Sen. Buck urges equitable facility and salary funding for Nevada public charter schools

Senator Buck used floor remarks in the Nevada Senate to urge lawmakers to include facility funding and teacher salary increases for public charter schools in the state budget, saying the governor's proposal initially included charter-school salaries but those dollars were later removed.

Buck said charter schools are public schools that follow state standards and are often held to "rigorous accountability measures," and argued that leaving charter teachers out of salary allocations perpetuates inequities that hurt students. "This session, the governor's proposed budget originally included charter school salaries in the funding allocation for increases," Buck said. "Then they were inexplicably removed with disingenuous reasons ... This decision was made without meaningful input from stakeholders, including the charter school community."

Buck described the effect on both facilities and compensation, saying the lack of facility funding and competitive teacher salaries "creates an inequitable system" that "perpetuates disparities in access to quality education, and threatens to widen the funding gap." She urged the Senate to "fund charter schools fairly with facility and salary equity, so they can continue to serve Nevada's students with excellence."

Senator Cannizzaro responded from the floor by stressing that votes matter, saying members who oppose funding education in committee votes cannot then claim they support funding. "If we are not going to do that, there are parents and children who are depending on us to ensure that education exists here in Nevada," Cannizzaro said, adding that members must "actually take the vote to fund education."

Buck named dozens of charter schools by district while urging colleagues to support salary and facility funding for those schools. Her remarks occurred during "remarks from the floor" near the end of the day's business; Cannizzaro followed with a floor reminder about votes and an invitation to a classroom-grown produce farmers market outside the building. The Senate then adjourned to reconvene at 11 a.m. on Friday, 05/16/2025.

Why it matters: State budget choices determine whether charter schools receive the same facility and salary support available to other public schools; funding decisions can affect teacher retention and the resources available to students in charter classrooms. The Senate exchange highlighted both policy differences and the practical reality that committee and floor votes determine budget outcomes.

Additional context: Buck said charter teachers were not asked to present salary plans to the Interim Finance Committee last session; she said the governor's budget initially included charter salary funding but those allocations were removed later in the process. Cannizzaro emphasized that discussion on the floor does not substitute for recorded votes in committees or on the floor.

The floor remarks closed as the Senate prepared to adjourn until 11 a.m. on Friday and invited members to a student farmers market outside the legislative building.