Columnist Sandy Thompson: Cutting programs would hurt students

Sandy Thompson is vice president/associate editor of the Las Vegas Sun. She can be reached at 259-4025 or e-mail at [email protected]

THIS MAY be the season to be jolly, but you wouldn't know it by talking to School Superintendent Carlos Garcia.

"We are in a crisis," he says of the budget shortfall the Clark County School District faces.

As a result, Garcia recently predicted cutbacks in music, art and athletic programs, as well as a reduction in busing services for high school students.

"I'd hate to make those cuts as an educator. But how do we run the school district? We have a responsibility to the budget," he says.

Typically, schools strapped for cash single out those programs for cutbacks or elimination. Sometimes there is such an outcry from parents and educators that a few dollars are found, and the programs continue in some fashion. Rarely do the programs or the students thrive under those circumstances.

Garcia's dire prediction doesn't appear to be a scare tactic. It's a fact: The budget hasn't kept pace with the increasing demands and needs of a burgeoning school district.

Unfortunately, the ones who will be most impacted by such cuts will be the students. How ironic that we demand higher standards yet don't give the district enough funds to produce better students.

We're close to the top in the nation in the size of the school district, but we're near the bottom in spending. Garcia points out that Nevada is 37th in the nation -- $1,000 below the national average -- in per-pupil spending. The funding base is simply too low.

"I was shocked to see where we are financially," he adds.

Makes you wonder whether he would have taken the job this year if he had looked closely at the books beforehand. How can you raise the level of education if your financial hands are tied?

Some corners of the community have long criticized the school district for its top-heavy administration. Certainly that issue must be addressed. We need teachers in the classroom, not a string of administrators -- some of whom are biding their time until retirement -- pushing paper. The school district will have to show legislators and voters that it has -- or will work on having -- a strong, lean administrative force, and that the majority of resources are dedicated to providing the best possible education setting for our children.

Teacher salaries also evoke strong opinions from different segments of the community. One side says teachers don't deserve raises and another believes the pay is too low to attract and keep quality teachers.

Sadly, we pay millions of dollars to a single athlete, but we don't see the value of competitive pay for teachers who have such a strong influence on our children. Good, quality teachers deserve better pay.

Our children also deserve more. Credible studies show that students involved in music and the arts do better in school. These programs, as well as sports, provide positive, constructive choices for children. The fewer options children have, the more likely they are to get into trouble and/or drop out of school.

Hey, this is not rocket science: We pay now or we pay more later.

Do we as a community and state want to stay on the top of all the bad lists and at the bottom of all the good lists?

If we do, then cut school programs and don't adequately fund the school district. If we don't, it's about time our collective voices are heard in Carson City, in Garcia's office and in our schools.

We need to strengthen our educational programs, not dilute them.

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