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Nevada educators press Ways and Means to reject per‑pupil cuts and follow school‑funding commission plan
Summary
Brian Wallace, vice president of the Nevada State Education Association, told the Assembly Ways and Means Committee that Governor Lombardo's budget would cut per‑pupil funding and urged the legislature to adopt the Commission on School Funding's plan calling for $700 per‑pupil increases for each of the next two years.
Brian Wallace, vice president of the Nevada State Education Association and a Carson City middle school teacher, used the committee’s public‑comment period to urge Ways and Means members to reject proposed reductions to per‑pupil funding in the governor’s budget and to adopt the Commission on School Funding’s multi‑year plan.
Wallace said Nevada already “continues to trail the national average by more than $4,000 per student,” and warned that proposed cuts would widen that gap. He told members the Commission on School Funding recommended raising revenue through an expanded sales tax base and closing property‑tax loopholes; the commission’s plan includes $700 increases to per‑pupil funding in each of the next two years and, as Wallace stated, would cost “just over $600,000,000 over the biennium.”
Wallace also referenced SB 231 and the legislature’s recent work on educator pay, saying that while progress had been made — including negotiated raises in many districts — continued progress will require permanent funding increases rather than temporary measures.
He asked lawmakers to reject proposals that would divert public funds away from public schools, specifically citing expansion of private school vouchers or what he called “a giveaway to Hollywood studios.” Wallace said educators across the state will continue to testify during the session to highlight classroom needs and retention challenges.
The committee did not respond with a vote during the public‑comment period; no formal action was recorded. Chair Danielle Monroe Moreno closed the meeting by reminding members of the committee’s schedule, noting audit summaries and budget hearings for the governor’s and lieutenant governor’s offices the next day.
