Education funding focus of concern

Democratic legislators and candidates for office bemoaned the lack of funding for public education Thursday but stopped short of pledging to create new sources of tax revenue.

At the Southern Nevada Diversity Roundtable at Desert Pines High School in eastern Las Vegas, Senate Minority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, said that politicians should concentrate on making education the funding priority in the next legislative session, which starts in February.

Allison Copening, who is running for Nevada Senate District 6 against Republican incumbent Bob Beers, said she could not lobby for a state income tax amid the economic turmoil.

"I think everybody feels that way," Copening said.

The panel of Democratic candidates also included Assemblymen Mo Denis and Morse Arberry and Nevada Senate District 7 candidate David Parks.

Sen. Joe Heck, R-Henderson, was scheduled to appear but did not show up.

All candidates voiced concerned for education in Nevada but said they need the public's support to bring change.

Parks said advocates are up against a widespread perception that public education can do nothing right.

Constituents often tell him that "the Clark County School District is awash in money," Parks said, and that "they just make bad priorities."

"The people who are the naysayers -- who don't want to fund education -- are selling a pretty good story that everything is bad, and nothing is good," Parks said.

"Time and time again, we never hear, and the media never picks up on, the good things that are happening. It's only the bad things."

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug @reviewjournal.com or 702-799-2922.