EDITORIAL: Shocking! More money not a panacea for schools

An audit of state public school spending released last week caused a stir by declaring the obvious: Dumping more money into a struggling system isn’t always a recipe for improvement.

That this is a shock to many Nevada leaders is part of the problem.

The audit, conducted by the Governor’s Finance Office at the behest of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, recommended ways to improve transparency through “a more integrated oversight process (that) will help monitor spending and outcomes as well as identify and manage accountability gaps.”

It also noted that “student achievement is not necessarily dependent on the amount of dollars spent.” Instead, Chief Auditor Craig Stevenson told the Executive Branch Audit Committee, made up of the state’s six constitutional officers and one member of the public, “It really has to do with how you invest that money.”

Gov. Lombardo, who signed a budget passed by the Democratic majority in the Legislature that included an additional $2.6 billion in public school funding, wondered if the audit was implying that the additional taxpayer contributions are “for lack of a better term, a waste of money.” Attorney General Aaron Ford also criticized the finding.

What’s the surprise? Some U.S. school districts with the highest levels of funding are among the worst performers in terms of student achievement. The Nevada audit pointed out that the Clark County School District has test scores comparable to other urban districts that spend more money.

In addition, this country spends more on its public schools than many countries — Japan, Canada, South Korea and Taiwan — that outperform the United States academically. “If money were the answer to all of our educational woes,” Angela Morabito, former press secretary for the U.S. Department of Education, told Crisis in the Classroom in December, “we would have one of the premier education systems on Earth.”

Outgoing CCSD Superintendent Jesus Jara admitted last week that most of the added cash lawmakers showered on the public schools “went to paying the same people more money.” Only a fraction was directed to “student support.”

Nevada’s legislative Republicans have for decades attempted to implement programs intended to exert competitive pressure on the public schools while targeting resources at programs designed to improve academic outcomes. In 2015, with the GOP holding the governor’s office and both legislative chambers, lawmakers passed a massive tax hike to increase school spending while also approving a number of reforms intended to boost choices for families and foster accountability.

Two years later, Democrats won majorities in Carson City. They rescinded, watered down or starved the reforms. Mr. Ford was the Senate majority leader at the time.