Bill would let Clark County educators’ union share nominations for state education boards

Assembly Bill 236 would change how educators are nominated to several statewide education boards and councils by allowing the largest Clark County teachers’ union to submit nomination slates alongside the Nevada State Education Association.

Assemblymember Ruben DeSilva, who introduced the bill, told the Senate Committee on Education the measure is intended to reflect the current structure of educator representation in Nevada. "For the last eight years, the Clark County Education Association, whose membership makes up the vast majority of public school teachers in the state, have been completely disenfranchised from having a voice in the selection process of these boards," DeSilva said. Under AB 236, each of two unions would present three candidates for certain educator seats and the governor would select from that combined list of six.

Daniel Stewart, a representative for the Clark County Education Association (CCA), said AB 236 only alters the pool from which appointing authorities may choose; it does not change appointing authority, membership counts or the boards themselves. The bill would apply to three bodies identified by sponsors: the State Board of Education (one appointed teacher seat), the Teachers and Leaders Council (teacher seats), and the Statewide Council for the Coordination of Regional Training Programs (one teacher seat). Stewart explained the change would expand nomination lists from three names provided by one union to six names provided by two unions, while preserving statutory requirements such as geographical diversity and other qualifications.

Marie Nices, president of the Clark County Education Association, said CCEA represents more than 18,000 educators in Clark County and argued the statute has not kept pace with the split between CCEA and NSAE/NSEA that occurred after 2016. "AB 2 36 is not about pitting rural against urban. It's about ensuring that all educators, regardless of their location, have a voice in shaping the future of education in our state," Nices said.

Opposition came from the Nevada State Education Association (NSEA). Brian Wallace, NSEA vice president, said NSEA has historically provided statewide nomination lists that draw from all 17 counties and warned AB 236 could weaken statewide representation by creating a statutory carve-out. "It risks compromising the actual statewide representation on these boards and councils that NSEA has been able to provide," Wallace said. He urged either opposing the bill or amending it to protect statewide representation.

Committee members asked how nomination processes are handled internally by unions. Wallace described NSEA's process: the NSEA president solicits candidates from local presidents across all counties, evaluates qualifications and can host interviews before forwarding a final slate to the governor. Marie Nices and others described CCEA's internal process as coming through an elected executive board and membership outreach.

Supporters at the hearing included business and municipal voices such as the Vegas Chamber and the City of North Las Vegas, which said a stronger teacher voice on boards supports workforce and education alignment. Several Clark County educators and CCEA members called or testified in favor, saying southern Nevada educators and their students have been without representation on the affected bodies since CCEA disaffiliated from NSEA.

Opponents expressed concern about concentrating nominating power in one county. Committee members requested staff provide a map or current roster showing geographic representation on the State Board of Education to assess whether statutory changes would improve or hurt statewide balance.

No committee vote occurred during the hearing. Sponsors and stakeholders said they will provide follow-up materials on representation and implementation if requested.