A detailed “report card” on Nevada’s public schools shows a slight increase in the student dropout rate and a slight decline in the graduation rate, state schools chief Keith Rheault said Monday.
In releasing the accountability report on K-12 schools, Rheault also said Nevada “continues to significantly reduce” the percentage of core academic classes that aren’t being taught by highly qualified teachers.
Rheault said the 4.8 percent dropout rate “remains near the historic low of 4.6 percent achieved last year.” He added that the graduation rate of 67.4 percent is down only a tenth of 1 percent from last year.
The study also shows that over a three-year period, the percent of classes not taught by highly qualified teachers has dropped by nearly 24 percent in math and about 23 percent in science.
“We’re in the top 10 as far as reporting school information and the number of categories that we report on,” Rheault said. “We’re one of the better states in terms of detailed information on tests, teachers, you name it.”
Rheault said the information may not always be the best news, but “the data are all there for people who want to know more about the schools that their sons or daughters attend, and that was the intent of the report card.”
The document’s release follows a report earlier this month on Nevada’s 654 public elementary and secondary schools and programs that showed an increase over last year’s total of schools that got low marks.
A breakdown of the 654 schools showed that 249 were designated as “in need of improvement” or on a “watch list.” That’s up from 198 a year ago.
Rheault has said this year has been “extremely challenging” because school districts and the state Department of Education faced budget cuts imposed because of a slump in projected revenues. He also said performance expectations went up.
Of the 249 schools that didn’t meet the standard, 118 are on the “watch list” which gives them a year to improve before they’re designated in need of improvement. That’s up from 67 a year ago. The report also shows that six public schools have “exemplary” ratings, down from 23 last year, and 57 have “high achieving” ratings, down from 96 last year.
Credits: Record Courier
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Nevada’s main electric utilities are extending financial incentives now offered to homeowners with solar power systems to customers installing wind turbines.
Nevada Power Co. of Las Vegas and affiliate Sierra Pacific Power Co. of Reno plan to begin a program Monday offering rebates of $2.50 per watt for wind turbines, based on the turbine’s electricity production capacity. The maximum rebate per customer will be $25,000.
Officials said wind turbines can be used to generate electricity at homes, businesses, farms, schools and public buildings. Systems that generate more than 10,000 watts of power qualify for a $1.50 per watt rebate, but officials expect that most home wind turbines will be smaller and will qualify for the $2.50 rebate.
“I believe (wind turbines) will get pretty popular,” said John Hargrove, RenewableGenerations program manager for the two electric companies. “People want choice. They want the opportunity to be as green as they can.”
The wind and solar rebates are expected to cost Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific Power up to $23.3 million. Hargrove said officials expect rebates to go quickly, perhaps in the first day.
Customers with solar panels and wind turbines can get credit feeding kilowatt hours of excess electricity back into the regional electric grid.
Questions remain about whether wind turbines will be permitted in urban locations, and about whether they are economically viable in southern Nevada.
Officials say some homeowner associations may object to tall or noisy turbines.
Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin said county codes allow wind turbines in all zones, and the Las Vegas City Council in January 2007 approved small wind turbines in some residential zones.
Reno has adopted a wind turbine ordinance, and Washoe County is reviewing a draft of a wind turbine ordinance.
Chris Brooks, renewable energy director at Bombard Electric LLC, said height and space demands eliminate many urban sites. Turbines should be about 30 feet high and have no obstacles within a 300-foot radius, he said.
Mike Hess, chief executive officer of Mariah Power, a Reno-based wind turbine maker, said he hopes to get approval to put wind turbines on street lights.
He said his company offers a 1,200-watt wind turbine that costs $5,000 and works well with winds averaging 12 mph, and an $8,000 unit that works with average wind speeds of 8 mph.
Officials say rural areas and public buildings, including schools, may make better sites for wind turbines.
Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific Power are required by state law to continue their solar power rebate programs. The companies also are accepting applications for rebates on hydroelectric power projects on farms and ranches.
Credits:Mercury News
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When a boat is dangerously overloaded, do you jettison the life preservers to lighten the load? Sounds crazy, but that is what’s happening in Nevada.
