Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

EDITORIAL: Accountability time

With big spending hikes inevitable, it's time Nevadans see some results

Unless a long-shot federal lawsuit filed in Carson City Monday against the Nevada Supreme Court prevails, the way has been cleared for the Legislature to pass the largest tax increase in state history without first obtaining a two-thirds majority vote in both legislative houses. As a result, Nevada's public sector will get a huge infusion of cash.

If the federal courts refuse to intervene and reverse Nevada's justices, the tax increase will amount to more than double the state's previous record. Most of the new money will go to the state's public schooling establishment and welfare programs.

Consider some of the horror stories recently in the headlines:

1) Nevada eighth-grade students scored last in the nation on standardized reading tests; fourth graders scored third from the bottom.

When Assembly Taxation Committee Chairman David Goldwater, D-Las Vegas, found out this news, he said: "For years, our school districts have done more with less, and it's finally catching up with us. These results show that we are now getting less with even less."

Terry Hickman, president of the Nevada State Education Association, said the scores reflect a lack of resources and commitment by the state to fund education. In particular, he cited class sizes in upper grades as the culprit.

"After the third grade, our classes balloon, and by the eighth grade, we have over 30 students in almost every class, sometimes 40," he said.

Gov. Kenny Guinn also called attention to the issue in January's State of the State Address: "Nevada suffers from some of the largest class sizes in the nation in grades four and up," the governor said.

2) Roughly one of six Nevada high school seniors couldn't pass the math proficiency exam required before students can receive diplomas.

"It's discouraging and it is a problem we have to address," state Superintendent of Schools Jack McLaughlin said. "It's something the state Board of Education wants to look more closely at."

3) Nevada ranked 46th in the nation in per-pupil spending in K-12 schools in the 2000-2001 school year, a calculation that conveniently does not include expenditures on construction and other capital projects. The state's ranking in per-pupil spending has dropped, from 38th in 1998-1999 to 40th nationally in 1999-2000.

"We've done nothing to stop our fall to the bottom of this and every other list, and that's shameful," said Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, in May of last year. "Where is our commitment to our children?"

Now that the Legislature is poised to inject a whole lot of new money into these education programs, the education establishment has run out of excuses. It will have the money it has asked for. So it's time for Nevada taxpayers to start keeping score.

As spending on K-12 schools increases dramatically, how much can we expect test scores to improve? Are the Nevada State Education Association and the Clark County School District prepared to offer some accountability to the people who pay their bills?

If rankings on fourth- and eighth-grade test scores fail to climb from the basement, how many heads will roll at the Ed Shed? How much of their higher salaries will teachers and administrators return to the taxpayers? How many lawmakers who provide cover for the education establishment and rubber-stamp every spending scheme the teacher unions toss their way will be turned out of office by their constituents?

Who will be called to account?

We'll be checking.