PROBLEM SOLVING
Enticing teachers with state-funded housing is not the solution to Nevada’s education problems
BY HEIDI HARRIS

Heidi Harris frequently appears on Fox News Live and Fox News Live Weekend. Look for her soon-to-debut radio show in Las Vegas soon. Visit her website www.heidiharris.com. Other stories by Heidi Harris

If you build it, they will come — or so the saying goes. In Nevada, if you’re even planning to build it, they will come. Or so it used to be. With several large projects planned on The Strip in the next few years, there is concern about a shortage of construction workers. Perhaps the state should help them buy homes to entice them to move here. 

Sound ridiculous? Not to Gov. Jim Gibbons — at least not when it comes to the teacher shortage. Apparently, the only way to get potential employees in this profession to move here is to help them buy homes. Gibbons thinks the Teachers First Home Loan Program is a great idea, saying, “This program will provide a critical incentive for teachers who graduated from one of Nevada’s higher education institutions to stay here and teach in our state. This program will also attract new teachers from out of state. Additionally, it will help the school district retain those teachers in the critical need areas.”

Sure it will.

According to Gibbons, a paying job with a myriad of government benefits and summers off is no longer adequate. We need to sweeten the pot. Maybe we should go back to 1931 and build a whole town, like the government did in Boulder City. We could call it “Teachertown,” and everyone could have free housing. Then they’d all be happy, right? Great teachers would come running from all over the world to live there, never considering the possibility of leaving our great Silver State.

Problem solved.

Proponents of Gibbons’ plan claim no taxpayer funds will be used, due to the sale of bonds. Whether “down payment assistance” or “special financing rates” are provided, the money has to come from somewhere. Regardless of how the governor tries to characterize it, or which government mattress the assistance actually comes from, this sets a bad precedent. 

Bulletin: The state’s job isn’t to help employees buy homes. 

The governor wants to specifically reward math, science and special education teachers. Doesn’t he know there are vast numbers of former teachers or scientists who have retired to Nevada who would gladly teach part-time or even full-time, if only they were welcome? Trouble is, Nevada won’t allow them in the classroom until they complete their NEA indoctrination training, regardless of their credentials. 

Since Nevada chooses to reject this available pool of math and science experts, here’s an idea: Try hanging onto the good teachers we already have. I’ve discussed this issue several times on my radio show, and each time the phones are flooded with former teachers who loved teaching but left due to the environment in Nevada schools. Student behavior problems, lack of parental involvement and spineless administrators are their chief complaints. Surprisingly, low pay is never mentioned, since education majors don’t expect to get rich. 

There are really two issues here. The first is obvious. The state has no business tampering with the free market by trying to assist any particular category of worker to buy a home. If new teachers can’t afford to buy, they can always rent, like the rest of us did before we were able to buy. 

The more important issue is that, once again, rather than objectively examining the genuine causes of (and solutions for) teacher shortages, government officials would rather throw money at the problem.

Feel-good programs like the Teachers First Home Loan Program will not solve the problem of turnover, and will only sustain Nevada’s inferior education system at the expense of current and future taxpayers.