Although I'm not entirely sure about all the rumored numbers flying around, Governor Gibbons has, in an attempt to meet state budget without raising taxes, proposed huge cuts to higher education. For a man who ran on a platform of Education First, this strikes me as duplicitous and confusing. To meet his demands, the University system for which I work will take a roughly 40% reduction in budget on top of 6% pay cuts, a freeze in COLA and merit pay increases, an increase in copay from 20% to 40% and an end to the PERS retirement system. This is huge.
Like it or not, the governor created this mess. He was a driving force behind the constitutional amendment that requires that education be funded before anything else. I voted against that. this means that if he funds education to its full extent or to our actual need, there remains very little money in the budget to fund anything else...anything else. Doubtless, he promised funding to other endeavors, which he cannot deliver until education is paid for.
Jim Gibbons will go down in history as the man who tried to destroy Universities in Nevada. UNLV has threatened to increase tuition fourfold to $13K/year to compensate, or commensurate with the cost of attending UC Berkley which is arguably a better school. I am at risk for a layoff, and some people are being threatened into retirement or shown the door already.
There are plenty of people without whom we could manage. If 50% of the Nevada budget goes to salaries, Nevada has too many people on the public payroll. Repeated attempts at persuading the governor to lay off bad teachers have gone unanswered and unheeded. Doubtless, he fears the unions, which are keeping people employed who do not belong because they do not perform. Meanwhile those of us who show up for work every day on time and are willing and excited to teach are going to be the first ones cut.
Woe, woe unto the young people of Nevada. Woah, woah, Governor Gibbons. This is a fight you lost before it ever began. You dug your own grave on this one. Instead of cutting that, there are other things you should have gone after- the Springs Preserve, road projects, new government buildings, etc. By going after education first, you have virtually guaranteed yourself a loss in 2010. Smooth move.
Like it or not, the governor created this mess. He was a driving force behind the constitutional amendment that requires that education be funded before anything else. I voted against that. this means that if he funds education to its full extent or to our actual need, there remains very little money in the budget to fund anything else...anything else. Doubtless, he promised funding to other endeavors, which he cannot deliver until education is paid for.
Jim Gibbons will go down in history as the man who tried to destroy Universities in Nevada. UNLV has threatened to increase tuition fourfold to $13K/year to compensate, or commensurate with the cost of attending UC Berkley which is arguably a better school. I am at risk for a layoff, and some people are being threatened into retirement or shown the door already.
There are plenty of people without whom we could manage. If 50% of the Nevada budget goes to salaries, Nevada has too many people on the public payroll. Repeated attempts at persuading the governor to lay off bad teachers have gone unanswered and unheeded. Doubtless, he fears the unions, which are keeping people employed who do not belong because they do not perform. Meanwhile those of us who show up for work every day on time and are willing and excited to teach are going to be the first ones cut.
Woe, woe unto the young people of Nevada. Woah, woah, Governor Gibbons. This is a fight you lost before it ever began. You dug your own grave on this one. Instead of cutting that, there are other things you should have gone after- the Springs Preserve, road projects, new government buildings, etc. By going after education first, you have virtually guaranteed yourself a loss in 2010. Smooth move.
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