School funding fails Nevada again

By Richard Tellier, Las Vegas

Friday, April 4, 2014 | 2:01 a.m.

When it was announced that Nevada was a finalist for the Tesla battery plant, people rejoiced. A high-tech company might move to Nevada. That project was $5 billion and 6,500 jobs. However, the harsh reality is now upon us.

Tesla officials likely won’t be considering Nevada for the plant. What changed their mind? Very simply, the K-12 education system in Nevada. As Steve Friess reported in Las Vegas Weekly and today’s Sun:

“‘Yeah, that’s not going to happen,’ the source said.

“But isn’t the state a finalist, along with Texas, Arizona and New Mexico?

“‘The schools,’ the source said of Nevada. ‘I don’t think we realized how bad they were. I can’t say anything definitive, but it’s not looking likely.’

“And there it is again, Nevada trapped by its own disregard for the importance of funding education at a level that shows the world it actually values it.”

For those who believe that companies don’t care about education when they locate plants, you’re wrong. It is a major consideration.

What to do about it? A very simple solution. The governor, the Legislature and the people of Nevada need to support the Education Initiative.

Until we show the rest of the country Nevada cares about education, we have one hand tied behind our backs in the contest to bring high-tech business to the state.