The Vegas Voice - A Commitment To Education
A Commitment To Education (Vegas Voice, June 2006)
As you know, I am working hard to earn your support in the Governor's race by focusing on five e'sethics, education, energy, economic development, and the environment. In recent issues, I have described my plans for renewable energy development and ethics reform. This month, I'd like to write about education.
There is no issue more critical to Nevada's future than improving its education system. Educating our children well is the foundation for an economy that attracts companies with better-paying jobs, and a better-educated population means a higher quality of life for Nevadans. For starters, we must confront some hard facts: Nevada ranks near the bottom of the states in student achievement scores; Nevada has one of the highest school dropout rates in the nation; and fewer of our high school students go on to college than in nearly every other state. Nevada also ranks among the lowest states in per pupil funding for education.
Several factors account for our poor showing in K-12 education. Let me mention only two. Clark County, with 70 percent of Nevada's students, has had the fastest enrollment growth in the nation for a decade. The Clark County School District must open a new elementary school every 38 days, and as a result, the amount of investment in bricks and mortar takes from needed investment in educational quality. Turnover among new teachers is too high. Clark County hires over 2,000 new teachers per year, but about 10 percent leave after one year and 22 percent within five years.
As an educator myself, I am committed to changing Nevada's shameful statistics by making education a real priority. As a state Senator, I have consistently supported class-size reduction, technology improvements in classrooms, accountability in education, all-day kindergarten, and directing funds to the classroom, not the bureaucracy. As part of my Governor's campaign, I have recently announced several initiatives to improve K-12 education. The limited space I have in this column allows me to address only a few of the more important ones.
I will push for all-day kindergarten in every school. Each 5-year old child will have the opportunity to attend kindergarten and begin assimilating the social, cognitive, and language skills he or she needs for a good start in school.
I will support school districts' efforts to recruit and retain the best teachers. To accomplish this we need to train more teachers at Nevada institutions of higher education, pay teachers a professional salary, and develop innovative ways to counter the high cost of housing so that teachers can become homeowners. We also need to reward good teachers and improve conditions in the classroom that drive teachers away.
Education begins at home with parents. I will promote parental involvement by urging school districts to institute monthly "open forum" meetings where parents can dialogue with teachers and principals.
We need to provide meaningful vocational education opportunities so that students who are not college-bound can learn skills relevant to the economy and workforce of the future.
I view Nevada's public education system as being K-16. Therefore I will fight to preserve the Millennium Scholarship program that has been so successful in attracting high school graduates to enroll in Nevada's institutions of higher education, while tightening requirements for keeping the scholarship.
These are but a few things a Governor can and should do to improve K-12 education in Nevada. My commitment to education is absolute. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of Nevada's youth and in our state's future.
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