Education is the surest protection against becoming nonproductive and noncompetitive, yet, in this time of economic crisis, many in state government seek an easy fix and would throw K-12 overboard. If not for a few allies in the Legislature, both K-12 and higher education would have suffered even greater damage than they have to date.clark county,
As a former chief financial officer in both public and private organizations, I recognize the gravity of Nevada’s current financial condition and the need to cut costs where possible. But, as your current superintendent, I also recognize the disservice being done to Nevada’s next generation of adults.
Make no mistake about it, education in Nevada is hurting. Clark County receives the lowest per-pupil funding in the state, and the state funds its students at one of the lowest rates in the nation. That puts the Clark County School District near the bottom of the nation in per-pupil funding. Cuts of the magnitude we are experiencing are making a bad situation worse.
So, now that we have cut $133 million from the Clark County School District’s budget, and the ship continues to founder, what goes overboard next?
The uninformed are fond of the knee-jerk response that the district is top heavy and could save millions by sending administrators back to classrooms. When I ask these folks how many administrators we have, or how many we should have, they have absolutely no idea. In other words, they offer a sound bite without thought or merit.
The fact is, about one of every 38 employees is an administrator, which accounts for 6.7 percent of the general budget. Very few organizations in the public or private sectors average so many employees per manager or administrator. Most of the district’s administrators are assigned to schools — not the central office — and most of our schools are twice the size of the national average (another disservice to students, rooted in economics).
The district’s nonschool administrators serve the same functions as management in any other public or private organization: overseeing payroll, accounting, facilities, legal services, human resources, and so on. I suppose these people could be terminated, but payroll would stop, as would purchasing and accounts payable, and the district would quickly fall out of compliance with the long list of state and federal mandates that require extensive reports and assurances of compliance.
But, as I said, I recognize that in a time of crisis we have to suffer cuts, and administrators are no exception; central office positions have been frozen, and most vacated positions are not being refilled. Clearly, though, the elimination of administrative positions is not going to put a dent in this problem.
The biggest savings can be found where the most money is spent, and in a people-intensive business such as education, that means staffing. In the Clark County School District, 20.6 percent of the budget is spent on support staff salaries and benefits, and 55.8 percent on salaries and benefits for teachers.
Support staff positions are already on the chopping block, though we are trying to place as many as possible in vacancies occurring from natural attrition, so that leaves teachers. Due to previous budget cuts and the fact that funds, once cut, are never restored, the Clark County School District has some of the largest class sizes in the nation. Additional cuts in the teacher work force guarantee that our students and remaining teachers will be more overwhelmed by numbers than ever before.
This dilemma is not news to legislators. The 2005 legislative session, in particular, produced two bills that attempted to assess the problem. The first was a study of funding adequacy. In short, it found that Nevada significantly underfunds education. No news there.
The second was an audit of the Clark County School District by an out-of-state company selected through a legislatively designed process. In brief, that third-party investigation found general fund use to be appropriate in more than 99.9 percent of the expenditures — and the fraction of a percent identified for reallocation was not “inappropriate” but reflected a difference in priorities.
The audit also noted that, in comparison with peer school districts nationwide:
• Clark County School District’s per-pupil funding is significantly lower;
• There are more students per teacher, counselor, instructional assistant and school administrator in the Clark County School District; and
• The Clark County School District spends a greater percentage of its budget on instruction.
In the end, the potential savings to the general budget were approximately the value of one school lunch per student per year. In other words, there is not much to cut in any area without damaging critical services.
Nevada’s education system, kindergarten through college, is in trouble, and additional cuts guarantee that your children and grandchildren will have less opportunity than students in almost every other state. That should be seen as the No. 1 threat to Nevada’s economic and social future.
These are indeed difficult times, but the economy is cyclical and things eventually will improve. In anticipation of that day, I urge everyone who cares about education, this state and the future to ask the questions, send the e-mails, and place the votes that will ensure that all of Nevada’s policymakers offer more than rhetoric when it comes to education and the future of this state and its residents.
Shortchanging education creates a long-term problem. It wastes human capital, diminishes quality of life and secures Nevada’s place at the bottom of many lists. We may not have thrown all life preservers overboard yet, but it is a certainty there are not enough to go around.
Credits: Las Vegas Sun
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