Las Vegas: Dumb or Stupid?

This article refers to the issue of public schools in Las Vegas as an Embarrassment of Riches. It claims Las Vegas public schools are the second worst of any other "metro area" in the country. It goes on to blame out-of-state REITs and corporations that have no stake locally other than their (many) Las Vegas properties.

Of course, it notes NV's low taxes as an inducement to those businesses. However, the article by continues saying casinos could get better schools if that was desired because, according to the article, the casinos call the shots. And, at present, casinos are only paying "lip service" to this issue, if that.

This is a well-written article from someone who lived his professional life inside the gaming industry. It made me wonder whether this is the general case everywhere now. I know funding for public education is meager across the board, so even the best schools probably have little to brag about. Seems so sad, don'cher know?

Las Vegas is an economy where you don't need a college education to make a good living. When I lived in Henderson, I was surprised by the high dropout rate for such a middle-class community. I was told many students drop out when they turn 18 because they can get full-time jobs making $40,000 the next day. With casinos doing so much advancing from within, most jobs don't require a college degree.

Quote: billryan

Las Vegas is an economy where you don't need a college education to make a good living. When I lived in Henderson, I was surprised by the high dropout rate for such a middle-class community. I was told many students drop out when they turn 18 because they can get full-time jobs making $40,000 the next day. With casinos doing so much advancing from within, most jobs don't require a college degree.
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I agree with that. Having spent over 30 years there and raising kids I didn't think the system was bad. I'm guessing that the main metric they are using to rate it is drop out rate which is very high. People that haven't lived there really don't understand the service society and how much money is made in it. Most of the people I knew in the service industry were making more than $75k a year.

There is a fairly simple solution to getting a good education for your kid in LV, and as with most things in life it just takes money.

Parents who are concerned about the quality of public education and who can afford it send their kids to private school.

"For the 2022 school year, there are 84 private schools serving 17,487 students in Las Vegas, NV.
The best top ranked private schools in Las Vegas, NV include Challenger School - Desert Hills, Merryhill Elementary School Summerlin and The Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain.
The average tuition cost is $9,050, which is lower than the Nevada private school average tuition cost of $10,460.
50% of private schools in Las Vegas, NV are religiously affiliated (most commonly Christian and Roman Catholic)."

source: https://www.privateschoolreview.com/nevada/las-vegas

Unfortunately the service sector is losing jobs to technology. Automation, self serve, kiosks are all eliminating jobs.

Self parking cars will even replace valets.

How many of you play bubble craps? Blackjack on a screen?

I havent used a checkout clerk at my supermarket since the pandemic started... and my supermarket just added eight self checkout stations.

What worked in the past won't be working three years from now.

Good point.

Automation will end many jobs, not just in Sin City but across this fair land.

What employment opportunities will be left for the unskilled, uneducated entry level workers?

There had damned well be something out there or else there will be revolution.

Quote: MrV

Good point.

Automation will end many jobs, not just in Sin City but across this fair land.

What employment opportunities will be left for the unskilled, uneducated entry level workers?

There had damned well be something out there or else there will be revolution.
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There will always be unskilled, uneducated people. They've been around since the Tower of Babel. God loves them, or else he won't keep making so many of them. If there was only something an unskilled, uneducated, untrained person could do to improve their lot.

There was a time when the cities fully utilitized the flood of unskilled immigrants: hello sweatshops and factories.

Not anymore: in prioritizing cleaning up the environment and making a safe work place these businesses have pretty much vanished from our shores.

There will always be a need for unskilled labor in the fields, but most whites feel it is too tough or beneath them so the Mexicans willingly do the grunt work.

The American white man will need to stoop and pick in the future: that's about all that will be left for the surplus workers.

"California, here I come ..."

Quote: MrV

Good point.

Automation will end many jobs, not just in Sin City but across this fair land.

What employment opportunities will be left for the unskilled, uneducated entry level workers?

There had damned well be something out there or else there will be revolution.
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if she's pretty...

Quote: DRich

I'm guessing that the main metric they are using to rate it is drop out rate which is very high.

There is absolutely no reason to. From the article: "It goes into great depth in explaining its methodologies and format". Then in the study that it is being referred to, graduation rates are only 10% of the measurement. Las Vegas seems to do ok in that area. Very quick search shows it at 84% according to the first source that comes up. Cleveland (25th) and New York (10th) are at 80%, Miami (1st) and Honolulu (50th) are at 90%. Drop out rates had little effect on these rankings.

I do really like where the article goes. "The reality is that the Vegas region has an educational system that sucks, and the reason it sucks is that the industry does not seem to care to invest in fixing it". An educated population is not good for the casino industry. And even if they cared about strengthening the community from a business perspective, the casino industry has fewer and fewer ties to this desert valley.

Second great quote that is more general and not just about education: "I also have a concern as to what the gaming press is doing. Often it looks as if they are more interested in shilling for the industry than reporting on it."

Las Vegas was never a place that courted higher education. Hence, the public school system K-12 is one of the worst in the country. Casinos and mining rule Nevada. They don’t need (nor want) an educated population. The politicians play along as they are bought and paid for by casinos and mining. The casinos like nothing more than a person making $40,000-$45,000 working for them and giving back $10,000 by gambling. Circle of life.