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Candidates spar on education
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DUANE PROKOP/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Democrat Rory Reid challenges GOP opponent Brian Sandoval during a Sunday gubernatorial debate by asserting that the Republican would cut state education funding by $533 million. » Buy this photo
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Tennis champions Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, who are husband and wife, watch the gubernatorial debate Sunday between Rory Reid and Brian Sandoval. The event was held at the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a public charter school. DUANE PROKOP/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL » Buy this photo
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Aug. 30, 2010 | 7:16 a.m.
Rory Reid can fire zingers with the zest of a Vegas lounge act, and Brian Sandoval can stay as cool as a professional poker player.
Whether either man seeking to be the next governor of Nevada can really deliver meaningful education reform without spending more taxpayer money still isn't clear, even after their first debate on the subject Sunday evening.
Reid, the Democrat, was the aggressor throughout the 60-minute event while Sandoval, the Republican, kept cool despite being called a weak leader and being compared to Gov. Jim Gibbons and U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle, two of Nevada's most unpopular politicians, according to polling.
"Brian Sandoval is a nice man, but he is a weak leader. Brian says he is for education, but his budget proposal would cut our schools more than Jim Gibbons ever did," Reid said. "He even supports Sharron Angle, who would abolish the Department of Education."
Reid's cracks set a feisty tone for his delivery and were among the most memorable moments of the event. But they didn't appear to bother Sandoval, who smiled, called his opponent "Mr. Reid" and maintained a pleasant demeanor.
"I think there is one thing my opponent and I do agree on, that education is incredibly important," said Sandoval in opening remarks that focused on his experience as a legislator, attorney general, gambling regulator and federal judge.
"Our education system is in peril, I think that we need to do something tough, we need to challenge the system, we need to shake up the status quo," Sandoval said.
Neither Reid nor Sandoval appeared to change the dynamic of the gubernatorial race, according to observers.
That's good news for Sandoval, who polls show is the favorite among Nevadans by double-digit percentage points.
Still, even without a knockout punch, Reid did manage to land jabs on a couple of issues that could help him gain ground on Sandoval later.
"It was rehearsed, it was structured; really in the end I don't think it changed the landscape of this race," said Robert Uithoven, a Northern Nevada Republican political strategist who worked on Gibbons' 2006 campaign.
Charity Stevens, director of operations for Organized Karma, a Las Vegas-based political consulting firm that works with Democrats, said the debate lacked substance.
"I think both candidates did well; they obviously hit the points they wanted to make," Stevens said. "But I really feel like there was a lot of sticking to their talking points."
Early in the debate, held in the gymnasium at Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, Reid used a black marker to write $533 million in large, thick print on a yellow legal pad and held it up to the cameras and Sandoval.
"If this isn't the right number, how much would you cut?" Reid asked Sandoval.
The Republican responded, "Rory, I read your plan, and you don't know your own budget plan because it seeks to cut education as well."
Reid based his accusation on Sandoval's stated plans to seek salary reductions from all state workers, including teachers, to balance a budget that could be $3 billion in the red for the 2011-13 biennium, according to budget analysts.
Sandoval based his accusation on Reid's plan to balance the budget without raising taxes, a plan that includes extending furloughs for state workers, a group Sandoval said would include university and school personnel.
Uithoven said the candidates' determination to stick to rosy campaign budget assumptions and wishful education goals didn't do much to enlighten viewers about how either would grapple with the looming budget shortfall and the costs and obstacles associated with improving the state's troubled schools.
"Some people's eyes might have glazed over a little if they were able to stay tuned for the entire thing," he said. "Rory is saying Brian's numbers don't add up. Brian is saying Rory's numbers don't add up. Neither of these guys know exactly what the budget situation is going to be."
David Damore, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said both candidates accomplished their stylistic goals but didn't do much to prove to voters they can achieve lofty education goals in the face of a drastic budget shortfall.
"I think it undermines the credibility for both of them. Where is that money coming from?" Damore said. "But you don't win elections promising tax increases."
One of the moderators, Dave Courvoisier of 8NewsNow, also noted the lack of any new substance.
"You both said, 'Let's be very specific,' but none of you have," Courvoisier said at one point.
Still, the debate had its moments.
Uithoven said Reid raised questions about Sandoval's school voucher proposal that the Republican will have to answer.
Reid said that by offering money to parents to pay private school tuition, Sandoval would be diverting about $100 million in taxpayer money to benefit the 4 percent of Nevada students who attend private school.
"The Sandoval task going forward is coming up with a better answer to the political question of: 'If it is good enough for a select few, why isn't it good enough for everybody?' " he said.
Stevens said the front-runner Sandoval "didn't go off point and say anything that is going to come back to haunt him."
She added that Reid did a good job emphasizing his promise not to cut education funding. But she doubted voters would believe such a promise could be kept without increasing revenue from taxes.
"I don't see how either one of them can stand up there and say they can accomplish anything and not raise taxes," she said. "I don't think that is a valid argument, and I think they need to be honest about that."
The debate was sponsored by 8NewsNow, the Review-Journal, Vegas PBS and the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education.
