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U.S. Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter delivers a keynote address during the Department of Defense (DoD) Worldwide Education Symposium and Expo at the MGM Conference Center Wednesday, July 25, 2012.
By Paul Takahashi (contact) 
Saturday, July 28, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Sun coverage
Despite some gains in student achievement, Las Vegas has been named the worst city in the nation for education, according to two rankings released this week.
Parenting Magazine came out with a list of the top 10 worst cities for education in America in 2012. Topping that list is Las Vegas, which was dinged for its schools’ high pupil-to-teacher ratio and a lower-than-average per-pupil funding.
The magazine, which has a circulation of more than 2 million readers, cited the recession as a cause for Las Vegas’ low education ranking. The Clark County School District was recently downgraded by two Wall Street credit-rating agencies, complicating the district’s plans to address $5.3 billion in school maintenance needs, the magazine said.
The Baltimore-based children’s reach group Annie E. Casey Foundation also released its 22nd annual Kids Count data book, which ranks states on a variety of factors, including education. The foundation worked with UNLV to determine the rankings.
According to the foundation, Nevada ranks 50th in the nation in education despite improving in several key indicators.
Joining Nevada in the bottom five states for education are Arizona, West Virginia, Mississippi and New Mexico. The top states for education are Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut.
Three-quarters of Nevada’s fourth-graders are not proficient in reading, and 71 percent of eighth-graders are not proficient in math, according to Kids Count. Furthermore, 44 percent of Nevada’s high school students don’t graduate on time, the report found.
Although Nevada’s dropout rate declined slightly, the Clark County School District — the state’s largest school district — saw its dropout rate increase to 4.8 percent from 4.5 percent in 2009-10, the latest year of statistics available.
Black and Hispanic males are the most likely to drop out, especially in their senior year, according to Kids Count. Nationally, the dropout rate hovers around 7 percent, according to federal statistics.
Las Vegans’ opinions of public education in Nevada are in line with the findings of the rankings released this week, according to a UNLV survey conducted in 2011.
More than three-fourths of the 682 survey respondents believe that the quality of education in Nevada’s public schools is “a big problem” or “somewhat of a problem.”
More than half of the respondents thought increasing teachers’ pay based on merit instead of seniority would help improve the quality of education in Las Vegas, according to the UNLV poll. Other popular ideas include reorganizing high schools into smaller campuses and adding full-day kindergarten, according to the poll.
Speaking as a native Las Vegan and graduate of Bonanza High school(where i got decent education and graduated in 1984) this just makes me sad for my hometown.
:-(
But if i was well off and had my kids in private school while living in a private community, why should i care about Las Vegas public schools?
I would just want more tax cuts i suppose..
"But if i was well off and had my kids in private school while living in a private community, why should i care about Las Vegas public schools?" - Markey
You should care very much, those students are going to be voters, and they out-number you.
Just another benefit of having illegal immigrants in Las Vegas. They have to slow down the pace of the courses so the little anchor babies can keep up with the children that already know how to speak english.
close the schools already. How much education do you need to sweep up, or spend your life in prison?
"You should care very much, those students are going to be voters, and they out-number you."
--------------------------
Stop making sense, it s UN(Un Nevadan)
14 years of hateful Republican Governors who just cared about giving tax breaks to rich people like romney Adelson and Wynn. Sandoval should resign immediately.
Nevada's politicians fund their priorities. They don't fund education. Therefore, education is NOT one of their priorities. Remember this when you go to vote for the candidate that "supports education," even though they refuse to fund it.
The real issue here is under 20's spawning children without having actual relationships, decent jobs or any clear understanding of what it means to be an adult.
.
You could throw all the money in the world at our school system, but that high school drop out mom living over on washington and charleston with three kids from three fathers ensures those kids education will stink in any case.
.
The responsibility for a good, solid meaningful education belongs with the parents, not the school system, and that will never happen in this town.
As long as education is forced, not chosen; and as long as the unions run it; it will never be successful. At current, the public school system is nothing more than public funded babysitting. Kick out the union, hire teachers as independent, licensed professionals, fire the administrators, and demand accountability from the students . . education should be a privilege, not a mandate.
"...education should be a privilege, not a mandate." - blister8
You're kidding, right?
That is the second comment in about two hours that has tempted me to post something that should immediately be removed by the moderator.
This one is one the parents. Sorry, but people have to take responsibility for their heirs.
And for these we are wasting $ TWO BILLION every year. $1,000 more per kid per year than Arizona where they get graduates who can read and write.
Oh, puleeeze! "We don't spend enough on education." What rot! If money was all the mattered, there'd be no more poverty, homeless or need for food stamps. We pour money down the drain like it's inexhaustible and hope things work out! And, do they? Absolutely not! Despite zillions, poverty rises ever year and the public school system in the USA gets worse! Comparing LV schools to others throughout the nation is liking comparing an apple with a worm in it to one that is rotten to the core - they both stink - and that's true of the public school system. It's an abject failure and has been for decades. Long ago, the public school system veered off course when "progressives" took control and began their insane agenda of indoctrinating rather than educating. Who cares if "Heather has Two Mommies" if the the students "graduate" without being able to read, write, add, subtract, multiply & divide? Who cares about "feeling-good-about-yourself" after "graduating" without the basic skills to compete in the work place? My answer? Condemn every public school as hazardous to the futures of the children forced into them and close them. Attach the funds for education to the student and let them attend any school their parents deem suitable and capable. Take politics and agendas out of the equation and do it now!
boftx: July 28, 2012 @ 6:34 a.m. said:
"...education should be a privilege, not a mandate." - blister8
You're kidding, right?
