Role of education called key in Nevada’s economic recovery

Education is the key to fixing Nevada's economy.

That was the consensus Tuesday at a town hall meeting featuring U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and a host of state and local education leaders.

"Jobs are going to go to where the knowledge workers are," Duncan told a crowd of about 500 at the College of Southern Nevada.

The event, billed as a town hall meeting to talk about education and the economy, was open to the public.

Nevada's higher education chancellor, Dan Klaich, hosted, while Clark County School District Superintendent Dwight Jones, Clark County Education Association President Ruben Murillo and education activist Elaine Wynn, among others, were on the panel.

Jones touted reforms, including what is called the Colorado Growth Model, which measures each student's progress over time.

He said one of the district's greatest challenges was dealing with funding cuts, but he added that those cuts have forced authorities to focus on what works and what does not.

Jones noted that more than half of the 20,600 high school seniors in the district are "at risk," meaning they might not graduate. He said good teachers are the key to improving the state's education system.

"At the end of the day," he said, "it's not about a great program, it's about a great teacher."

During a brief question-and-answer session with members of the audience, Gary Peck, director of the Nevada State Education Association, said that the state is facing an unprecedented challenge in educating a growing population of Hispanic students.

He said the funding for specific courses for those students is poor.

Murillo, with the teachers union, agreed and said the way education is funded in Nevada must be addressed. He said the state should not be so dependent on a single industry for revenue.

Duncan, touting President Barack Obama's American Jobs Act, said the act would promote education by earmarking money for schools. He said it would bring $460 million to Nevada and keep teachers in classrooms.

Duncan said he believed Nevada could recover quickly despite the poor economy here and low ranking in most education surveys.

"There's no reason why this state can't move forward at a very rapid rate," he said.

Republicans, in a news release, criticized Duncan and the Jobs Act.

The Republican National Committee said Obama predicted that the stimulus bill would create jobs here, but the state actually lost jobs since its passing.

Contact reporter Richard Lake at rlake@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307.