Senators and education groups told the Assembly Ways and Means Committee on May 21 that Senate Bill 90 would restore and extend a state grant program that reimburses teachers and specialized instructional support personnel for classroom supplies.

Senator Marilyn Dondero Loop, sponsor of SB 90, told the committee the National Education Association reported most teachers pay for classroom supplies out of pocket and said the bill would appropriate $15 million to the Nevada Department of Education (NDE) to restore a reimbursement program that provides up to $500 per employee per school year.

"This provides each of the employees up to $500 under this program," Dondero Loop said. "They may receive more if money from another source for this purpose is available." She described the funding as split across two years ($7.5 million per year) after a prior one‑year $10 million allocation ran out.

Amelia Thibault, Nevada Department of Education, told the committee NDE plans to absorb overtime work into comp time rather than carry an overtime fiscal note. She said NDE previously administered the grant through a partnership with DonorsChoose and that subrecipient monitoring is a continuing concern after past misuse of funds.

"This is an area where we have identified ... that it does need more attention," Thibault said, noting monitoring and contract language can be strengthened.

Assembly members asked how the program was administered and whether schools and teachers knew rules about purchased items and their disposition when teachers change schools. Thibault said DonorsChoose handled grant/project processing and that NDE can require clearer disclaimers in the DonorsChoose application and strengthen subrecipient monitoring.

Supporters including representatives from Clark County School District, the Nevada Association of School Superintendents, the Nevada State Education Association and the Nevada Association of School Boards told the committee the program had broad teacher uptake and urged approval.

No callers registered opposition or neutral testimony during the hearing. Dondero Loop closed the hearing without additional remarks.

Why it matters: Teachers nationally and in Nevada report spending hundreds of dollars per year on supplies; proponents say the modest per‑teacher reimbursement eases classroom expenses and supports retention, while the department and lawmakers flagged monitoring and misuse risks that the bill and contract language must address.

Discussion vs. decision: The hearing was informational and a fiscal hearing; no committee vote was recorded on SB 90 during this session.

Ending: Committee staff will include the bill in the ongoing fiscal deliberations; NDE and the sponsor said they will tighten subrecipient monitoring and application language if the appropriation moves forward.