Could the whole of Nevada’s future come down to one race in 2010?  That might not be far from the truth with the battle for Senate District 5 between Joyce Woodhouse and Michael Roberson.  If you’re like me, you might not believe that a state senate race could be so important.  Wait until you hear about this one.

The party that controls the Nevada Legislature after this election cycle will decide the whole redistricting of the state in 2011.  Gerrymandering is the process of redistricting to ensure that your party wins as many seats as possible every year.  This year, as with most, the majority of the races are already decided because of redistricting from the last go around.

If Democrats are able to pick up two more seats in the senate, they will have a super-majority in both houses of the Nevada Legislature.  That would give them full control over the process of redistricting.  If that happens, the Democrats will have a solid political advantage for at least the next ten years, and likely for much longer.

There are four notable senate races this year.  Two of the seats are open, one because of a surprise loss by incumbent Republican Sen. Dennis Nolan in the primaries to newbie Elizabeth Halseth.  Here’s the lineup:

1. Senate District 8: Incumbent Republican Barbara Cegavske vs. Democrat Tammy Peterson. Registered voters: 41 percent Democrat, 39 percent Republican, 20 percent other.

2. Senate District 5: Incumbent Democrat Joyce Woodhouse vs. Republican Michael Roberson. Registered voters: 41 percent Democrat, 39 percent Republican, 21 percent other.

3. Senate District 9: Democrat Benny Yerushalmi vs. Republican Elizabeth Halseth. Registered voters: 41 percent Democrat, 38 percent Republican, 22 percent other.

4. Senate District 12: Republican Assemblyman Joe Hardy vs. Democrat Aaron Ford. Registered voters: 39 percent Democrat, 40 percent Republican, 21 percent other.

Conservative commentator Chuck Muth points out that Republican incumbent Sen. Barbara Cegavske and Elizabeth Halseth are the two most likely to lose to Democrats.  That’s the two seats Democrats can realistically pick up.

The more difficult question is can the Democrats keep their seat in District 5 with Joyce Woodhouse?  Some suggest she’s vulnerable.  However, her party has a registration advantage in that district.  No doubt she’ll be working hard to solidify her base and get them to the poles.

Senator Woodhouse served as an educator here in Nevada before taking on responsibilities as our representative.  Her background and commitment to Nevada schools is appealing for those supporting education.

Michael Roberson moved to Nevada in 2000.  He is an attorney with the law firm Kolesar & Leatham.  He has his own plans for education.  He wants to “cut the education bureaucracy” and expand private charter schools.

So this is it!  This is one of those races that you should focus on.  Students and members of the community at large should pitch in and help whatever side they believe in, because there is a lot at stake here.

To find what district you live in, or to register to vote, go here.  The registration deadline is October 2nd.  Don’t procrastinate.

This upcoming legislative session, Nevada is facing close to a 2.5 – 3 billion dollar deficit in the State general fund.  The Nevada Millennium Scholarship may not be available for students after the fall.  The community colleges and universities are asked to cut their budgets by 6.9% for 2010 and 2011.  When February hits they are going to have to cut even more.  When is this madness going to end?

“In a country like this… if there can not be money found to answer the common purposes of education… it is evident that there is something amiss in the ruling political power.”

-George Washington 1^st President of the United States of America

I begin with an unusual title for this article because I ask whoever is reading this to decide.  Down the road we may develop an idea of socialist education (what the GOP claims Rory Reid wants to do): the schools are overloaded, the teachers are paid less than they already are and the schools are in the red (deficits).

Then there is the opposite, elitist education (what the NSDP claims Sandoval and Montandon wants to do and Gibbons is currently doing): very few kids go to school (usually from upper economic families who can afford private school tuition), the unemployment and drop out rates rise and kids are lost from finding what they want to do.

We can achieve the balance if we make an attempt.

Governor Jim Gibbons has made few attempts to help education.  In between 2007-2010 we have seen higher education cut their budgets drastically.  K-12 education is diminishing year after year.  Boards like the CCSD Board of Trustees, NSHE Board of Regents, the Nevada State Board of Education and the Legislative Interim Finance Committee are starting to really worry.

Who is also worrying?  How about the college students, the grade school students who understand the circumstances, the parents and more or less the community of Nevada?

