State of the State: The makings of compromise in Carson City

However, with Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval putting the finishing touches on his Wednesday night State of the State address, and legislative Democrats last week laying out a goal of expanded early childhood education, Carson City clearly will see something that’s been in short supply in sessions past: common ground.

Throughout last year’s legislative campaigns, candidates from both parties made it clear they were open to all ideas to improve student achievement, from reforms to increased spending, the weak economy notwithstanding. Some Republicans have lined up in support of increased funding for students who aren’t proficient in English, as well as a reformed K-12 funding formula that shifts more resources from rural to urban campuses. And Democrats already have embraced one of Gov. Sandoval’s highest education reform priorities: ending the practice of social promotion, which advances students to the next grade regardless of whether they have the proficiencies required for more demanding subject matter. Democrats killed that very reform during the 2011 session.

Each side seems less inclined to engage in partisan brinkmanship and more inclined to listen to the other side’s concerns. That’s important, considering neither party can act unilaterally to achieve their goals. Majority Democrats lack the two-thirds supermajority they need in both the Senate and the Assembly to pass tax increases and override a veto by Gov. Sandoval. All four of the Legislature’s caucus chiefs – Senate Majority Leader Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas; Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson, R-Las Vegas; Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas; and Assembly Minority Leader Pat Hickey, R-Reno – are first-time leaders, so there shouldn’t be any old scores to settle.

All this is encouraging, but the urgent work of this year’s 120-day session won’t be without disagreements. Old lines in the sand still exist, with Democrats clearly favoring program expansions that will require significant tax increases, and Republicans favoring reforms that don’t sit well with organized labor. Gov. Sandoval is expected to announce Wednesday that his proposed 2013-15 budget will have flat spending levels, yet set aside money for merit pay for public school teachers who rate well under the state’s developing evaluation system. He has promised to veto any tax increases beyond the extensions of sales, payroll, DMV and business license taxes that are scheduled to expire June 30.

Although Gov. Sandoval’s speech will emphasize education policy, we hope his address covers badly needed reforms to the state’s collective bargaining and prevailing wage laws and public employee pensions. All impose needless costs on the public through inflexible, unaccountable binding arbitration, elevated construction costs and retirement benefits that aren’t available in the private sector, respectively.

Nevada faces big challenges, most of them created by five years of economic suffering. Compromise in Carson City will go a long way toward returning the state to prosperity.