Brian Sandoval Proposes Laying Off 4,060 Clark County Teachers

Monday, June 21, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
  • CONTACT: Mike Trask
  • O: 702-258-2010
  • C: 702-994-6757
  • E: trask@roryreid.com

    • Las Vegas, NV – Brian Sandoval, the Republican candidate for governor, proposes laying off 1-in-5 Nevada teachers in Nevada, meaning 4,060 Clark County teachers would be forced out of classrooms.

    That's 4,060 Clark County teachers gone from our children's classrooms. That's larger class sizes and fewer opportunities for students. That's Brian Sandoval's pink-slip agenda for our schools. It would decimate education and set our struggling economy back even further.

    "I am the only candidate who understands that stronger schools are the key to a stronger economy," Rory Reid said. "We will never have a first-rate economy if we continue to accept second-rate schools. Unfortunately, like Jim Gibbons, Brian Sandoval fails to grasp that we will not draw business to Nevada if we can't produce an educated workforce and can't provide great schools for the children of business executives and their employees."

    Brian Sandoval proposes crippling cuts to education:

    • Brian Sandoval wants to slash teacher salaries by 20 percent or lay off more than 5,000 teachers. That's 1-in-5 Nevada teachers.
    • Brian Sandoval wants to divert $110 million from class-size reduction programs, particularly targeting 7- and 8-year-olds.
    • Brian Sandoval pushes a voucher program that would drain millions from our public schools and wouldn't even begin to cover tuition for the average private school.
    • Brian Sandoval wants a 12 percent cut to faculty and staff at our colleges and universities – that's more than 750 professor and staff jobs lost.

    These cuts would have a devastating impact across Nevada. Rural and urban communities, in the North and the South, would lose their valuable teachers, leaving our children with subpar schools when Nevada already ranks dead last in the nation in graduation rates. Poor schools will continue to hinder our economic recovery and Brian Sandoval puts schools at the bottom of his agenda.

    "Education will be my top priority as governor," Rory said. "I will not compromise on our children's future. Brian Sandoval has a different agenda, one that includes taking away money from our children's classrooms, doing nothing to improve the quality of our schools, and doing nothing to build a new economy. That's what this election is about."

    Rory Reid is the only candidate for governor to offer solutions for today and a plan for Nevada's future success – supporting strong schools for a stronger economy. For more information about Rory's campaign or to download his plans -- visit Rory2010.com .

    Note to media: To schedule interviews, please contact Mike Trask, press secretary, at 702-994-6757 or at trask@roryreid.com.