That is the second comment in about two hours that has tempted me to post something that should immediately be removed by the moderator.
``````````````````````````
boftx,
Not sure, but I don't think the person is kidding. I was also wondering about the: demand accountability from the students comment. How does that work?
The Federal govt already runs 80% plus of the state already, the way Nevada is heading, maybe the Feds taking over would be a good thing.
50th ranking, rock bottom.
If someone had told me back in 1984 that 28 years from now, Nevada/Las Vegas would be the poorest rated education state? I would of had a good laugh.
Wow..
They compare Las Vegas and Arizona to New Jersey and Conneticut? Wonder what the ratio in New Jersey is for illegals attending school?
Not a surprise. It doesn't benefit casinos to have our young people educated. Keep them dumb and ready to meet the demands of the service industry.
Maybe the Casinos and Mining should be paying their fair share of taxes...oh that's right...they own the legislature down to their underwear.
When you read comments from the likes of Fink...
Those hateful, vile diatribes, you begin to unnerstand the unnerpinnings of what keeps Nevader from suckseeding in Edumackashun.
Those that continue to defend the lack of support & funding for our schools with lies & deceit (brainwashed by propagandists like Sheldon Adelson's NPRI) need to be exposed for the FRAUDS that they are.
A NATIONAL EMBARRASSMENT...
CCSD'S School Board members should resign en-masse, post-haste, & take their latest Superintendent with them.
Parents...
That's where this ALL COMES UNRAVELED, at it's core.
With teacher cuts over the years, making a higher student to teacher ratio, I can understand that children get less and less attention and will suffer when their needs aren't able to be meet by their inundated teachers. And to speak of the teachers, how do you think they're coping with possible job loss with school vs union issues? The teachers are stressed out about pay and job security, maybe they're becoming less engaged and more checked out? Like so many American's they face job insecurity and it can reflect in their job performance.
I would like to applaud the teachers who were featured in a recent article who went through extra educator classes during their summer vacation. Despite challenges some people continue to improve themselves to do a better job, and I can only commend their efforts and hope the school district looks at more efforts to improve.
jazzy13 nailed it.
WOW, that is something to publish..I am amazed anyone was able to READ the report !..America as a whole, has a poor education system..most teachers (not all) teachers today are just in it for the job and to babysit the kids..if Johnny is misbehaving, there's no discipline because the school board is afraid of a lawsuit.."you had my Johnny go stay after school?" You can't do that..or better yet, the parents AND the students are not accountable for getting an education..
If LV wants to diversify for new business coming to LV, you better fix this problem NOW !!!
Why would we fund a failing schools system that is more corrupt than our government?
The Progressive achievements include the 6th worst place to do business in the country, the 6th most vacant city in the country. They renamed Prostitutes, Sex workers.
There are many reasons and one good solution to all of these problems. But the answer is more than progressives who live on the blood of others can bear to hear.
We probably have some of the worst parenting in the nation also. When parents de-emphasize education and selfishly emphasize tatoos, piercings, booze, drugs, etc., what do you expect? However, we DO need to better funded programs in our schools. Kids should have sports and the arts fully funded at their schools and not have to resort to bake sales or dropped programs. A little more taxation on the casinos, although not raising them to the levels in every other state, is warranted as is some higher taxation of the mining industry.
A NATIONAL EMBARRASSMENT... Even when faced with almost three decades of public, political, education, immigration and fiscal policy failure, Nevada will return to the voting booth and give away 95% of all revenue generated here.
jazzy13 you are probably right. And keeping them dumb also makes them not critically think about the fact that they vote against their own interests when the vote for the Republicans!
notacon, Not a single republican on the the Clark County Commission, the third most powerful man in the world has been a Democrat Senator from Nevada for twenty six years, Democrats had super majorities and the Presidency for four of the last six years. The highest foreclosure, lowest graduation, highest unemployment, highest illegal population and now the worst education system in the entire United States. Talk about naive, how's life been for ya the last six years Nevada?
Just throwing money at the problem will not solve it. I have three children and they are all proficient in all aspects of their schooling. They are that way because I make sure they are that way. I interact with the schools and their teachers. I check parentlink and their backpacks almost every day to make sure they are doing what they should be.
I am just an average parent who cares about my children. They are MY responsibility, not the teachers. The teachers supplement and enhance their upbringing, not the other way around. You have to contribute the majority of the horrible school problem to the people who live in Las Vegas, not the teachers or even the politicians. Do you guys know your neighbors? I have been all over this city in the past 10 years and have met all kinds of people in just about every part of town. The fact is that many of these people just don't give a flying dogs testicle what their kids are doing. They could care less if they are proficient in anything but leaving them alone to drink, gamble or get high. This is the reality of the situation. A teacher or the Governor cannot fix that problem. I am not sure that it can be fixed because these same people not giving a crap about their children are the ones who will fight change and vote against it. Just sayin
the Republiklan solution is child labor and indetured servitude for all but the very rich.
Let me play Devils Advocate. If you spend billions Educating our young people, where will they find Jobs? California! So why spend the Money when Service Sector Industries only need Obedient Low Skill Workers?
