Gov. Brian Sandoval’s veto this past week of the Democratic education funding bill marks a disappointing and counterproductive move for a governor who claims — and I want to believe that he genuinely means this — a commitment to improve the quality of education for Nevada’s students.
The governor has proposed some thoughtful and worthwhile initiatives, most notably eliminating the “last in, first out” layoff policy in favor of one that allows principals to decide whom to lay off on the basis of teacher effectiveness. His proposals to reform the tenure system and the teacher evaluation system — so that teachers who improve student achievement are retained and rewarded — also merit support.
So, yes, eliminating the “last in, first out” layoff policy is both logical and useful. What would be more useful is mitigating layoffs altogether.