Democratic governor candidate targets education bureaucracy in proposal
Millions of education dollars could be committed to classrooms instead of administration if Nevada adopted an approach used in other states, said Rory Reid, the Democratic candidate for governor.
"Without strong schools, our economy will never grow," he said Wednesday, one day after he won the primary election and the right to face Republican nominee Brian Sandoval in the general election. "Not like it needs to in the short term, and not like we need it to happen in the long haul."
Reid named "unneeded education bureaucracy" as the target, saying principals should be able to decide whether to purchase supplies and services from the school district or elsewhere.
Under his proposal, some services would still be provided by the district, such as procurement, student transportation, capital project financing, and other administrative requirements.
Reid's campaign did not detail exactly what aspects of bureaucracy would be cut.
Schools in Maryland, Connecticut and California have tried a similar approach and realized savings of 10 percent to 20 percent, Reid said. He said a 10 percent cut here would amount to $220 million, and while he didn't have a list of where those savings would come from, he did have a list of how that money could be spent.
His list included training for teachers and principals, electronic textbooks, fully funding pre-kindergarten, math and reading intervention specialists and technology grants. The cost for those programs would be $99 million in 2011, and a projected $184.8 million in 2015.
"People came to America because they could get a job and educate their children here," Reid said. "Those are the same two reasons that people are leaving Nevada -- they can't get a job and they worry about our education system."
Nevada's budget problems, of course, extend beyond education funding, Reid said. He said that the state generally can fix its budget and do it "within our existing tax structure," and promised more details in the coming weeks.
When pressed when those details would be forthcoming, Reid said only, "Soon."
Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.
