LETTERS: Vouchers could prove whether more money helps students

To the editor:

Richard L. Strickland implied in his letter that Patricia Lee, in an earlier letter, was relying on “figures made up out of whole cloth.” (“Education spending,” April 15 Review-Journal; “Schools spend plenty,” March 26 Review-Journal). Ms. Lee contended that public per-pupil spending is in some cases more than the cost to attend private school. Then Mr. Strickland selectively chose some data to prove his point.

I went to the Clark County School District website and found that for the 2013-14 school year, total funds from all sources were $3,006,635,000; we’ll call it an even $3 billion. I then found a Review-Journal article from September 2013 that reported the official enrollment for that school year was 311,429 students. By my calculations, that comes to $9,633 spent per student, not the $8,527 given by Mr. Strickland.

I then selected a private school in a working-class neighborhood, St. Francis de Sales School, went to its website and found that its current annual tuition is $5,520 for nonparishioners. This private school apparently charges a tuition that is less than 60 percent of the CCSD total expenditure per student. Ms. Lee’s original contention that public schools expend more per student than private schools seems to be correct.

I do not contend that this means public education is overfunded, but it suggests that a private organization with limited revenue sources has an incentive to keep costs down. Such an incentive does not exist in an educational bureaucracy with powerful taxing power, such as CCSD.

If parents could opt out of the Clark County public school system and get a voucher for $5,000 to enroll their child in private school, for each student taking the voucher, there would be an additional $4,500 to spend on other students. If 100,000 students left the school district with vouchers, it would cost half a billion dollars. CCSD would still have $2.5 billion for the remaining 200,000 students, or $12,500 per student, an increase of 30 percent.

Or in the extreme, if all but one student left with a voucher, there would still be $1.5 billion to educate the one remaining student. At that point, I guess we would know once and for all whether spending more money improves student performance.

JOHN M. MCGRAIL

LAS VEGAS

Water waste

To the editor:

A picture is worth a thousand words, so I thank the Review-Journal for publishing the aerial photos of golf clubs in the New Homes section (“Affordable Vegas tee times,” April 11 Review-Journal). It’s so much easier to visualize what a total waste of water there is to maintain all that lush greenery on the multiple golf courses in this city.

Many homeowners are converting their lawns to desert landscaping to help conserve during this drought. Shouldn’t everyone be doing their part? Or is the privileged set governed by a different set of rules?

Desert Rose Golf Course was just redone as a flood control basin, and acres of grass were installed along with dozens of rain birds to maintain it. Not one sign of any desert landscaping. Please tell me that all the grass was needed for flood control. Would rocks along the sides of the wash not have worked as well?

Speaking of wasting water, Clark County seems to be the biggest offender. I walk my dog in Hollywood Park, and for months now, the irrigation lines have been putting more water on the parking lot than on the landscaping. The county workers there see it, but I guess they don’t care. It must not be their job.

But at least it makes the pigeons happy. They so enjoy their own personal showers under the lines spurting into the air.

EVELYN VEYETTE

LAS VEGAS

Municipal election turnout

To the editor:

I have no comment regarding James Moldenhauer’s letter, other than noting his statement, “Maybe we shouldn’t bother voting,” is very appropriate (“GOP’s bait-and-switch,” April 12 Review-Journal).

Mr. Moldenhauer can take heart in previous elections, especially the recent municipal elections. It would appear we are rapidly progressing toward a zero percent turnout of eligible voters.

MICHAEL R. STILLEY

MESQUITE

Hardy on Yucca Mountain

To the editor:

The good people of Nevada can rest easy now that Rep. Cresent Hardy is on the job. After taking part in a tour of Yucca Mountain, he said, “I learned that there’s a tunnel in the ground. I learned that there’s science behind some of this stuff.” (“Yucca Mountain gets yet another look,” April 10 Review-Journal).

Some of this stuff? Sounds to me like Rep. Hardy took some very extensive notes during the tour. It also sounds like, when the tour was over, he couldn’t understand much of what he’d written about Yucca Mountain.

TERRY COX

HENDERSON

Scooter deaths

To the editor:

Every day, I read about someone getting injured or killed on a smaller scooter or moped. When are our lawmakers going to make changes in licensing or registering, set an age limit or at least demand all drivers wear helmets?

These people are traffic hazards, often young kids who don’t know the rules of driving, swerving in and out of traffic, and driving between cars while they are waiting for a light. When are we going to start saving lives?

Riders of larger motorcycles follow the rules. What makes these smaller bike riders any different?

CHARLES BERBERIAN

LAS VEGAS