Gibbons: Teacher pay cuts no longer needed

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Jim Gibbons has found additional money that will remove the need to force teachers to take a 1.75 percent salary cut during the next school year, his spokesman said Monday.

Daniel Burns, Gibbons' communications director, said Budget Director Andrew Clinger found some additional federal Medicaid money that can be used to reduce the cuts the governor had proposed for public education.

Gibbons had asked the Legislature to cut education by slightly more than $200 million when members go into a special session Tuesday.

But with the additional federal money, he can reduce that request about $35 million, the amount that covers the salary decrease proposed for teachers and other school employees, Burns said. Education still would be cut by 10 percent even with the additional money.

The new development came as legislators began to arrive in Carson City for the 26th special session.

Already Republican senators have gone behind closed door to discuss the state's $887 million budget shortfall, equivalent to 20 percent of the tax revenue state government anticipated it would receive between March and June 30, 2011, the end of the state's two-tear budget cycle.

Sen. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, said he was not aware of any budget deals to reduce the shortfall as he went into the closed-door meeting Monday morning.

Democratic leaders are looking for additional sources of revenue to avoid massive cuts to public education that could lead to the layoffs of thousands of teachers.

Burns said that although Gibbons has found the money needed to avoid teacher salary cuts, it is up to the school districts on how they would spent the money.

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.