr8teacher: you flatter yourself too much. Many people have quit school or dropped out because of bad teachers. If you take credit for all the well-educated people out there, also take blame for the uneducated horde that is bringing down Nevada. You can't have it both ways. No more getting away with just saying you are good. Prove it!
Education funding is a catastrophe in Nevada: among the lowest in the nation, and Sandoval's draconian budget will cut K-12 beyond its capacity to prepare our state's young people for the new century.
And Higher Education funding will drop to $51 per capita (in inflation adjusted dollars); that's $21 less than Nevada spent in 1980; and $45 less per capita than it spent in 2009. This level of cuts is unsustainable, and will destroy a university and community college system it took generations to build. Do Nevada citizens really want this? Do they want 12,000 students every year to be forced to leave our state because there will be no room for them in our colleges and universities?
If Sandoval wants to be known as "the governor who killed education in Nevada" then he will veto this bill. But what he is also vetoing, please remember, is choice and opportunity for our state's young people.
Rejecto unfortunately you always try to stir the pot with nonsense. Tanker has repeatedly offered you an invitation to come do his job for a week. I now extend that offer. Children don't quit because of bad teachers. Again you focus on the 2% bad...as opposed to the 98% wonderful, hard-working, dedicated, taxpaying teachers. So, I will NOT take credit for the bad, because that is what I am NOT. Home life, society, life circumstance, and outside influences greater than my 55 minutes per day are what causes students to quit. Sorry, try something new besides the blame game. It's not the fault of the teacher. Oh yea, flattery compliments my style ;-).
Wake up people! Nevada is BROKE!! State is broke and you are crying about budget cuts. How ironic is that?!!
@ Gr8teacher:
"...taxpaying teachers". Really?? Are you sure about that? Besides your FICA, what taxes are you paying?
There is no way that we can bring the United States back out of the hole, without an educated population. Lazy people will not make a difference here. I don't care if I have to pay for my education, as long as I receive the education that will be worth something to my employer. Why bothering in going to one of the worst schools in the nation, if my degree will be worthless to a company? I been working and going to school. I'm financing my own education and I don't mind to continue doing so. Give me what I ask for and I will pay its worth.
I want to see Nevada schools in the Top 10 list of best schools in the nation!
Why don't the democrats pass another stimulus bill, matter of fact wasn't the first one suppose to avoid all of this?
But of course the democrats are the party that actually cares, right?
Most of these politicians should be in a military prison for crimes against this country...
@Mr. Boston,
Any teacher in Nevada pays the same taxes that any other resident in Nevada pays, which are sales taxes and property taxes which pay for education and local services. We also pay federal income taxes. We also pay to register our cars.
@Mr Boston...you are so misinformed. Teachers don't pay FICA....we will NEVER be able to collect social security if we retire as public employee.
Tanker summed it up...WE PAY TAXES just like every Nevada citizen.
Tanker you forgot Medicare tax.... :-)
Governor Sandoval has his eyes on one prize: HIS FUTURE. He is being "groomed" towards future candidacy for USA Vice President or President, and his matra, "no new taxes" will pave his way, of course, on the backs of Nevada citizens. If the "Road to Hell is paved with good intentions," well, in this case, Governor Sandoval's road is paved with the corpses of lost futures, hopes, and dreams of Nevada's citizens.
For those of us who lived through the Civil Rights Movement, and all the other causes that followed in its wake, there is a great lesson to be learned when opportunity does not exist for citizens. Sir Winston Churchill, stated, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." First, you must LEARN. We need teachers!
Right now, at school districts throughout the state, folks are fighting for their jobs via seniority. Administration pits worker against worker. "Divide and Conquer" as a means to carry out Governor Sandoval's plan. Already, principals are moving low seniority/to be/should be cut workers, into positions that they ARE NOT LICENSED NOR (HIGHLY)QUALIFIED TO SERVE for next year, while moving those who have served well to other locations (on paper, at least for now) until the numbers and politics settle. THAT is REALITY.
Can parents EXPECT their child(ren) having a highly qualified teacher next school year?
If folks were allowed to bet on Nevada politics at the casino sports books, it would be an interesting study on where public preception really is. Please take the time to communicate with your Nevada State Representative; make it clear what you expect them to do in these final days in the Legislative Session. Thank you!
Governor Sandoval:
All Nevadans, particularly the hard working families of this great state whose children deserve a first rate education, will be awaiting word on whether or not you veto this budget. Your actions will be remembered for decades to come. Please ponder it carefully.