Rulffes offers 10 percent pay cut, asks Gibbons to up the ante

CARSON CITY -- Clark County Superintendent Walt Rulffes said today he will take a 10 percent cut in pay, as long as Gov. Jim Gibbons agrees to take the same reduction.

"I know that cuts have to be made," Rulffes told a joint Senate-Assembly committee looking at education spending.

Rulffes noted that Gibbons has agreed publicly to take the same 6 percent pay cut as he has recommended in his budget for teachers, state workers and university professors.

But Rulffes said Nevada is a gambling state, and called on Gibbons to see the 6 percent cut and raise it another 4 percentage points. In making his offer, Rulffes said he wanted to make it clear that he opposes reducing teacher pay. Gibbons earns $141,000 a year. Rulffles' salary is $307,632.

The Gibbons administration viewed Rulffes' challenge to the governor as a misguided attempt to be funny.

"To joke or treat this in a jovial manner is disgraceful," said Daniel Burns, Gibbons' communications director.

Burns added if Rulffes wants to reduce his pay 10 percent, then he should, without placing conditions on the governor.

"How about having the Clark County superintendent reducing his salary until it is equal to that of the governor?" he asked. 

Without answering whether Gibbons will take Rulffes' challenge, Burns said the superintendent should realize the harsh economic conditions of the state and not treat Gibbons' proposal to reduce salaries of state employees and teacher "as a joke."

"I hope teachers and state employees take notice of the fact that someone thinks this is all so trivial,"  Burns concluded.