Sandoval's Budget is Backwards

Like countless politicians past and present, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval is going for the quick, easy to sell fix. Sandoval's proposed budget for the next two years, as outlined in his State of the State speech, puts a spending emphasis on jobs and attracting businesses to relocate in Nevada. Both of these are sorely needed and worthy endeavors for a state at the bottom of every economic indicator in existence, but I don't see either of them going anywhere without a foundation upon which to build. That foundation is an educated populace resulting from a top quality educational system supported by adequate public funding. Today we have neither, and Sandoval's plan to reduce state support even further is a classic case of kicking the can down the road for future consideration, sometime, maybe.

I appreciate Sandoval's positive attitude about Nevada's future. I think most Nevadans find it refreshing, and perhaps even a bit uplifting, after four years of Jim Gibbons. He is kidding himself and the rest of us, though, if he thinks talking about a sunny future and low taxes is going to persuade businesses to set up shop in Nevada. When they take a close look, many of them don't like what they see. The majority of the work force already here is not highly educated or capable of filling professional positions in companies that must have the technical and business acumen to survive in the global economy. Workers and families who may be asked to move here with their companies aren't going to like it, either. Struggling and low-ranked K-12 schools and college systems are not attractive to people who know education is the key to future success.

Despite decades of low taxes and politicians touting the same, businesses are not flocking to Nevada. According to a recent article in the Reno News & Review (RN&R), former Nevada State Archivist Guy Louis Rocha said, "Why has the state's economy not thrived outside of gambling? If low taxes are the key, where's the flood of businesses?" Chuck Alvey, director of the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN), agreed with Rocha and said, "But if it were all about taxes, then San Francisco and the Bay Area would be a ghost town, and we'd be full. But they go where the talent is, they go where the experience is, they go where the top higher education institutions are."

The conclusion seems obvious. To attract businesses and their good jobs, Nevada must build an educational foundation upon which such enterprises can solidly stand. Also from the RN&R, Nevada economist Elliott Parker is quoted as saying, "It takes money to make money, but in the midst of this budget crisis, we are not making good investments. We are cutting colleges, classes, positions and salaries. It will hardly be a surprise when we discover our most productive people have gone elsewhere, and our students have received a poorer education. Unless they have little need for skilled labor, businesses that may have considered moving to Nevada will surely change their minds, because a good education system is an essential component of their quality of life."

The era when tourists and gamblers paid for essential services in Nevada has been fading for years and now it's gone. It's time for Nevadans to pony up for an education system that works. They won't come until we build it.

Source: Quotes from the Reno News & Review, January 27, 2011.

Get more Reno / Tahoe information:

- Receive the Reno / Tahoe Newsletter.
- Speak up on the Reno / Tahoe Discussion Forum.
- Follow me on Twitter.