The answer does not fall in socialist or elitist positions, rather education should be a well funded system that is regulated but is left to the schools to run the day to day operations and goal setting.  Teachers need to make the sacrifices for our future.   Administration needs to take the risk to save our future.  Government has to show the students and parents that they care about the futures of their constituents.

Student/parent inspiration is the final piece.   We need students feeling proud about their work and parents taking an active interest in their child’s future.

Recently, the CSN Strategic Planning Committee put together a report for CSN President Dr. Richards that determined the future for CSN and where they see themselves 5 years down the road.  The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents and the Nevada Legislature wanted the colleges to prepare their budgets for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 and 2011.

Dr. Michael Richards, CSN President

The Board of Regents made the following requirement to CSN and other colleges, plan the future of your schools in A.Q.D.  These letters stand for Access, Quality and Diversity; the CSN Strategic Planning Committee group came up with their report and suggestions – Quality being their most emphasized point (the committee consisted of faculty, administration, students and staff).  This was proper for many reasons; CSN has 43,000 students this year and CSN’s enrollment has grown exponentially over the past decade.  The capacity is stretching uncontrollably and services may need to be cut.

With Diversity being the cornerstone of this institution (Diversity in regards to student backgrounds, age backgrounds and fields of study offered), Access was cut back for several reasons including economics and logistics.  This is not the greatest thing that could of happened, but it is not a terrible idea and I hope one could understand why.

Without a rise in tuition (not fees) or a cap in enrollment, there will not be enough classes provided by CSN to the student body at the current levels.  Dr. Richards has been quoted several times saying that they already turn away 5,000 students because of full classes.  Unfortunately for moral and partisan reasons, the NSHE Board of Regents will never support or propose a rise of the price of tuition that I am recommending.  When we raise prices on goods it is called a cost of living increase.  Well this tuition raise could be called a COST OF EXISTING increase.

Economics is my basis but if CSN were to take away the price ceiling on tuition, the quantity demanded for classes will shorten but CSN will be able to increase quantity supplied for things like capital improvements, student services and the amounts of sections available for classes (core and electives).  If CSN finds the economic equilibrium, Quality and Diversity remain intact while Access will redefine itself sooner rather than later.

Another institution, UNLV, is dealing with an even bigger problem.  Their budget is bigger therefore when they cut 6.9% it is more than what CSN expects.  UNLV President Neil Smatresk formed the Presidential Review Committee to help trim different colleges and degree programs at UNLV.  When the committee was finished, many students were irked by what the committee proposed to cut.  In a time like this it is hard to just slash away at programs that have been thriving for years and years.  But on May 10^th, President Smatresk endorsed their recommendations.

UNLV President Neal Smatresk

Now UNLV will have a lower budget for FY 2010 and 2011, but what can people do?  There are comments on many of the newspaper articles online that say education needs to get cut and these departments are funded too much at this time.  There are some student leaders like CSN Capitol Club Vice President Aimee Riley who say that Access needs to be the cornerstone of an educational institution and with cuts to budgets the students are hurt the most.  Then there are people who say that cuts need to happen so other industries can live and that colleges will rebound years from now.  I tend to agree with Ms. Riley.

Make Access and Quality synonymous with each other.  By making Quality so well at CSN, we make Access available to the students that are there.  The graduation rate goes up and more spots are open.  By making an investment now, we do not risk the institution losing more teachers, students and staff down the road.  If the first definition of Access in anyone’s mind is availability to the community, that is something that can be restarted in years where education is funded through new leadership in the Governor’s Mansion.  Our current majority leadership in the State Legislature has the idea, as does a certain candidate for Governor.

President Dr. Smatresk does not want these cuts and neither do we.

Nevada Gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid put forth his education plan, Economic Development through Greater Education (EDGE), on March 22, 2010. He held a town hall meeting that night at 6:30 pm at Bracken Elementary School. He presented his plan to a group of students, educators and citizens and told the crowd that the plan would work for Nevada.

There, an economist would appear and explain that the plan can be paid for and all measures proposed would work. A picture perfect moment was when Dan Klaich, the Chancellor of the Nevada Board of Regents and Co-Chair for the Nevada Reform Task Force, shook hands with the candidate, smiling as if to tell him “good job.”