This Points to the Need for the NATIONAL Department of Education Standards - someone to CRAM the Right to a Quality Education for Every Student down Every Politicians Throat. And No, Money Will not Fix everything. Educators, Politicians, Parents and Students must be held Accountable, yet resources must be available.
And wouldn't you know it, Dean Heller is opposed to the Department of Education - Always Looking to see where HIS next Dollar is coming from and forgetting the students - other than sloganeering.
I wouldn't put a kid in this school system under any circumstance. I don't care how good a parent you are, how much you keep on top of your kid, his work, etc. chances are he's going to be in classrooms where 50% of the kids don't want to be there, don't care..and will be an influence on your kids education. He will be a disruption to the learning process. As a graduate of one of the states listed in the top 5 I can tell you it's like a night and day comparison.
A huge part of the blame is on the parents here. A lot of them living here don't stress the need to get an education. I guess they figure their kid can work as a busboy their entire lives.
Don't blame money, don't blame the teachers. Blame the element here in Vegas. We all know the meaning behind it. Las Vegas is a fun town, beautiful weather, awesome scenery...but there is more scum per sq foot living here than anywhere else in the country. The sad part is they are having kids.
Republicans should not agree with any tax increases unless there is first passed significant government union reform.
Hello Las Vegas was never supposed to be about 2 million residents and schools. The typical visitor here would agree and is usually shocked to learn this many people live here.
The problem is this mentality based around development and sprawl. Which are nothing but core Capitalist activities. The losers in all of this is everybody including the now bankrupt developers. But let's forget all those lessons of the past and push for even more Growth!
Insanity is defined as...
If CCSD would cut the assistants, coaches, counselors, administrators, psychics, and baby sitters from the budget and focus on more teachers and EDUCATION instead of empire building, you would have more successful students....of course that will never happen.
I wouldn't place any import on the Parents magazine rating if as suggested in this article their main criteria is tax dollars spent. This is of value primarily to those who receive the dollars in salary. If the schools are safe and healthy but have maintenance and replacement needs that aren't being met that is a concern that needs to be addressed but not one that necessarily affects learning and the quality of education.
The other report that cites more pertinent criteria such as graduation rates, math and reading scores is one that is likely to be truly indicative of deficiencies.
We want to graduate all our children with none left behind. But, we also need to recognize that in some cases drop out rates are in part a result of cultural and social factors that cannot be controlled by the schools. Examining how our graduates rank against the national average will tell us more about the quality of education than the number of drop outs. Not being able to motivate some to stay in school is heart breaking but not a good indicator of the quality of education received by those who do.
I believe that Las Vegans are willing and ready to take steps to improve the quality of education received by our students and the outreach efforts to those most inclined to drop out if tax payers are convinced that the efforts and means asked for are those that will affect the students and not merely the usual request to throw money at the problem.
Student achievement is what we need to concentrate on, not paying more for seniority and union officials who I would say hurt student achievement. If seniority is to be rewarded it should be rewarded a case by case for those who create a level of student achievement and who bring innovative and creative ways to get results to the classroom and the district. As we have seen in other public employee areas, high pay on a national ranking doesn't guarantee a level of performance equal in ranking.
When the teachers union provides a unifying force instead of divisive one, when they protect the best teachers over those who show up the longest and when they have the students and communities interest over their own, then, the community can be asked for more. Not just because they ask for it, that won't fly anymore.
75% fourth graders not proficient in reading, 71% eighth graders not proficient in math and 44% high school student do not complete school in time, blacks and Hispanics drop at a higher rate than other minorities. Money will not fix this problem, its going to take a collective effort by schools and parents. I like to know the attendance record of many of these students, during the school years many children do not go to school on a daily bases. As for blacks and Hispanics, your race has nothing to do with getting a job, its your education, skill and experience level and then add a criminal record to the mix, you just made yourself unemployable. Everyone is given an opportunity for a education, unless you take advantage of that like a majority of Americans, you will always be left behind.
The parents of these soon to be janitors, as well as the rest of the state are paying for results. Well, we got 'em. Now what? Some heads must roll. No more excuses. How can educators complain about their pay with results like these?
It seems to me that that the school district is run by the most incompetent people in the state. It's blatantly obvious that tax money is wasted on the entire system. They have failed. Is there any evidence to the contrary?
But let's not blame everything on the lazy, inefficient, slack-jawed idiots that are in charge of framing the future of this country by providing it with uneducated, credulous fools that are only suitable for manual labor. Parents have been aware of the problem for years and they should take some responsibility for properly educating their children. It should be clear at this point that the state cannot do what our tax dollars are paying them to do.
I'm NOT a bit surprised !!!
Face it folks, all the rhetoric does not address the basic fault of Nevada. The gaming industry controls what is reported and how our government officials act. There is censorship in the media. Example, Stations controls any negative stories. Yesterdays news reported that owners are being forced to sell their interest in the Alliante if they are to continue to operate in Missouri, as Missouri recognizes Stations for what they are. http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2012/jul/26.... Yet, that story got buried in the Sun under the generic heading of a N Las Vegas casino being sold and the LVRJ didn't even report this huge story. The investors in the Alliante are being forced to sell their interest in the Alliante immediately because of any affiliation with Station Casinos, which has been banned from Missouri under questionable circumstances. Why does Missouri ban Stations when Stations has free hand in doing what they do best in Nevada? That, folks is censorship and manipulation of government.
No surprize here. What do you need schools for to work in a casino ??
