Horsford lays out plan for education reform

Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford called Wednesday for sweeping regulatory reform of the state Department of Education, the elected board that oversees K-12 schools better pay for Nevada teachers.

"We really do have an opportunity to create a world-class education for our children," Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, said in discussing his SB330 during a Senate Health and Education Committee hearing.

Horsford said studies show that Nevada students are above national norms in the fourth grade but end up far below national norms by the 10th grade in reading, language, math and science. He added the average student-teacher ratio is about 19 to one in Nevada, compared with a national average of just over 15 to one.

Under SB330, new student proficiency goals would be set, along with a system for tracking progressive toward those goals; and starting pay for teachers would increase from about $33,000 to $40,000 in efforts to attract and retain quality educators.

Also, the state Board of Education would be cut from 10 elective members to seven members. Three would be elected while four would be appointed by the state's university system, the governor and state Senate and Assembly leaders.

The state school chief, now named by the Board of Education, would be picked by the governor from three names submitted by the board. Also, the state Senate would confirm that appointment every two years.

The proposal also calls for an education reform commission that would report back to the 2011 Legislature on how the reform measures have been implemented. The Senate leader also wants better coordination between the Nevada System of Higher Education and the K-12 system.

Supporters of the plan included Wynn Resorts board member Elaine Wynn, long active in efforts to improve education in Nevada; and education advocate Maureen Peckman, head of the Council for a Better Nevada, a southern Nevada group of business and community leaders.

"We need to apply new thinking to this business called public education," Peckman told lawmakers.

Anthony Ruggiero, president of the state Board of Education, said he agreed that education oversight in Nevada needs to be changed but disagreed with the sections of SB330 that change the way in which Board of Education members and state schools chief would be selected.