Let us not forget the fact that we are far from improving our economy, and thus, far from improving our school system.

Although Rory did draft EDGE, with the help of his campaign staff, there are many things that are borrowed from other candidates and our own Governor. He charges that his opponents, Judge Brian Sandoval and Governor Jim Gibbons, only want to cut education. However, Rory Reid made a mistake in the defense his own plan. He failed to define how he will pay for his education plan. Yikes!

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The new Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 provides much needed help for Nevada students. Nevada Senator Harry Reid led the Senate in passing improvements to the health insurance reform law enacted earlier this week.

In addition to improving upon the historic health insurance reform law, this bill helps Nevada students trying to pursue higher education at a time when the state is slashing assistance for it. The education provisions of this bill will increase the maximum Pell Grant and ensure annual increases to match the rising cost of college. It also invests in college access and completion programs to help more Nevada students stay in college and complete their degrees. Nevada students will see the following benefits:

• An estimated $120 million in additional Pell Grant funding, helping nearly 3,000 more low- and moderate-income students afford a college education. The bill annually increases the maximum Pell grant from $5,350 to $5975 by 2017. An additional 13.5 billion is pumped into Pell grants to cover the massive influx of new students returning to school during the recession. Last but not least, an additional 36 billion will be spent on Pell grants over the next 10 years.

• Nevada colleges and universities will receive $7.5 million over the next five years for default prevention, financial literacy and debt counseling, and other programs to retain and graduate more students.

• Nevada community colleges will be eligible to apply for millions of dollars in grant funding to improve educational or career training programs.

• Starting in 2014, college graduates in Nevada will be able to cap their loan payments at 10 percent of their net income, and have their student loans forgiven after 20 years of making payments.

“We took a good law that reformed health insurance and we made it better,” said Reid. “Not only did we close the donut hole so our seniors won’t have to decide between groceries and medicine, we took care of students. Young adults can now stay on their parents’ health insurance plan so they can continue to study and look for work without losing coverage. We also boosted assistance so that more young people can afford to pursue higher education. These improvements will strengthen the new law and help a lot of Nevadans in the process.”

In a time when Nevada is facing unprecedented budget cuts to its higher education system, it is good to know that we have representatives in Washington like Senator Harry Reid who are looking out for Nevada college students.

The latest on Jim Gibbons’ affair?  Private meetings on education.  O.K., different affair.

Education? Yes, I support education.

He recently formed the Blue Ribbon Education Reform Task Force, headed by Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Dan Klaich and Director of Wynn Resorts Elaine Wynn, but only to handle the ‘Race to the Top’ grants.

The big controversy surrounding this Task Force is that they met at the Wynn Hotel and Casino in a private meeting.  Why?  This is a public board put forth by the Governor to handle these grants and help his vision on seeing education in Nevada get to its funding of past years.  Daniel Berns (Gibbons’s Communications Director) and Stacy Woodbury (Deputy Chief of Staff) said that with the media being involved in it would make things more complicated.  Additionally, it was the committee’s decision to have a private first meeting.

I can not see that as an honest, legitimate reason.  What this board decides will affect me and other students all over the state.  Also, if the board decides to implement ideas that Governor Gibbons or any of the other candidates for governor put forth in 2011, I would like for them to hear my voice on many of the issues.  Not only that, there are teachers, administration and staff who would put their voices in too.

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The SOS Save Our Schools theme is taking off all over the nation.  Most Americans realize the importance of education to our future.  With a bad economy, low tax revenues, and state budget shortfalls, many  governments are looking at education as a place to cut.

Parents, students, and concerned citizens everywhere are taking up the banner of SOS.  The logo even appeared in a nationally syndicated cartoon seen here.

Just do a Google search for ‘Save Our Schools’ and you will find numerous websites that use this slogan all over the USA.

The organizations are also utilizing social media sites like Facebook, to get their message out there.

In Nevada, students from CSN, UNLV, and NSC wore the SOS: Save Our Schools shirts in Carson City to protest the cuts to education that are now over 7%.

Next year the budget deficit will likely be as high as 50% of the State of Nevada’s budget.  With that looming, students are continuing the fight by registering to vote and keeping supporters updated via their web presence.