Retired tennis champion Andre Agassi had high hopes for the event.
"By the time we leave here tonight, I expect we will all have a clear idea of how each of these men will answer those questions," Agassi said.
Not many observers said it lived up to Agassi's high hopes.
"They're refusing to talk about the revenue, and the people asking questions didn't push them on that," Damore said. "They know that is disingenuous."
Review-Journal writer Laura Myers contributed to this report. Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861.
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I support vouchers and the elimination/drastic reduction of the educrat bureacracy that is the Department of Education. Parents have been given the impression that they are not the primary force in educating their children and have largely abdicated that role to public schools. What else can explain the achievement difference between public school children and say, homeschooled children. If parents are given the responsibility to assess the quality of the educational institution that their children attend I think they'll pay more attention to what's going on. And if they decide their children are worth kicking a few more bucks on top of the voucher and driving a little further to a better school they will take a greater role in preparing them. Eliminate school lunches and institute uniform requirements. Children should be at school to learn, not sport the latest fashion. Parents need to shoulder a larger burden of this process. And if a kid's parents can't afford to feed his/her child then isn't that a form of child abuse? Why should I be enabling child abusers? Neither of these two candidates have shown an inkling of competence to lead this state.
Illegal alien cannot pass state standardized test and Sandoval wants to blame teachers? Teachers have tenture for one reason. Free Speech. What if your illegal alien loving Principal see you on TV at a Tea Party rally? Kiss your job goodbye under clueless Sandoval.
If the criminals can import themselves, they can deport themselves. If you are east of I-15. You travel west to I-15 and make a left. If you are in the west, proceed east to I-15 and turn right. That simple. El sud ahora. 12 year old kid refuses to read his reading book in class. Reads at first grade level in English. They deem his with a learning disabilty, which costs CCSD more money. Hell, I speak German on the first grade level, maybe I am learning disabled. Can illegal aliens get Social Security Disability?? Would not suprise me.
Free and reduced lunch is paid for by the federal government, not the CCSD.
Plus the kids aren't illegal, their parents may be, but most of the kids are citizens just like you and I with the same rights.
What ever happened to "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
You crazy conservatives always quote the founding fathers when you want to run around carrying your guns. Apparently in your minds, hispanics are not equal according to all of you. Stop being so racist, we will be in the minority in the US in the next 20 years anyway.
I really pity the state of Nevada. We have two complete bozos running for Governor - one of which will be the next 'man in charge' of our state. One, a juiced in son who is a complete nerd and hasn't worked a real job his whole life, the other a Hispanic guy who probably is a razor's edge from even being a citizen. Pitiful really.
I think that La Raza is right. White people have ruined this country. Refuse to build the fence, enforce immigration laws, adopt the same immigration laws as Mexico, deport illegal aliens. Yes, white people are ruining this country. Liberals, Marxists, America Haters and Democrats. It it took 20 years for the illegal aliens to get here, start throwing them out. It make take 20 years but at least it is a start. You travel 1,000 miles by taking the first step. Start walking America.
I think we should inplement the same immigration laws as Mexico. If CCSD did not have to provide free and reduced lunch, interpreters, ELL teachers to illegal aliens we may some money. 7th grade student come here with his mother who cannot speak English. We have to provide an Interpreter. Student reads English at first grade level. That is my fault when he fails the CRT Tests?vAmericans built this country into the best nation in the world. La Raza, go back to the corrupt nations with nothing to offer their students.RACISTS.
Who is the idiot who thinks the teachers of CCSD are connected to CCEA and NEA? CCSD and CCEA are in collusion. Many teachers do not belong to the union, or should I say "ASSociation." Parents are the only one who have control here. Bad parents, bad scores, high drop out rates. I cannot see how dropping out of schooland not being involved in the education of the children is the fault of CCSD and the teacher.
We have no control over the results. If a kid comes to school two days a week, you are going to base the competence of a teacher based on her progess. Do ahead, post the data, also post how many days she missed. A sworn statement that her parents did not help her. I already talked about teachers who can pass a chemistry, biology, physics, trig, calculus test has shown they are superior to kindergarden teachers. Who is going to put up with CCSD, State of Nevada and now US governmentt know-it-alls. These people have shown enough competence to have real lives. Pharmacist, Doctor, Lawyer Chemist, FBI etc.
Sandoval must have some real winners advising him on Education. I sure would like to know. The person is a myopic jerk that probably never worked at Miller Middle School, much less have been working in the classroom Merit pay for teachers? Ok. I work at Miller. I have kids coming to school 3 days out of every 5. This kid fails some standardized test and I am going to have Big Brother breathing down my neck. What happened to all the studies that have proved again, and again, parental involvement is the correlation and success in school. It is easy to blame the teachers. We have to be the scapegoats because we the only people they can screw. The cannot do a damned thing to the parents. Why do we have Truant Officers? Just another do-nothing job in a bloated money eater with only 1/3 of the employees in the classroom. Look at a CCSD directory and look at all of the jobs outside the classroom. These people are laughing all the way to the bank, while the teachers and school administrators get screwed.