The school bureaucracy has been cut back

To the editor:

In his Sept. 24 letter to the editor, Virgil Sestini complained that the Clark County School District administrative offices have done “little belt-tightening.” This claim is not supported by the facts.

It is true that, as the school district grew from 268,000 students in 2003 to 311,000 students in 2008, layers of bureaucracy were added. In 2008, when property values began their free-fall, administrators knew they would have to cut at least $120 million from the school district budget. The first reduction to be identified was a 12 percent cut to central office departments, regions and division. These cuts were carried out swiftly and were completed by December 2008. Principals also were asked to identify cuts at their individual schools.

Since that time, for the 2009-10 school year, the five regional offices were combined into four areas. Then, for the 2011-12 school year, the four areas were consolidated into three. This is more than a little belt-tightening, especially when considering the student population has not dropped. The Clark County School District has approximately 311,000 students enrolled today, which is about where it stood four years ago.

Mr. Sestini scoffs at the 60-page district phone directory, which he says contains lists of administrators and their positions. However, he neglects to mention the hundreds of support staff in the various district departments who are also a part of the directory.

Classroom teachers cannot address all of the needs of our diverse student population. There are more than 350 schools in the school district. Superintendent Dwight Jones cannot do all the work himself.

CLORINDA FONTANO

NORTH LAS VEGAS

Overpaid

To the editor:

This is in response to the Sept. 14 and Sept. 15 letters from Elizabeth Goodman and Eric Littmann, respectively, both of whom are public employees:

Both writers tried to justify their out-of-sight salaries. Ms. Goodman closed her letter stating: “Not one teacher I am acquainted with got into the profession for the money; but it would be nice if we were able to at least provide for our own children.” According to TransparentNevada.com, her base salary for 2011 was $73,149. Her total compensation from the Clark County School District for the year was $99,738.

In his letter, Mr. Littmann stated: “I fully understand the frustration that some have expressed over our presumed inflated salaries and benefits.” Presumed? Mr. Littmann’s base pay in 2011, as a Las Vegas fire captain, was $95,534. His total compensation for the same year was $205,365.

How did these government employees acquire the sweetheart deals that allowed them to have a standard of living higher than the people who pay their salaries and benefits?

For decades political insiders and elected officials conned the public into believing government needs to hire the best and the brightest, and that to acquire this unique talent, we must pay them significantly more than the private sector would. This never-ending public relations push, coupled with our elected officials’ reluctance to challenge unions at contract time because they are a voting bloc, contributed highly to our current economic travesty.

Elections sure do have consequences. If we are willing to pay public employees $100,000 a year and pensions at age 50, heaven help us.

EDWARD R. DUFFY

LAS VEGAS

Water grab

To the editor:

For 30 years, I witnessed first-hand Las Vegas’ unsustainable growth, using up what water was available. There were always suggestions to put a moratorium on swimming pools for the last years I lived in Las Vegas, but to this day that hasn’t happened.

Las Vegas can’t curtail its wasteful habits. Now the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s Pat Mulroy says there is no other alternative but to build a pipeline to rural east-central Nevada. She feels Lincoln County farmers and ranchers waste water when they irrigate their fields. Well, we feel Las Vegas wastes water on swimming pools, fountains, man-made lakes and golf courses. Lincoln County has approximately 5,345 residents compared with Clark County’s 1,951,269. How the heck can any of the people making the final decisions on this water grab think we, in the rural areas, are going to get a fair and balanced decision based on real, unbiased scientific studies?

Anyone with two brain cells believes pumping water through an 84-inch pipe, 24/7, will draw down our water supply, and the devastating results will not be visible until it is far too late to do anything about it, much less reverse it. All those involved in this water grab know it’s a lie that the pumping would stop if it endangers our way of life, the wildlife or the environment.

Why do the state engineer and the federal government feel it is more important to ruin rural Nevada and give our water to gluttonous Las Vegas, if not for the political pressure from the power and influence of Las Vegas?

In my opinion, the people who are in positions to make these devastating decisions don’t think about what will happen to all the rural areas once Las Vegas has sucked our aquifers dry. Will they be happy when there’s no wildlife, no plant species and no springs, or when there are only a few cities left with nothing but dust between them?

PATSY DYE

CALIENTE