When it comes to military spending you hear: "our military will be crippled if we do not spend enough money" but education: "spending money doesn't help"
So bunker busters and tax breaks for the super-rich will save America, not education.
@Johnmanrules
"I have three children and they are all proficient in all aspects of their schooling. They are that way because I make sure they are that way. I interact with the schools and their teachers. I check parentlink and their backpacks almost every day to make sure they are doing what they should be"
------------------
That's fine but when you send your child off to school and he sits in classrooms where on either side of him is a kid who doesn't care about his education, nor do his parents, it's going to have a negative effect on your child's education. It's going to have a negative effect on how that teacher teaches (disruptions, etc.) and spends more time than needed on those students. It's not about what you can control. It's about what you can't control. You can't control the misfits who don't want to learn who take up valuable teacher time and energy at the expense of your child. This is where I disagree with those parents who say "I do everything right to ensure my child is getting an education" because the fact is you cannot control the main problem to your child getting a better education...which is being in a classroom with children who don't care about their education.
It is time to stop playing the blame game. You know, it's the teacher's fault. No, it's the parents fault. No, it's the union's fault. No, it's the districts fault. How about its everybody's fault. NOW, HOW DO WE FIX THE PROBLEM? It's not the blame game.
For some reason, people think that getting rid of seniority for teachers is education reform. Changing the teacher evaluation system is education reform. NEWS FLASH, it's not.
Why do we have a school calendar that gives students three months off during the summer? Does any other industrialized nation have a similar schedule? The answer is NO!! Our calendar dates back to the 1850's so kids could work on the farms.
Why is the school year only 180 days? No other industrialized country has a school year that short. Most other countries have years of at least 200 days.
Most other countries treat their teachers as valued members of the society, not like the teachers here are treated.
The problem is that these reforms will cost money. Are you willing to put money into true education reform, or just lip service?
How can you attract businesses to Nevada with an education system that is last in the nation?
I have a question for you to answer, and hopefully you will understand it. How can you put students first, if you put teachers last?
@Daydreamer. Sorry to disappoint you, but all of the tests are in English. ELL students must take the same ENGLISH tests as every other student.
@mred
few people buy the tripe about military spending either...it's just that defense contractors have a ton of money to line the pockets of our "esteemed" representatives in washington. It's the defense industry PR folks that spread the "crippled military" pablum.
Every child born has a price tag, as a community we must educate them, or incarcerate them. Section 8, food stamps, medicaid, the uninsured that clog the emergency room. This is of great cost to all communities...
I think I would rather have my tax dollars, In education.........
Commenters here in the Las Vegas Sun have made it very clear that they value a population that is well educated. Also, Tanker1975 brings it all home with the final question, "How can you put students first, if you put teachers last?" as posited in his post:
"By Tanker1975,July 28, 2012, 12:30 p.m.
Recommend It is time to stop playing the blame game. You know, it's the teacher's fault. No, it's the parents fault. No, it's the union's fault. No, it's the districts fault. How about its everybody's fault. NOW, HOW DO WE FIX THE PROBLEM? It's not the blame game.
For some reason, people think that getting rid of seniority for teachers is education reform. Changing the teacher evaluation system is education reform. NEWS FLASH, it's not.
Why do we have a school calendar that gives students three months off during the summer? Does any other industrialized nation have a similar schedule? The answer is NO!! Our calendar dates back to the 1850's so kids could work on the farms.
Why is the school year only 180 days? No other industrialized country has a school year that short. Most other countries have years of at least 200 days.
Most other countries treat their teachers as valued members of the society, not like the teachers here are treated.
The problem is that these reforms will cost money. Are you willing to put money into true education reform, or just lip service?
How can you attract businesses to Nevada with an education system that is last in the nation?
I have a question for you to answer, and hopefully you will understand it. How can you put students first, if you put teachers last?"
It is an absolute joy for teachers to have students in their classes that not only want to learn, but are more than willing to do whatever it takes to learn, along with the active parental/family support towards outstanding achievement leading to lifelong successes.
Blessings and Peace,
Star
@Tanker
We become so concerned with our childrens future, that we push (more school days, more homework, more tutors....
That we forget to give them the present time to enjoy. It's always about your future, your future, competing, what the others are doing to get ahead.
I turned out OK having summers off and in the process was able to experience some real special, enjoyable family vacations, experiences. I wouldn't trade those times for anything in the world, and certainly not for another 20 days in class.
Friend of mine back in NJ I went to school with says he is utterly dumbfounded by the amount of homework his 8 year old daughter is receiving. There is little if any time for anything else. That's not childhood, that's churning out a machine.
Obviously there's a balance...my question is when has that blance tipped too far when all life is about is getting ahead for these kids. Some of these parents go too far in pushing them. Enjoy life. It's not a long trip.
The information in this article does not come as a surprise to anyone who has been a parent of a CCSD Middle School or High School student.
As a taxpayer and parent/grandparent of CCSD students, my solution is simple: Close ALL of CCSD's Middle Schools and High Schools. It would be no great loss, in that the schools at that level are completely disfunctional, in reality acting as wildly over-priced babysitters of pre-teens and teens, nothing else.
During that year of "closed schools" have the Legislature enact a voucher program so that the students can attend private schools and magnet schools if they so choose. The amount of the voucher should be 100% of the "per head" funding of CCSD, this year, at the middle school and high school level.
If CCSD's self-centered, inept, indifferent teachers want to continue to receive a paycheck, let them compete for students and improve the quality of service they deliver.
