Education panel sends report to lawmakers

Education Reform Blue Ribbon Task Force Co-Chairwoman Elaine Wynn reacted angrily when a member questioned the accuracy and negative tone of the group's report on public education Thursday.

Allison Turner, Nevada Parent Teacher Association president, did not like the introductory statement, "In Nevada, it's clear we have abandoned this responsibility (of public education). By all measures, we have failed our children."

Wynn responded brusquely that "these are my words."

"They reflect my sentiment and the history I've had as a Nevadan and as a business person. I'm not a dilettante when it comes to understanding education in this state. I have never seen it worse."

Wynn said she advocates accountability and believes the state is finally being held accountable for a "lost generation of children."

"If we want to gloss over it and put on a smiley face, we are giving comfort to the enemy," Wynn said. "We are underfunded and have abandoned our responsibility. We are at the bottom of every list" for educational ranking.

Task force members had just toasted finalizing their recommendations to state lawmakers for improving K-12 public education with nonalcoholic sparkling wine in a conference room at Wynn Las Vegas. The committee was originally formed by outgoing Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons to shape the state's application for federal Race to the Top grants, which Nevada failed to win.

"The second half of our task was to put forward a reform agenda that would go to the Legislature," said Task Force Co-Chairman and Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Dan Klaich. "We hope to see it enacted."

The report has detailed policy recommendations for expanding alternative routes to teacher licensure, increasing the number of charter schools in Nevada and linking teacher evaluations to student performance. It does not address Wynn's criticism that public education is underfunded or make suggestions for how public education should be funded.

"It was not part of the original charge of the governor to us," Klaich said. "I think implicit in everything we've done is that excellence is tied to appropriate funding levels. We understand that's a decision that will also be made by the Legislature based on the governor's budget recommendations."

GOP Gov.-elect Brian Sandoval, who has pledged not to raise taxes, will be in office when the Legislature convenes in February and tackles the state budget. To adhere to that pledge and achieve a balanced budget, state Budget Director Andrew Clinger has predicted the state will have to cut general fund spending by at least $1 billion.

One of the task force's more controversial recommendations is to have the governor appoint the state superintendent of public instruction and members of the state Board of Education, who are now elected. The Board of Education now is responsible for hiring the state superintendent.

The idea is to streamline state government and increase accountability by making the governor the "chief executive officer" responsible for education.

The current governance structure for public education is so convoluted it "resembles more of a spaghetti bowl than a rocket ship to get us to our dreams," said Punam Mathur, who led the task force's governance committee and is the vice president for human resources at NV Energy.

Ray Bacon, executive director of the Nevada Manufacturers Association, said he has not been impressed with the members elected to the state board in the past 20 years, saying he could think of only two who were "superheroes."

The task force adopted the recommendation to change the selection process for Board of Education members on a 15-2 vote. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Keith Rheault and Nevada State Education Association President Lynn Warne opposed the idea.

"I think the voters will want to retain their right to vote for members of the state Board of Education," Warne said.

Rheault agreed with the principle that the governance structure needs to change, but questioned the assumption that the governor would always cooperate with the education community or with other branches of government.

Other recommended reforms include allowing schools deemed as persistently failing under the federal No Child Left Behind Act to become charter schools, which would give them more freedom to implement change.

The task force also supported a bill draft proposal from the Washoe County School District to increase the probationary period for new teachers from one year to three years.

As part of their evaluations, teachers and principals also will be scrutinized for their efforts to increase parental involvement, but task force member Joyce Haldeman clarified that educators won't be blamed for deadbeat parents.

"I would hate to punish a teacher if parents will not ever get engaged," said Haldeman, the Clark County School District's associate superintendent for community and government relations.

More information about the task force and its recommendations can be found at nevadaspromise.org.

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-374-7917.