What plagues Nevada education isn’t “quite simple”

The latest report on the bad state of education in Nevada comes from a UNLV sponsored roundtable group.

The executive summary of the report explains: "In early August 2010, UNLV’s Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies brought together 40 Southern Nevadans from a mix of professions – banking, architecture, law enforcement, education, real estate and government, as well as other sectors. They met for two days to discuss the links between education and economic diversification."

And the result? "Quite simply," the report proclaims, "we have an education crisis in Nevada."

I don't want to belittle this effort. Looks like a lot of good people tried to examine (again) what's wrong with public education in Nevada. You can download the full report here.

For the most part, efforts to study poor performance with the Nevada educational complex, including this one, come down to funding. We don't spend enough. But when you ask, "Well, how much is enough?", the answer is usually stone cold silence.

And, if you really want to feel alone, ask questions about accountability. Is money the only problem? Or, is existing infrastructure and personnel part of the problem? What if we pour double the money into Nevada education and nothing happens?

So, when I read statements like: Quite simply, we have an education crisis in Nevada", I want to scream "Quite simply my ink-stained u-no-what!"

The problem is that no matter how hard we try to boil down the problems of Nevada education to one thing -- say, money -- the magic simple answer never rings true.

For example, consider this report that came out of NPRI on the lessons public education my learn from home-school Nevada children. Why are reports like this not ever put into the serious mix?

Or, consider the anecdotal evidence that crops up in the news every once in a while to make the average taxpayer go "hummmmm."

A high school teacher at Chaparral High School was arrested recently for alleged sexual misconduct with a student. The accused was a full-time Mariachi teacher.

Mariachi teacher? Nothing against Mariachi, but if we are, indeed, in a funding crisis that puts us last in the nation, how in the world do we have the money for a full-time Mariachi teacher?

So far, no one from the district has shown the public the courtesy of explaining that. And, I doubt they will. The last thing the school districts and universities in Nevada want is for the public seriously fishing around and asking questions about competency and priorities. All professional educrats want is for taxpayers to double down on funding, no questions asked.

Or, at least that's how this frustrated Nevada taxpayer sees it.

PS: While we're on the subject, would someone at the Clark County School District or UNLV or UNR or any of the community colleges care to reveal how many teachers were fired for cause this semester? I put the over and under at zero, which if I'm right tells you a lot about one of the problems that confront Nevada schools. Like I said, funding is not the only problem. It may not be in the top 10 of problems.