Political Update – September 11, 2018
Despite tax hikes, most students behind in reading
Editorial
Nevada released a slew of test score data last week, and there’s good and sobering news for Nevada students. Start with the good. Aside from seventh-grade English, the number of students proficient in English and math increased in every grade from third through eighth. “The improvement in both math and English language arts once again demonstrates that Nevada is on course to become the fastest-improving state in the nation,” Steve Canavero, state superintendent of public instruction, said in a statement. Canavero credited the gains to the programs and funding increases started under Gov. Brian Sandoval. Perhaps. But this is where the sobering news comes in. The gains are positive, but they’re also incremental. The number of third-graders proficient in English increased 1.32 percentage points to 46.12 percent. Proficiency among eighth-graders went up 0.93 percentage points to 47.41 percent. In math, there’s a troubling trend. The longer students remain in public schools, the more their proficiency declines. Third-grade math proficiency increased 0.68 percentage points to 48.25 percent, but by eighth grade proficiency is under 30 percent. The low overall rate of proficiency in third grade provides the greatest cause for concern. Those students have participated in the programs Sandoval passed in 2015 since they were in first grade. If you want credit for the increase, you also need to explain why reading proficiency remains under 50 percent. That’s certainly not the transformation Sandoval promised when pushing the largest tax increase in Nevada history to pay for his programs. In tests that weren’t administered by state bureaucrats, the news is even more concerning. The biennial National Assessment of Education Progress is the gold standard of measuring student achievement across the country. In 2011, it showed that 36 percent of Nevada’s fourth-graders were proficient in math. That’s fallen in every test since and now sits at 31 percent. In better news, Nevada’s fourth-grade reading scores on the NAEP have increased since 2005, growing from 21 percent proficiency to 31 percent. It seems like any news about education will result in calls for more spending, and that’s what new Clark County School District Superintendent Jesus Jara is doing.
Quote of the week
Quote: "I’m committed to working with the Legislature to increase the funding to improve our working conditions for our employees. Looking at the possibility, if we lower class size, I think CCSD will continue going forward to becoming the No. 1 district for kids." – Jesus Jara Clark County Superindendent
Waylan discusses if Question 6 will increase costs
By Victor Joecks Increasing Nevada’s Renewable Portfolio Standard with the passage of Question 6 won’t increase the cost of electricity. It’s possible, however, that ratepayers could experience an impact as new projects are brought online, but modeling predicts lower rates in the long-term. That’s according to Karen Wayland, executive director of the Clean Energy Project and a Question 6 proponent. Nevada currently requires that 25 percent of its energy come from renewable sources by 2025. Question 6 would increase Nevada’s RPS to 50 percent by 2030. “The price of solar electricity is plummeting and is reaching record lows in Nevada,” said Wayland while filming Nevada Politics Today. “The likelihood is that [Question 6 will] decrease our electricity prices, not increase our electricity prices. “That’s the experience of states around the country. It’s added less than 1 percent to the price of electricity, and in some states, it’s projected to decrease rates at the end of the compliance period.” Wayland acknowledged that there could be some financial impact as new renewable sources come online, but she believes the overall result will be helpful. “The ratepayer will feel the impacts of bringing more renewable energy online,” she said. “But the modeling shows — and the experience of other states and in fact here in Nevada — more clean energy will actually decrease rates.” Not having to pay for fuel is the key advantage of renewable energy, according to Wayland.
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