“Our schools deserve parents’ support” was the scintillating headline of Nevada System of Higher Education chancellor Jim Rogers’ op-ed in the Las Vegas Sun on Tuesday. Rogers kicks his column off by equating Nevada’s per-pupil funding levels to child abuse and neglect. (Read it to believe it!)
Rogers then goes on to criticize Nevadans for not paying enough taxes to adequately fund education in Nevada.
FACT ONE: Based on U.S. Census data on K-12 spending and doing a little quick math, Nevada spent $8,926 per student in 2006 which, at an average classroom size of, say, 30, works out to $267,780 per classroom year.
FACT TWO: 43% of Nevada’s fourth graders are functionally illiterate, according to the National Assessment in Education Progress reading test.
Even allowing for the 3 to 18% of Nevada’s students who are ELLs (English Language Learners, meaning those who speak only or primarily Spanish) and who naturally cannot be expected to test as fully literate in English, that 43% is a pretty dismal number.
How is it that over a quarter of a million dollars of spending PER CLASSROOM is not enough money to ensure that by fourth grade our students have learned to read with basic competency?
And Rogers wants to lecture the taxpayers about ABUSE and NEGLECT…?
You can reach Rogers by email at chancellor@unlv.edu or call his office at (702) 889-8426.
