Outsourcing won’t help our local schools
To the editor:
It upset me to read that the Review-Journal and Clark County School District Superintendent Dwight Jones support the outsourcing of custodial and school bus jobs next year (Sept. 9 editorial).
I’ve managed about $20 million worth of projects so far in my career and speak from both work and family experiences. From a business perspective, change usually comes with a greater cost than advertised: transition costs to train new team members; quality costs from mistakes while “changing horses” and costs from low-balling and renegotiation.
Outsourcing makes employee oversight and testing much less direct than the current system, putting our kids at greater risk.
From a family perspective, I trust my local Boulder City school staff with my kids because I see their commitment to the schools, and some are local parents themselves. Across the district and the valley, I’ve seen custodial staff working hard at academic, sports and band events, and bus drivers providing safe transportation. There is no performance-based reason to change to outsourcing, but many valid reasons to work with current employees.
Finally, I resent that the district paid for — and the Review-Journal quotes from — out-of-state Texas consultants to support this outsourcing idea. Based on what Texas school “experts” have done to harm the teaching of science and American history, and that state’s record of low-paying jobs that don’t provide health insurance, I don’t think we need their input to improve Nevada schools.
Jay Piper
Boulder City
Teacher layoffs
To the editor:
I am not happy. Your Tuesday editorial says the teachers union wants hundreds of teachers to be laid off so those remaining can get a pay raise. If this is true, then shame on them.
Clark County School District support staff just took a large pay cut, and I wonder how I will now pay the bills I struggled with before. I also worry also about co-workers who are at a lower pay scale and wonder how they — some with unemployed spouses — will cope.
I am in my 10th year with the district, and I can’t remember the last pay raise I had. I can bet the upper echelon of the district hasn’t taken any pay cuts, and we are all asked to do more with less due to the budget problems.
This is the latest insult to the hard-working support staff in the district. If the district is going to cut, cut all that fat in the administration and not the lower-paid worker bees. Teachers need to just be happy they aren’t losing any money.
See you in the food line.
Mary Dowling
Las Vegas
Tax breaks
To the editor:
In response to your Sunday editorial about Big Oil “subsidies,” I find your rationalization of loopholes, tax breaks and deductions to be entirely specious.
Of course these are subsidies, whether they are taken by oil companies, homeowners or others.
If they are in the tax code, they are entirely legal — the issue is whether they are justified or even moral. Do we as a nation want to promote home ownership or the home building industry? Then why not utilize subsidies or tax breaks and otherwise avoid paying some amount of taxes? Likewise, if we choose to promote oil exploration and drilling, why not allow some applicable tax breaks?
Again, no problem, unless the individuals (millionaires) or industries (oil companies) have no material need for that subsidy to buy the home or drill a well.
Entrepreneurship, risk-taking … isn’t that what the free market is all about? No handouts.
Given the price of gasoline and the magnitude of oil company profits, one could rationally question the national interest being served by sustaining such tax breaks/subsidies.
To end on a cliche: “A rose by any other name is still a rose.”
Dean Allen
Las Vegas
Why so fast?
To the editor:
Unemployment has been at record levels for months, so why is the president so urgently pushing his jobs bill now?
I thought the branches of government were separate to create checks and balances. If this is the case, perhaps some discussion, debate and compromise is also required to ensure all voices are heard.
This jobs bill does not require urgent passage. The real issue is the president’s weakness and inability to sway Congress. The urgency is all about the president desperately needing a win, any win, to boost his deplorable poll numbers and to bolster his re-election chances.
Phil Bever
Las Vegas
Caring people
To the editor:
Thank you for printing the great article Tuesday headlined, “School gets (De)Generes gift.”
Whitney Elementary School Principal Sherrie Gahn should be voted Nevada Woman of the Year. Her dedication to her students and their families is a much-needed reminder that there are still good, kind, caring people left in this world.
Kudos to TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres for recognizing Ms. Gahn’s noble work and putting the show’s profits to very good use by donating $100,000 to the school.
Donna Lattanzio
Las Vegas
