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Nevada youth lawmakers urge review of Senate Bill 231, say Title I charter schools lost funding
Summary
Youth legislators told the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority board that Senate Bill 231 has left Title I public charter schools with lower per‑pupil funding than district schools and urged a comprehensive review to correct disparities.
Three youth legislators told the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority board during public comment that Senate Bill 231 has not delivered equitable funding to Title I public charter schools and urged the board to support a review of the bill’s impacts.
Sebastian Rios, chair of the Nevada Youth Legislature and a senior at Leadership Academy of Nevada, said the youth legislature trains students in civic skills and that this year’s cohort is working on outreach and a bill to the Nevada Legislature. Rios introduced the program and described its two‑year structure, recruiting process and application deadline of Feb. 28, 2025.
Mackenzie Coughlin, a youth legislator from Senate District 1 and a junior at West Career Technical Academy, described how the program strengthened her public‑speaking and listening skills and described town halls she held to gather youth priorities.
Over Alvarez Flores, a youth legislator representing Senate District 2 and a senior at Akiko Academy, addressed funding for Title I public charter schools after passage of Senate Bill 231. Flores said analyses show some Title I charter schools receive substantially less per pupil than district schools and cited a Nevada Charter School Association (NCSA) 2023 figure showing Title I charter schools received an average of $1,500 less per pupil than district‑run schools. Flores also cited a 2022 Nevada Department of Education analysis the youth legislators said found that Title I charter schools in the same district received about $9,000 per pupil while district schools received about $10,500 per pupil.
"Title I public charter schools often rely on these funds for instructional materials and teacher salaries," Flores said. "This instability hurts students in communities that already face significant economic challenges. A comprehensive review of Senate Bill 231’s impact on charter schools is necessary to correct these inequities."
Board members thanked the youth legislators and said the board could follow up by email; staff noted public comment rules typically preclude on‑the‑spot questioning.
The public comment also included an invitation to students to apply to the Nevada Youth Legislature and a link the youth legislators provided to the legislature’s website for more information.