Of course, shutting down the CCSD schools and then using vouchers to force the public school teachers to compete and be excellent in delivering "services" is a mere fantasy, because in reality the Legislature is controlled by Democrats who are owned lock, stock and barrel by the public employee unions.
First, I'd like to point out that the article says "Las Vegas" schools when in fact Las Vegas is only one part of Clark County. So whether the authors at Parent Magazine dis-aggregated the data or whether they just don't know Clark County isn't 100% Las Vegas is something to ponder.
Second, they then jump to stats saying 25% of Nevada students aren't proficient in reading. Hmmmm. On July 3rd CCSD test scores were published. 70% of 4th graders WERE proficient in reading. In order for Nevada as a state to have a 25% proficient rate, the other 16 school districts would have to have a combined 22% pass average. Same for math. CCSD in 2012 has 73% of 4th graders proficient. The other 16 districts would have to have a combined 26.25% pass average for the state to only have 29% proficient as reported in the article.
Since, the other 16 school districts have not scored that low in that past years, I highly doubt they did this year.
Finally, I keep hearing people compare school years to other countries and our summers. When comparing the length of the year between countries it's important to take into consideration the vacation days built into the year. For example, most European countries start school around the end of August and finish in the beginning of July. On the surface it looks longer... however their Christmas break is longer, they have a "fall" holiday of 1-2 weeks usually around October, a winter break in February of about 1-2 weeks, and Spring break that is 2 weeks. They are actually in school either 180 days or really close (184, 182...).
Additionally, vouchers and merit pay do not increase student achievement. "87 percent of children under age 6 with parents who have less than a high school degree -- 2.7 million -- live in low-income families" (nces) and with math and reading scores the lowest in kindergartners from households below the poverty level..... this is where the issue is. Students who enter school 2-3 years behind their peers- stay behind without changes in the household. Without parents providing experiences, talking to their children, reading with their children the academic gap will never fully close.
A friend of mine who works here with many of those CCSD graduates says she cannot believe the lack of communication, grammar and math skills among them. She is utterly dumbfounded by the lack of skills. So am I.
"where he be"
"where's mine paycheck"
"$1.00 minus .23 cents is how much"
They've graduated!!!!!!
Is this what is being churned out!!???
No tanker, I'm not willing to give public schools another PENNY. Check out this Bloomberg piece, about how new taxes in Calif will only go to teachers' pensions. It's the same situation in Nev. The nvpers website states that the pension fund assumes a Bernie Madoff 8% annual return. (Last year Calpers only earned 1% for the year, and it's safe to assume that Nvpers didn't do any better) Taxpayers are supposed to fund the difference--but if they don't vote for more taxes the money for pensions will come from more colossal budget cuts to education. This would be a great math lesson for 3rd graders--a pension fund that grows 8% a year doubles every 10 years. $10 billion that grows 8% annually would become $80 billion in just 30 years. Unfortunately Calif. now has $500 billion in unfunded pension liability to its cops, firemen, teachers, and public workers. I wonder how that happened? lol
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-23...
@manfromuncle. I don't really care about california since I don't live there. I do know that you care about California since you live there. Why do you care about Nevada Pers since you don't live in Nevada.
Let's talk about "overpaid teachers" shall we.
According to the current CCSD salary schedule, a teacher with a bachelors degree and maximum experience makes a total of $57,563 in salary and benefits. A teacher with a Masters degree and maximum experience makes a total of $71,919 if you include salary and benefits. This is a link to the salary schedule.
http://ccsd.net/employees/resources/pdf/...
Now, lets look at the 2011 salaries in CCSD of Administrative Secretaries. The two highest paid administrative secretaries make over $242,303.87 including salary and benefits. The highest paid is Elizabeth Carerro who was paid $144,720.44 for 2011 including salary and benefits. In 2011.she was paid $44,487.69 in overtime/callback pay. The second highest paid was Debra Eloi, also in the superintendents office, who was paid $98,583.43 in salary and benefits for 2011. She earned $17,736.94 in overtime/callback pay. That is more than the other 172 people on the list earned in overtime/callback pay combined.
The listing shown in Transparent Nevada lists 174 names. Of those names, 151 earned more in salary and benefits than a teacher with a bachelors degree and maximum experience. That means that they earned MORE than $57,563. According to Transparent Nevada, 62 secretaries make more than a teachers with a masters degree and maximum experience, or more than &71,919.
This is a link to that listing in Transparent Nevada.
http://transparentnevada.com/salaries/se...
I wonder how many students those secretaries taught?
In the current edition of the CCSD phone book, the following people are listed in the Superintendent's office. The salary data comes from Transparent Nevada and is 2011 data which includes salary and benefits.
Superintendent, Dwight Jones, 396,202.83
Secretary to the Superintendent, Elizabeth Carrero, 143,720.44
Administrative Secretary III, Joyce Pistone, 88,633.98
Administrative Secretary II, Debbie Eloi, 98,583.43
Administrative Secretary I, Carmen West, 75,587.00
Secretary III, Pamela Banaszynski, 61,262.93
The total for these 6 people is 863,990.61.
Not one is a teacher or in a classroom. The maximum pay and benefits for a teacher with a bachelors degree and maximum years of service is $57,563 including pay and benefits. Every employee in the office makes more than that.
This is a link to the CCSD phone book.
http://ccsd.net/district/directory/resou...
