Parts of public school funding restored

By Cy Ryan

Wednesday, May 6, 2009 | 1:04 p.m.

CARSON CITY – A legislative budget committee approved restoring funding for public schools cut in Gov. Jim Gibbons’ education budget. The committee restored more than $81 million to the distributive school fund, which sends money to the state’s districts.

Among the cuts restored by the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committees was money for extra retirement benefits for teachers who work in at-risk schools, teachers who teach in hard-to-fill positions such as science and partially restore merit pay for teachers.

The joint committee agreed to support merit pay for teachers who get additional educational credits but not automatic pay raises for spending another year in the classroom as they do presently.

Lynn Warne, president of the Nevada State Education Association, said the Legislature “obviously rejected the governor’s proposed budget when they realized the need for some of these vital programs that were discussed today.”

Analysts for the committee told the committee the Legislature is going to have to find an additional $380 million just to fund the recommendations made by the governor. That’s the shortage in revenue from the sales tax and the property tax for the next two years.

The committee had previously agreed to include enough money in the budget equivalent to a 4 percent teacher pay cut, instead of the six percent recommended by the governor.

The committee put $28.4 million back in the budget to finance the program giving teachers an extra one-fifth credit towards retirement when they taught at high risk schools or in difficult subjects. Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, said this extra retirement credit “means having a highly qualified teacher in the classroom.”

The $28.4 million would take care of one year of the coming biennium and the 2011 Legislature will have to backfill the money for the second year.

The joint committee decided to save $1.2 million by eliminating bonuses for the signing of new teachers. The present biennium cost is $14 million and the governor proposed only $1.2 million for the coming two years. Lawmakers cancelled the program.

The governor had suggested the elimination of merit or longevity pay for teachers during the coming two years. That saved more than $130 million. The committee added back $30 million but only for those teachers who further their education.

Warne said, “We are certainly not thrilled with the fact that experienced steps have not been funded. We believe a great deal of our knowledge is gained through years of experience in the classroom.”

According to the Legislative Fiscal Analyst Report, the average salary of teachers statewide in 2007-2008 was $49,488 plus benefits.

The governor had recommended the elimination of the regional professional training programs. Committee members said this was important to help train teachers and included $8 million a year in the budget – or 60 percent of the present allocation.

Warne said these training programs were “vital” in the rural school districts. She said teachers in Clark and Washoe counties can go to the universities.

The committee pumped $13 million into the special education fund to combat the shortfall and to add back staff.

The governor recommended $9.7 million be put in educational technology programs. The committee reduced that to $4 million and said there were federal and stimulus funds available for these over the next two years.

The committees approved the governor’s recommendation for $19 million to cover inflation costs for such things as utilities and textbooks. And it continued $3.3 million a year for early childhood education programs.

The committee could not reach a decision on a budget for the school remediation trust fund to support improvement plans developed by schools to improve student achievement. The present annual state allocation is $85.5 million.

It will reconsider the issue on Friday. Gov Gibbons had suggested reducing it to $25 million next year. But Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said this trust fund, set up under Gov. Kenny Guinn “was one of the best things the Legislature has done.”

She said it helps students to advance and it also provides money for innovative programs. There are 500 programs funded in the present fiscal year.

The joint committee will meet Friday to consider the budget of the universities and colleges.

Cy Ryan may be reached at (775) 687-5032 or [email protected].