by Dr. Larry Moses
Published August 27, 2008
No one asked me but… I have been reading about cuts in the state budget and the harm they have done to education. A recent news article incorrectly stated that the legislature made a fifty percent cut in funds available for school instructional supplies, including textbooks, paper and pencils. In actuality, the legislature reduced state support for schools by fourteen percent.
The decision to cut the budget for instructional supplies was that of the Clark County School District. Jim MacIntosh, the District’s deputy chief financial officer stated, “The schools probably cannot operate given how deeply we cut them.” What kind of statement is that? Are we going to close schools?
One might remind Mr. MacIntosh that if the schools can’t operate, there is no need for the administration. This statement re-enforces the idea I have had for years. I believe that every school could close and the central office administration would continue unaware that there were no students being served.
MacIntosh further indicated that in October about $14 million would be restored to the individual school supply budgets by cutting into administrative office budgets. Excuse me, but if the administrative offices ran out of supplies, what affect would that have on students? Why was the $14 million not allocated to the classrooms to begin with?
One principal indicated his supply budget has been cut from $104,000 to $45,000 dollars. He further stated when supplies run out he won’t order any more but that all of the needs of the children will be met. How can he do that? If he was to meet the schools needs as originally budgeted, he would run out of supply money in four months. My rapid mathematical mind tells me that is a $59,000 dollar adjustment. At the $104,000 figure he would be spending about $565 a day on supplies and at $45,000 he would be spending about $244 a day. Is he telling the public $321 dollars a day in supplies was just fluff.
The teachers will still receive $200 dollars a year to purchase supplies from sources outside the district. This will fall way short of the $100 a month many teachers say they spend of their own money to ensure their students have supplies necessary in their classroom.
While teachers are spending their own money, they have received several warnings from various district levels that they are not to pressure parents to help offset the cost of teaching their children. Jolene Wallace, superintendent of southwest region stated, “We don’t want schools passing on all of these problems to parents.” She also found enough fluff in her budget to purchase each of the campuses in her region an extra 40 cases of copier paper and dry-erase markers.
The appeal to parents is nothing new. My kids have been gone a long time, but I can remember sending supplies with them to school in the form of tissues, crayons, and I believe one year toilet paper. But if this is not something parents should be willing to do, who should take up the slack?
Lost in all this talk of budget cuts is the fact state funding of education for 2008-2009 will actually increase by $2.1 billion dollars. The only thing we like about the Governor is his pledge to not increase taxes. One of the results of no new taxes is a failure to grow the state’s income. This will result in loss of services. You can’t have it both ways. Either give up the demand for no new taxes or stop expecting the state to take care of your every need.
No one asked me but…one of the greatest bargains in public service is the public school teacher. If you use the starting salary listed in the 2007-2008 budget, the beginning teachers makes $24.60 an hour. That figure is based on the seven and one-half hour day for which the teacher is contracted. It is also based on a total of 184 teacher work days. The average salary for all teachers nationwide is $50,000; that figures out to about $36.00 an hour. A teacher who works for the district 16 years and acquires a master’s degree plus 32 additional hours can make $46.00 an hour. The $46.00 an hour figure represents the maximum a CCSD teacher can make. A teacher receives no overtime, no paid holidays and no paid vacation days. Teachers are laid off over Christmas, Easter and the three months of summer. Teachers are paid only for the exact hours and days they are contracted to be in school. Sometime even teachers lose sight of this fact. Many people mistakenly believe teachers are paid for the summer months when they are not in school. Teacher’s pay is pro-rated and the district pays them part of the money they earned during the school year over the summer. This is convenient for the teacher and financially beneficial to the district. The interest earned by holding the money goes into the general fund to be used as the school board sees fit. This makes the money spent on teacher salaries some of the most cost effective dollars expended by a government agency.
We sometimes feel too much tax money is spent on the classroom teacher. Superintendent of schools, Mr. Walt Rulffes, has stated that 80 percent of the district’s budget is consumed by district salaries. This percentage excludes over half the funds in the district budget as it deals only with the General Operating Fund. Teacher’s salaries and benefits constitute 53 percent of the General Operating Budget but only 20 percent of the entire budget. If you look further into the budget, you will find 65 support staff positions start at a higher hourly wage than that of the entry level classroom teacher. All beginning administrative positions, whether they are licensed or unlicensed positions, are compensated at a rate higher than the beginning teacher. In fact, one of the lower paying entry level positions in the Clark County School District is that of the classroom teacher.
No one asked me but…The primary elections have been held and a number of school employees who are running for the school board have survived to the general election. After losing our very excellent school board member Ruth Johnson, to term limits, many of us were left in a quandary as to who to vote for. Interestingly enough one of the people running for the board in our district is a school teacher. The other school district employees running for office are administrators, one a principal, the other a high echelon district administrator. Both administrators indicated they would retire from the district if elected; however, one of our district candidates indicated that he intended to continue to teach if elected. While I have no intention to use my column to endorse candidates, I think it is fair to question if it is wise to have an employee serving on a board that is his boss. If this does not violate the Nevada Revised Statues, it should. How can an employee-board member not have a conflict of interest on most issue coming before the board? I have no doubt a teacher could make a good board member, but if elected he should quit his teaching position.
Thought for the week…Instead of giving money to found colleges to promote learning, why don’t they pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting anybody from learning anything? If it works as good as the prohibition one did, why, in five years we would be the smartest race of people on earth. – Will Rogers
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!
Comment on this story. Send a letter to the editor by email, click here: EMAIL US
