VICTOR JOECKS: Ebert has great responsibility, minimal power

In the Spider-Man movie “Far From Home,” Peter Parker faces the villain Mysterio, who creates elaborate illusions. Something similar is happening in the Clark County School District.

On Monday, new Superintendent Jhone Ebert officially began her tenure, visiting two schools. She has been offering a sunny view of the future. “We know there are challenges in our school district, but they are solvable,” Ebert said last week.

She’s right about the problems. Last year, less than 40 percent of third graders were proficient in reading. Even massive pay hikes haven’t solved the district’s persistent teacher shortages. The Clark County Education Association is backing a ballot measure that would allow teachers to strike.

It looks as if Ebert can swing in and save the day. She has all the trappings of power — the title, the big salary and the public’s attention. But just putting someone in Spider-Man’s suit doesn’t give them superpowers. In this case, Ebert lacks the authority to fix the district’s fundamental problems.

The district is headed for a financial crunch. Two years ago, Gov. Joe Lombardo and the Legislature dumped $2.6 billion into education statewide. That didn’t fix the broken system, but it did make it more expensive. The district eventually approved a two-year contract that gave teachers annual pay hikes of 10 percent and 8 percent.

This session, Lombardo proposed only a modest increase to the education budget. Even if Democrats push more money, it won’t come anywhere near the increase of two years ago. Plus, if the Economic Forum forecasts fiscal problems at its May meeting, money might get tighter. Ebert has acknowledged this.

But costs are going up. This summer, contribution rates to the Public Employees’ Retirement System of Nevada will jump from 33.5 percent to 36.75 percent. That increase will be split between employees and the district. So absent any changes, teachers will see a decrease in take-home pay while the district’s bills go up. That will make it harder to afford pay hikes.

You don’t need Spidey sense to know what happens next. The CCEA, led by John Vellardita, will demand an unaffordable pay increase anyway. If Ebert were calling the shots, she could tell Vellardita to pound sand. But Nevada’s collective bargaining law gives the union major power in contract negotiations.

Ebert will be looking at a host of unpleasant options. She could lower the district’s ending fund balance to come up with more money. She could try to pry money out of schools’ strategic budgets. She could take the union to arbitration while enduring the CCEA’s rage.

Do you see the Mysterio-level illusion? While Ebert will look like she’s in control, she’ll be powerless to implement her own plan to fix the district’s underlying problems. She’s already set up to be the district’s next scapegoat.

To give herself a chance to avoid that fate, she needs to level with the public about this — now. In the comics, Spider-Man learns that “with great power comes great responsibility.” Ebert is about to learn what happens when you’re held responsible but don’t have the power to change things.

Victor Joecks’ column appears in the Opinion section each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.