Lawmakers Scrutinize Education Funding

by BRANDON RITTIMAN - March 9, 2011

 
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Brandon Rittiman/KUNR

It's a part of Governor Brian Sandoval's budget that hasn't gotten much attention.

Right now, teachers who continue their own educations and get masters or doctorate degrees get a pay raise for doing so.

The proposed budget would end that practice, but undo the pay raises teachers with postgraduate degrees already have.

Assemblyman David Bobzien (D) said he knows teachers who've put a lot of time and money into getting post-grad degrees.

Bobzien: "It's a long-term investment for them. I just find it appalling that we would say ‘Oh, sorry. I know that took you six or seven years to do, but that money's gone.' "

Several education leaders testified to the Assembly Ways and Means Committee that some of the more educated teachers could face bigger pay cuts than the proposed five percent- some would get as much as a 20 percent reduction in pay.

It's one component of a much larger cut to education. In that vein, Assemblywoman Debbie Smith (D) introduced her bill that would create a rainy day fund for schools and colleges.

How would she pay for that? Sometimes the state budgets for more students than there actually are, leaving leftover money. Instead of sending the excess back to the state, this would put a chunk of it in a savings account to help avoid cuts in future recessions. There would be separate accounts for public schools and the university system.

Governor Sandoval's staff says he supports the rainy day fund concept and will be following the bill.