Cutting education

Friday, April 11, 2008 | 2:08 a.m.

As a part of Nevada’s plan to increase student performance in public schools, the Legislature passed a bill a year ago to reward top teachers with bonuses.

The bill was notable because its sponsor found a way to navigate one of the most contentious issues in public education: merit pay.

But as Emily Richmond reported in Wednesday’s Las Vegas Sun, the plan has been canceled, a victim of budget cuts ordered by Gov. Jim Gibbons late last year. Although the budget cuts announced this week spared education, the previous cuts were not so kind. As a result, other education initiatives passed by the Legislature were not spared, including expansion plans for full-day kindergarten, vocational education and empowerment schools, which give teachers and principals more authority.

These cuts point out the shame of Nevada’s approach to education. Critics demand improvements and say schools should be run more like businesses, but there is little appetite to adequately fund public schools.

The governor has certainly subscribed to this attitude. While calling for reforms, he has been loath to pay for them. Instead, he would rather decry taxes and what he views as big government. That kind of thinking has led to poorly performing schools with abysmal student-to-teacher ratios.

The Legislature not only provided additional money for schools last year but also addressed some of the critics’ charges about the ways schools are run, adding the empowerment program, for example.

As well, Assemblywoman Debbie Smith, D-Sparks, worked with both educators and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, which advocates “pay for performance,” to craft the bonus plan.

The initiatives that came out of the 2007 Legislature were hardly sufficient to meet Nevada’s needs, but they were a step toward improving education.

“We came out of the legislative session believing we can make some progress,” said Gloria Dopf, Nevada’s deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction. “And now, no matter where you turn, there’s a red light.”

Because of the latest cut to the schools, Nevada’s students will fall further behind.