Teachers rally for new Nevada taxes to fund schools

Reno music teacher Becky Barnett paced in front of the Nevada Legislature building Wednesday with a simple sign indicating her personal stake in lawmakers' tax debate: "I was laid off."

Barnett said she was among 31 Washoe County teachers notified last week their contracts won't be renewed if the Legislature doesn't approve increased education funding.

She stood among more than 150 teachers, students and parents waving "Save our Schools" placards at an after-school rally for tax increases many say are needed to better fund schools.

Many signed notes urging lawmakers to approve Gov. Kenny Guinn's budget proposal, which allocates $1.72 billion -- or about 36 percent of all state funds -- to elementary and secondary schools.

The big tax hike needed to fund it has not yet won even preliminary approval by lawmakers -- with less than four weeks left in the legislative session.

Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, met the crowd with brief remarks on the importance of education funding. But the educators booed other lawmakers who were taking the afternoon off at a year-end Senate-Assembly softball game.

Youths toting trombones, trumpets and saxophones continued the rally at the softball game, chanting "save our schools" and singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" with some legislators.

"We're not going to let them drop the ball" on funding schools, said Marty Cronin of the Nevada State Education Association.

Terry Hickman, the group's president, hinted he may push for a voter initiative increasing school funding if lawmakers don't do so. Nevada ranks 46th among all states in per-pupil spending.

"Don't go home till you get it right," Hickman yelled. "Don't go home till you keep our commitment to our kids and our state."

School districts are planning cutbacks in staff and programs if there are no new revenues next year. They haven't made any major cuts yet.

"The entire school population of Nevada is at risk right now," said Bert Young, a special education teacher at Virginia City High School.

Young and Cronin noted that budget cuts affect rural school districts like his Storey County differently from the urban Reno and Las Vegas areas. "They don't have economies of scale like in Clark County," Cronin said.

Young said that while class sizes might increase in Clark County, Virginia City would likely cut its entire music program to save money with one slice.