This is a link to Transparent Nevada.
http://transparentnevada.com/salaries/cl...
If California had a PERS system like Nevada's, California wouldn't be in their current situation. It usually helps to actually research the 2 systems if you are going to compare them.
NV PERS:
-Over 80% of an individual member's retirement benefit is funded from investment earnings
-The fund is invested in over 5,000 securities to
ensure any individual asset will not have an undue influence on total portfolio risk. The rebalancing system is utilized to keep the portfolio in-line with its policy targets. As of March 31, 2012, total assets were $26.3 billion.
-Since 1984 (PERS' performance inception date), the PERS' fund has generated a 9.4% net return
-PERS' return ranks in the top 25% and risk ranks in the bottom 25% versus large public pension funds. PERS' risk profile is one of the lowest among state pension plans for long term periods, and the fund ranks in the top 13% in terms of risk/return efficiency since inception.
Please stop referencing California as your comparison. Just because they can't invest properly, doesn't mean NV can't. Additionally, just because there is an ASSUMED 8% return for projection estimates, doesn't mean that NV actually HAD an 8% return.
CA is in the trouble they are in because years ago they tried to make a quick million and lost a bunch of retirement money. Their investment wasn't tied to a strategy and set in policy, and the money wasn't protected from greedy politicians hands who used it to balance a budget (that never balanced).
NV PERS IS protected by law, and no matter how many times Sandoval tries to change that to take our money, he can't. If he ever succeeds in changing that law, teachers won't be the only ones paying more.
According to a recent NPR study, in the US today, the average babysitter is making $12.50 per kid per hour.
If a teacher is truly merely a babysitter whose role is simply preventing the child from destroying the place but is not responsible for improving the knowledge base, skill set or learning opportunities, then let's just make a simple comparison of an average teacher in CCSD with a Master's and a decade of experience and count salary and benefits but let's not even include the extra hours in prep, grading, contacting parents, performing IEPs, clubs, sports or any of the jillions of activities that gobble up teacher time after classroom hours.
Rather let's count only classroom hours at the average national rate of $12.50 per hour per kid and NOT count teaching, prepping, grading, etc. 28 kids for 6 hours per day @12.50 for 180 days babysitting only is $378K. CCSD pays less than $75K counting wage plus all benefits, less than a fifth of the national going rate.
Now if we want the teacher to actually perform instruction, let's pay them what they're worth in addition to the babysitting task, but let's at least be reasonable, fair and sane about what it's worth to provide what parents in Clark County do NOT do for their kids - provide basic skills, empower understanding, develop skills, engender potentials, ensble life-long learning possibilities, encourage autonomy of thought, independence of action, opportunities for growth, etc.
And how do we place A VALUE on what most Nevadans can neither understand or appreciate?
It's no wonder we're the national leader in drop-outs, teen pregnancies, suicides...
Finally breaking up CCSD into several smaller independent K-12 school districts would create competition within the public schools here in Clark County, and reduce bloated centralized administration, and increase accountibility. Seems like a no-brainer to me.
Not one reasonable thinking person should be surprised. What can you expect from a town that lionizes mobsters with a museum and youngsters are taught that decent jobs are bartenders, cocktail waitresses and dealers?
In general there is a dumbing down of our entire educational system and we will pay dearly in the near future. Those of you whining about unions and salaries are being misdirected because of your bias, while third world nations surpass us in math and the sciences. No one, repeat, no one, goes into teaching thinking they will be well paid. They teach because they love children and teaching.
Good post as usual Joe and Star; however, for many others;
"If anyone has noticed the majority of these comments above, notice that you have not noticed most of these comments above are not worth noticing."
On some student's thoughts preparing to do their homework - Looking at the parents, the kid thinks, "Maybe it would be in my best interests if I asked someone else to help me."
On some teacher's lectures = weapons of class destruction.
When some kids are ready to return to school -- "Drug sales have been down lately."
A comment from the Republican "Stink Tank" - "Let's abolish all the public schools. People will love it. It will be a huge tax cut. Kids don't need any type of education to work at Walmart."
A message from the Superintendent -- "It is my intent to blame everything on the teachers and fire them. Then, the public will perceive that the economy is looking up. There will be a shortage of teachers."
fire all the principals, psychologist, and administrators---take all that wasted money and pay the teachers and hire more TEACHERS--not more paper pushers sending memos to each other all day!
@ocsurfer. Only problem with that idea is the Nevada State Constitution. Each county can only have one school district, so amend the Constitution, and then we'll talk.
Remember when the big news story was being "forced to lay off teachers due to the greedy union." My school had a first year teacher get a pink slip. He taught PE. We found out this week that he will be hired back, and will be joining the school in the fall.
I'm thinking that almost all, if not all, of the teachers who had gotten pink slips have quietly been rehired. Don't see a big press release about that do we?
It cant be any worse than California folks!
i will never vote for any increased funding for this school district until the out of control waste of money is dealt with and the super top heavy organization dysfunction is dealt with. money is not the issue here---you've gotten tons of money and pissed it away.
Why would spending per pupil be a measure of academics? That's like determining who wins a basketball game by asking who spent the most on shoes. Measuring by drop out rate and test scores makes sense, spending per pupil doesn't.
You want to improve the education system? Start with the parents. From there things will get better but make no mistake about it, you could triple the budget and it will not help unless you have parents start installing in their kids the importance of education.
