Spending Our Education Dollars Better
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
In the review of the Nevada Taxpayers Association “Spending Reforms for Nevada ”, possibly nothing looms larger than the 18 recommendations that are offered for Nevada’s Education system (pages 12-15 for those who access the report). The ideas cover K-12 and also the Nevada System of Higher Education, noting that “the largest component of the State’s General Fund budget is education.” Through the General Fund budget, Nevada’s education system (K-12 and also the Nevada System of Higher Education) receive 55.2 percent of the dollars authorized in the 2009-2011 budget. K-12 education receives 39.9 percent of the state’s General Fund dollars and the Nevada System of Higher Education obtains 15.3 percent.
Given their joint and inter-related nature, the first recommendation on education calls on the State Legislature to require state agencies for public and higher education to coordinate their long-range plans for educational programs. Well duh! You’re not going to get improvements in College or University graduate numbers if you don’t get students successfully through the K-12 process.
From other sources of information, we also understand that improvements in educational quality in K-12 require the dramatic improvement of teachers coming from the institutions of Higher Education, especially in math, science and technical fields.
A number of the Taxpayers Association recommendations for K-12 are structural changes with the Nevada Legislature being the drivers to accomplish the necessary changes. These ideas could and should serve as a portion of the public conversations that take shape in working to bring about necessary improvements.
From an agricultural perspective, increased emphases on vocational education at all levels of the system are necessary. Not only would such attention improve the outcome of students better prepared for work and careers, we also believe that adoption of a better strategy in this area would increase the overall graduation rates of the state’s high schools.
Nevada citizens need to become involved in this process, reviewing the recommendations by the Nevada Taxpayers as well as other sources and concepts . Candidates for office need to be confronted with your advocacy for improvements and their responses have to go beyond the rhetoric and non-committal talking points of the present approach for election campaigns. Those who are elected to represent us need to understand that they will be held accountable for attention to meaningful reform. It’s not just a question of pouring more money into a failed system – it’s about fixing the system, making it function with successful outcomes and additional funding must be earned through demonstrated advancements.
In the review of the Nevada Taxpayers Association “Spending Reforms for Nevada ”, possibly nothing looms larger than the 18 recommendations that are offered for Nevada’s Education system (pages 12-15 for those who access the report). The ideas cover K-12 and also the Nevada System of Higher Education, noting that “the largest component of the State’s General Fund budget is education.” Through the General Fund budget, Nevada’s education system (K-12 and also the Nevada System of Higher Education) receive 55.2 percent of the dollars authorized in the 2009-2011 budget. K-12 education receives 39.9 percent of the state’s General Fund dollars and the Nevada System of Higher Education obtains 15.3 percent.
Given their joint and inter-related nature, the first recommendation on education calls on the State Legislature to require state agencies for public and higher education to coordinate their long-range plans for educational programs. Well duh! You’re not going to get improvements in College or University graduate numbers if you don’t get students successfully through the K-12 process.
From other sources of information, we also understand that improvements in educational quality in K-12 require the dramatic improvement of teachers coming from the institutions of Higher Education, especially in math, science and technical fields.
A number of the Taxpayers Association recommendations for K-12 are structural changes with the Nevada Legislature being the drivers to accomplish the necessary changes. These ideas could and should serve as a portion of the public conversations that take shape in working to bring about necessary improvements.
From an agricultural perspective, increased emphases on vocational education at all levels of the system are necessary. Not only would such attention improve the outcome of students better prepared for work and careers, we also believe that adoption of a better strategy in this area would increase the overall graduation rates of the state’s high schools.
Nevada citizens need to become involved in this process, reviewing the recommendations by the Nevada Taxpayers as well as other sources and concepts . Candidates for office need to be confronted with your advocacy for improvements and their responses have to go beyond the rhetoric and non-committal talking points of the present approach for election campaigns. Those who are elected to represent us need to understand that they will be held accountable for attention to meaningful reform. It’s not just a question of pouring more money into a failed system – it’s about fixing the system, making it function with successful outcomes and additional funding must be earned through demonstrated advancements.
Posted by Doug Busselman at 6/21/2010 10:03 AM 
Categories: Nevada Educational Funding
Tags: Nevada Education Improving School's Peformance
Categories: Nevada Educational Funding
Tags: Nevada Education Improving School's Peformance
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