We have a tab at the top of this page dedicated to the cause.  In addition, we have the Facebook icon to the right in black and yellow colors, that takes you to our Fan Page for SOS: Save Our Schools.

Thank you for your support.  If any graphics design or printing people want to help our cause, we need fliers and posters to promote community awareness.  Our contact information is listed above.  Save Our Schools!

Many Nevadans are having a hard time comprehending Governor Jim Gibbons idea of self-management.  This is not a new idea, just an idea that most Nevadans have not seen in a while.  Governor Gibbons is saying that certain bureaucracies should make decisions for themselves on conclusions like state employee work weeks and budgets.

Governor Gibbons wants the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board to decide how to raise money and how the universities and colleges should operate.  This is positive and negative in many different ways.

First off, I am a student and a citizen of this state.  I was there for Governor Gibbon’s speech at CSN for the Board of Regents meeting for NSHE.  He touted his speech as his ideal of “change.”  Between his inauguration and that speech, he vowed to uphold education but did nothing but cut it.  What he successfully managed to do is cripple education for this generation of Nevadans and one of the most active voting and outspoken groups in this country’s history.

I can not wrap my head around this idea; a politician cannot just change his mind about policy on such an important issue as education during a mid-term election.  It is wrong and it makes all his constituents – who in this case are students – feel like their voices have no meaning.  We voted this man over former State Senator and now Congresswoman Dina Titus on good ole Jim’s pledge of Education First.

Now, he is saying he wants to fund education to its historic levels.  Dear Governor, where have you been since early 2007?  When we needed you the most you believed that education, the biggest slice of the pie in the Nevada state budget, should be cut to save the state.  What you admitted is that education will save this state and it needs more funding?  Are you kidding me?

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“Protest signs at Board of Regents meeting”

Governor Jim Gibbons outlined the details of his six step plan to make “sweeping changes to modernize higher education” in a press conference Thursday morning. “As a graduate of Nevada public schools and universities, I am committed to ensuring quality education in our K-12 and higher education systems,” Gibbons told reporters.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

The good news is that the plan is consistent with (taken from) proposals by regents and chancellors of today and the past. For some time, the Nevada System of Higher Education has been seeking more control over its own fate.

The plan would allow future increases in registration fees and out of state tuition to be retained by the campuses generating that revenue. In an attempt to promote efficiency, the proposed changes also include the System retaining 25% of unspent general funds each year. Right now all unspent funds return to the state’s general fund.

In addition, these changes will give the regents more control and autonomy over how state funds are spent in the System.

There was mixed reaction in the crowd. Chancellor Klaich, and some of the regents I spoke with afterward, assured me that these are many of the plans they had been seeking for some time, and that they were pleased with the Governor’s commitment.

The part that has some worried is Gibbon’s emphasis on students bearing more of the burden of the cost of higher ed. He said that higher education in this state is “a bargain,” and further that “it is fair to ask our students to bear a greater share of the cost of education through increased tuition and fees.”

Aren’t tuition and fee increases is tantamount to a tax increase? The sad part is that the tax increase is going to college students who typically have little income, are going to school because they were laid off, or are simply trying to improve their income situation.

Affordability factors into the success of diversity among race as well as income levels at the higher ed institutions.  It appears the Governor would rather knock us while we are down, rather than tapping into the multiple sources of revenues that create Nevada’s 16th highest GDP per capita in the U.S.

Never mind that Nevada’s taxes are practically non-existent. If we were in California, I could see a discussion about excessive taxes, etc. Nevada is the opposite extreme. This is why Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Sandoval refuses to promise that he won’t raise taxes. It just isn’t realistic anymore. It never was.

Mining has been subsidized by our state for too long. Mining did come to the table and agreed to a tax increase during this special session. Thank you guys.  However, you have had it far too easy since your interests were built into our constitution at inception. Currently, our constitution protects mining from anything more than a 5% tax on their proceeds, a figure they determine.

Large international multi-billion dollar corporations don’t pay any taxes here, minus sales tax and other minutia in filing fees. McDonald’s, Wal Mart, Applebees, Dillards, AT&T, General Electric, etc., etc. Come on. They still do business in California and New York. We don’t tax them here, even after they come here and make millions of our hard earned money?

Something ain’t right my friends, something ain’t right.