Monday, March 4, 2019 | 2 a.m.
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Reducing class sizes, boosting pay for public school teachers and enhancing career and vocational training education are tent-pole elements of Nevada Democrats’ plans for public education.
To which the Sun says yes, yes and yes.
With tax revenues being juiced by the improving economy and the influx of residents into the state, this is prime time to boost Nevada’s investment in its public schools.
Gov. Steve Sisolak and legislative leaders insist that improvements can be paid for without raising taxes, but rather by using the increased revenue and by shifting savings they believe can be found in other budget items. Other steps include ensuring that marijuana tax revenue is going into the K-12 system.
But clearly, Nevada must deal with class sizes and teacher pay.
Last August, the National Education Association reported that Clark County had the largest class sizes in the nation, with some high school classes numbering 50 or more, while elementary school classes of 35 or more are common. And the situation is getting worse: The NEA said the average class size in Clark County had grown by seven students in just the past three years.
As local economic analyst Jeremy Aguero pointed out recently in an eye-opening presentation, Nevada ranks favorably with other states in strict terms of teacher compensation. But when class sizes are factored in and states are compared in terms of teacher salaries on a per-student basis, the state tanks. And that’s not hyperbole — it ranks in the bottom three.
That’s terrible for teachers and students. Imagine being responsible for the education and well-being of a group of 35 or more youngsters covering a wide spectrum in terms of their behaviors, educational needs, etc.
No wonder our schools are struggling in terms of student achievement.
Reducing class sizes alone won’t resolve our issues, either. Even with smaller classes, middle-of-the-pack teacher pay won’t help us attract the best and brightest educators, which our children deserve.
Then there’s career and vocational training, which Sisolak and the Democratic leaders have correctly identified as being critical for Nevada’s economic growth and the prosperity of state residents. Not only is there high demand for electricians, welders and a range of other tradespeople, but those are high-paying jobs. In addition, as all too many college graduates struggle amid the student debt crisis, enhanced career and vocational training offers a promising alternative to a four-year university degree and the loans that often come with one.
Of course, none of this seems to matter to some legislative Republicans and other critics of public schools, who instead are focused entirely on costs. They’re grinding their jaws over Sisolak’s plan to partially fund his budget by maintaining two taxes, one of which was scheduled to be reduced this year while the other was set to be discontinued.
Focusing on costs alone — irrespective of the tax consequences — represents a kind of shortsightedness that cripples Nevada. Everyone, even anti-education activists in the Legislature, must understand one thing: Education is an investment for the state, one that always pays a high dividend. Every dollar spent on education generates decades of return for Nevada.
For his part, Sisolak has accurately defended his budget as containing no new taxes, and he’s pledged not to sign a tax increase.
Critics will say that Nevada is spending plenty on education, but that schools and districts are wasting it through administrative bloat and lavish pay. As the fifth-largest district in the nation, the Clark County School District frequently is singled out for that line of criticism.
But that attack on CCSD isn’t fair. Going into the session, Superintendent Jesus Jara unveiled a five-year improvement plan that included increasing the efficiency of district operations and finding areas where costs can be cut. He doubled down by releasing the results of an independent analysis of the district revealing the exact areas where improvements are needed. The report shed light on jaw-dropping examples of dysfunction, including the lack of an overall maintenance plan and bloat in some departments that resulted in supervisors overseeing only one person.
So Jara isn’t asking legislators to give him funding and trust him to fix the district’s problems. Rather, he’s presented a warts-and-all assessment of the district along with an improvement plan.
Now, it’s the state’s turn to step up for education. There’s a lot of work to be done in bringing our K-12 system up to speed, but lawmakers have gotten off to a great start by identifying key needs.