Here is how you solve more than just the education in Nevada problem. If you do not have a high school diploma or a GED then you can't get any government aid: unemployment, welfare, food stamps, etc... When the kids realize that they can't get the free pass in life by having a baby at 16 years old then they will hopefully be smart enough to get the basic education they need.
There are some teachers just coasting by, but other teachers care and try to teach the children, even though the children don't want to be taught. The teachers have no backing from the administrators. The teachers can't discipline the students nowadays. When I was in school, I was fearful of my teachers.
A rather sensational headline don't you think? What they really said was that Nevada was high in class size, and low in per student spending.
Nevada is not bad at funding K-12. The state pays per pupil based on count day AND the sales tax is sent directly to the schools WITHOUT moving through any state budget account--so this amount is not counted when comparing funding with other states. NOT APPLES TO APPLES. Nevada ranks right in the middle of the states, varying from 23rd to 29th or so when we count ALL SOURCES OF TAXPAYER FUNDING. Now if you add in the endless property tax bond issues, we'd be close to the top 10. And with all this money, they can't manage to teach the little darlings how to read and write, in grade school, before they've developed discipline problems. And later those discipline problems are in large part due to TEACHER EXAMPLES--teachers bullying kids, inconsiderate to rude teachers, teachers embarrassing shy students... Now there are many good teachers but there are many that are not. Perhaps we need to end all the steps to higher pay for longevity / seniority and pay entry level teachers a bit more, while paying the older guys a bit less....
"A rather sensational headline don't you think? What they really said was that Nevada was high in class size, and low in per student spending." My thoughts exactly,Darthfrodo! Furthermore, as a teacher, I have control over this...how?
@Roslenda. How about we pay secretaries less and teachers more.
This is a repost of my earlier post.
Let's talk about "overpaid teachers" shall we.
According to the current CCSD salary schedule, a teacher with a bachelors degree and maximum experience makes a total of $57,563 in salary and benefits. A teacher with a Masters degree and maximum experience makes a total of $71,919 if you include salary and benefits. This is a link to the salary schedule.
http://ccsd.net/employees/resources/pdf/......
Now, lets look at the 2011 salaries in CCSD of Administrative Secretaries. The two highest paid administrative secretaries make over $242,303.87 including salary and benefits. The highest paid is Elizabeth Carerro who was paid $144,720.44 for 2011 including salary and benefits. In 2011.she was paid $44,487.69 in overtime/callback pay. The second highest paid was Debra Eloi, also in the superintendents office, who was paid $98,583.43 in salary and benefits for 2011. She earned $17,736.94 in overtime/callback pay. That is more than the other 172 people on the list earned in overtime/callback pay combined.
The listing shown in Transparent Nevada lists 174 names. Of those names, 151 earned more in salary and benefits than a teacher with a bachelors degree and maximum experience. That means that they earned MORE than $57,563. According to Transparent Nevada, 62 secretaries make more than a teachers with a masters degree and maximum experience, or more than $71,919.
This is a link to that listing in Transparent Nevada.
http://transparentnevada.com/salaries/se......
I wonder how many students those secretaries taught?
@Roslenda. If you didn't like that one, how about this repost.
In the current edition of the CCSD phone book, the following people are listed in the Superintendent's office. The salary data comes from Transparent Nevada and is 2011 data which includes salary and benefits.
Superintendent, Dwight Jones, 396,202.83
Secretary to the Superintendent, Elizabeth Carrero, 143,720.44
Administrative Secretary III, Joyce Pistone, 88,633.98
Administrative Secretary II, Debbie Eloi, 98,583.43
Administrative Secretary I, Carmen West, 75,587.00
Secretary III, Pamela Banaszynski, 61,262.93
The total for these 6 people is 863,990.61.
Not one is a teacher or in a classroom. The maximum pay and benefits for a teacher with a bachelors degree and maximum years of service is $57,563 including pay and benefits. Every employee in the office makes more than that.
This is a link to the CCSD phone book.
http://ccsd.net/district/directory/resou......
This is a link to Transparent Nevada.
http://transparentnevada.com/salaries/cl...
@Roslenda. How about the CCSD Communications office.
Using the current telephone book for CCSD and the Transparent Nevada salary information for CCSD for 2011, I found the salaries and benefits paid for the following people in the CCSD Communications Office.
Chief Communications Officer, Amanda Fulkerson, 51,209 (she was only employed for part of 2011)(Salary is 130,632.00 WITHOUT BENEFITS)
Director, Cynthia Sell 123,290.99
Coordinator III, Michael T. Rodriguez, 103,033.75
Public Information Specialist, David Roddy, 98,481.06
Public Information Specialist, Dave Sheehan, 104,389.96
Public Information Specialist, Penny Ramos-Bennett, 70,332.10
Public Information Specialist, Melinda Malone, no information available, probably not hired until 2012
Communications Assistant, Anthony Springer, no information available, probably not hired until 2012
Photographer, Michele Nelson, 69,928.21
Graphic Artist II, position vacant
Officer Supervisor, Loreasa Nary, 55,262.63
Secretary III, Jacquelyn Robinson, 64,009.61
Office Specialist II, Keely Brown, 61,177.34
Total cost for pay and benefits for 2011 is $696,724.99 with three positions with salary data not available.
Just as a point of comparison, the maximum pay for a teacher with a bachelors degree and maximum experience with benefits is 57563. All but one employee with salary information listed made more than that.
This is a link to the CCSD phone book.
http://ccsd.net/district/directory/resou......
