Guinn won't fund college

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn says he is not including any money in his proposed $3.74 billion budget to start the state college in Henderson.

And the governor says he is asking the University and Community College System of Nevada to rearrange its budget so it can help pay for salary increases for faculty.

By leaving the Henderson college out of his budget, Guinn has made finding the funds more difficult for legislators supporting the school, but the move does not kill the project.

University regents had suggested more than $5 million in state funds so the college could start accepting students in fiscal year 2003. And the eighth priority on the regents' building list is a $36 million classroom-student services building, of which $10 million could come from private donations.

In an interview last week Guinn was asked about the proposed state college and he replied, "It's not in my budget."

In October the regents approved spending $549,512 this fiscal year to finance a staff of four to begin the proposed four-year school. Of the total, $283,528 will come from a fund set up to study the feasibility of creating the college. The state college foundation will provide $48,651 and the Clark County Medical Association is donating $200,000 to develop a nursing education program.

The money goes for the $175,000-a-year salary for President Richard Moore, a $12,000 housing allowance, a $6,000 car allowance and a $5,000 host fund. His top assistant, Orlando Sandoval, will receive a $125,000 salary.

Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, the lead supporter for the state college, said the exclusion of the school from Guinn's budget "will mean I will have to work harder to convince people it is a worthwhile project."

"Anytime you have a new program you have to convince people of its merits," he said. "I have not had a strong opportunity to talk to the governor and others to convince them. I expect that will occur during the session."

It's always easier to get a new program approved if it is in the governor's budget because there are so many programs competing for the same dollars, Perkins said.

Assemblyman Morse Arberry, D-Las Vegas, who heads the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, said he's "neutral" so far on the issue of the Henderson college.

"I don't know how it will play out," said Arberry, whose committee examines the governor's budget and makes changes. "I want to wait and see the bottom line and the dollars available."

Guinn said he is putting $85 million in his budget to handle an expected 7 percent growth in student enrollment at the existing colleges.

"I'm asking a lot of questions of the university," he said. "I'm asking if they can match any salary increase ... see what they can arrange in their budget."

Dan Miles, vice chancellor of finance for the system, said a discussion will be started with the campuses to see if any money is available. "I'm not real hopeful," he said. Most of the costs are already in salaries.

The governor, said Miles, was not specific on how much matching money would be needed.

Guinn, a former interim president at UNLV, says his stance doesn't mean he's going against education. "I can only stretch these dollars so far."

Among his top priorities for extra money will be pay raises for state workers and university faculty, he says. And he hopes to have enough money for pay increases for schoolteachers.

"We have to do something about teachers' salaries. We need to do something about salaries at the university and about state employees. When doing a comparison, state employees are in a lower position. And university professors are in the same thing." Both groups have no right for collective bargaining for salaries and benefits.

The state employees did not receive any pay boost in 1999 but got a 2 percent cost-of-living increase in July 2000.

"Look at the Clark County school district," said Guinn. They got nothing from the state, but they went home and were able to negotiate 1 1/2 percent or 2 percent the first year under collective bargaining and three-quarters or one percent the second year. That's a lot more than the state employees got.

"I'm still trying to put money on the table for all employee groups," he said.

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