Students always get the short end of the stick

Contemplate what's about to happen with schools in Clark County.

Gov. Brian Sandoval is proposing to spend $135.8 million more on the state's schools. That would pump up funding per pupil from $5,374 to $5,697 by 2015. It's a plan that would allow the Clark County School district to hire about 400 more teachers and reduce the class-size average by one student.

Not a giant step, but a small step in the right direction, especially in this lousy economy.

The big "if" in all this is the CCSD currently is negotiating with its four employee unions and the amount of teacher pay increases is now in the hands of arbitrator. Every dime of Gov. Sandoval's proposed increases to schools theoretically could be eaten up in additional pay for the union members.

That's not fair to students, is it? If unions want to improve their tarnished image and demonstrate they care about kids, they should take a voluntary pay cut or at least an extended pay freeze to further enhance the governor's funding increases.

PS: This is not to excuse management at CCSD. It's bloated, too. It should lead by example by committing to a pay cut and/or freeze pay as well.