This is a link to Transparent Nevada.
http://transparentnevada.com/salaries/se...
This fact will be and issue for the Nevada Development Authority to explain to companies interested in moving here. Where is the Governor's leadership: making certain that foreign mining syndicates can remove minerals from Nevada with the least possible expense.
Brian Sandoval actually supports public education, but in other countries. Barrick Gold pays about 1% of it's income from Nevada in State taxes, then takes the rest back to Toronto and pays Canadian taxes which are much higher. This is why Canadian Schools perform so much better and their children are much better educated than those in Nevada.
Canadians also have an unbeatable health care system that doesn't create bankruptcies because of medical care.
Over 400 US Banks have failed since 2008 while NONE have failed in Canada.
The wealth of an average American family was $126,400 in 2007 but dropped to $77,300 in 2010. The massive economic failure since 2008 is home grown, created by the privileged who pass their losses on to the public so that the financial industry can "operate more efficiently".
Mitt Romney wants to lay off more teachers, police and firemen. He wants to downsize the Goverment. Think carefully in November. Nevada Real Estate can still take another tumble and the State economy, jobs, banks and education will have to pay the price.
The Hispanic population presents a challenge for the school district's statistics. Any large "under educated" part of a racial demographic in a school district will statistically skew the numbers toward the bottom.
I have experienced coming from a household where my English speaking skills were more proficient than that of my parents by the time I was 8 years old. By 10, I was paying the bills at the phone company and the power company. By age 12, I was smarter about "the system" than my parents. By age 14, my parents had lost their authority over my life while working to provide a better life for me. My father, in and out of hospitals, left me with few options for survival. I turned to the street life. Constant family drama comes with the territory when you are in poverty. I know this story. I have lived it. I was one of the fortunate ones to make it out of one of the toughest neighborhoods in the country, go to college, and make something of myself.
School districts with large Hispanic populations face difficult challenges. Many Hispanic children are simply unprepared for the demands of a school curriculum. Many of their parents have less than a 4th or 6th grade education. Their own lack of education impedes their children's learning. The parents are embarrassed. Many teachers give of their time and their personal resources to try to help them both.
The answers cannot be purchased with money. The answers are a change of heart and focus. It has to be more about caring about the kids. Not about "ME", my career, my position, my union, or "The Rules". It will also require the courage to confront my own community with uncomfortable facts like, our dropout rates, birth rates among teenagers between 14 and 19 years of age, drug abuse, spousal abuse, and gang violence in our community. In any culture, that screams, a lack of parenting skill sets and more importantly not practicing the "religious family values" Hispanics are suppose to be so famous for. It's not just the teachers in the classroom.
Without a confrontation with the facts, we are doomed. We as a community in Clark County and the Hispanic community at large must have the courage to confront the facts about our own households, and our lack of participation with educators or very little will change. Will there be success stories like mine to tell? Yes, but far too few.
For those who would choose to do some reading on the subject, please read; The Latino Education Crisis: The Consequences of Failed Social Policies by Patricia Gandara and Francis Contreras. These are serious researchers. The authors' data is disturbing to say the least. While I may disagree with some of the remedies they have proposed, nevertheless, their book should be required reading for every school board member, administrator and teacher in Clark County and every "Hispanic Leader" in the State.
Clark County has some very big challenges here. Staying in denial is simply stupidity. And for that, there is no cure.
With all the hatefull comments blaming this on "progressives" , be reminded that nv is not a progressive state. The state gov is republican, conservative, anti-tax, and largely follows your "conservative" anti-government agenda.
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In fact, and I realize that facts and results hardly matter to right, the 5 worst states are all conservative , GOP run and the 5 best are all progressive and blue. They are also the most "socialist" and highly taxed.
Reality has a liberal bias.
I used to be a student at CCSD. In middle school I went, though the Magnet School Program(Now Select School :P) at Cashman Middle School. I read some of the comments saying something along the lines of, 'Oh, puleeeze! "We don't spend enough on education."'
-Fink
I was told by my science teacher that magnet schools get $9 a magnet student per class. They get $6 a student a class for regular students. He doesn't make a lot of money at all(same with the rest of my teachers)and they spend a lot of their money on paper and pencils. They all spent their money on things for us to learn with, or we didn't learn that.
I now go to CISD (Crowley Independent School District, in Texas), where the teachers are making just as much money (maybe less) and are spending the same amount of money on paper and pencils. My science teacher told my class last semester to bring in a 2 liter bottle, some hot glue gun sticks, and some cardboard to make waterrockets, because he couldn't afford the materials.
My teachers cared about my education then, and they do now. Please don't try to get rid of their protection(Teachers Unions) and try to realize that while funding isn't everything, its a major part of the problem.
Thank you for reading =)
Again I repeat the unofficial motto of Nevada: We're Not Mississippi! For shame.
Between the parents who don't shiv-a-git and the Government making it next to impossible for educators to mete out any appreciable form of discipline is it any wonder it's getting increasingly more difficult for the teachers to actual TEACH??? Hard to teach with a classroom full of kids being disruptive - the teachers hands are tied and the parents don't seem to care that their little 'darling' isn't learning how to read or add 2 + 2. I wouldn't be a teacher in todays society for all the tea in China!
I wonder if anyone has put the numbers together for how many illegal children are registered in the CCSD. I'm just saying that if our classrooms are so over crowded could it be to stuffing all of the illegal children into the system????