Legislative subcommittee approves most Nevada Department of Education budget closings, defers deputy administrator post

The Nevada Legislature—s joint subcommittee on K-12, higher education and capital improvement projects on a meeting held across Carson City, Las Vegas and online recommended approval of most of the Nevada Department of Education—s (NDE) budget-closing items, including funding for new personnel, website migration and additional career and technical education (CTE) maintenance-of-effort funds, and sent several items to the full money committees for final action.

The vote package approved by the subcommittee would add new positions in multiple NDE units, approve short-term website hosting and migration costs, and fund federal maintenance-of-effort requirements for CTE programs. The panel deferred a proposed unclassified deputy administrator position for information technology and facilities to the full closing committee pending additional staff information.

Fiscal staff presented the recommendations and the numbers. Yuri Yakovlev of the Legislative Counsel Bureau—s Fiscal Analysis Division summarized the first block of budgets and told members the office of the superintendent request included a recommendation for one new budget analyst to support the pupil-centered funding plan and the Commission on School Funding; the subcommittee approved that recommendation. Yakovlev also walked members through workload data for existing staff and the department—s prior reliance on more than $1 million in contracted subject-matter experts from fiscal year 2020 through 2025.

The subcommittee approved one new personnel technician to centralize some human resources work while continuing to pay the state—s agency HR services, following a motion by Assemblymember Jill Tolles Backus (moved as stated by staff) and second by Senator Catherine Cannizzaro. Fiscal staff said the two-person request originally came because the department currently lacks dedicated HR positions and relies on administrative staff across divisions to perform HR duties, producing inconsistent delivery and turnover; the panel opted for one position while continuing the Department—s use of agency HR services and gave staff authority to make technical adjustments and to consider funding the positions through cost allocation revenue in the Department Support Services budget.

On a separate proposal, the Governor—s recommendation for a new unclassified deputy administrator to oversee administrative IT and facilities was not adopted; Chair Senator Marilyn Dondero Loop asked fiscal staff to gather additional information and postponed any motion on that request until the full closing committee. "I am going to ask staff to gather a little bit additional information about this request for the new unclassified deputy administrator position and bring that information to the full committee budget closing. Accordingly, at this time, I will not take a motion related to this request in the budget," the chair said.

The subcommittee approved temporary website migration and hosting costs to move the department—s primary website to a cloud server while the Office of the Chief Information Officer clears its backlog, accepting a revised vendor quote that reduced the overall general fund need by $32,700.

In the educator licensure budget, members approved a new program officer position funded by NDE reserve reductions of $210,051 over the 2025—27 biennium. Fiscal staff said NDE—s licensing unit processed roughly 25,000 license-related requests per year in fiscal years 2023—24 and that average processing time of 36 days exceeded the department—s internal goal of 30 days. The new position is intended to oversee daily licensing operations, provide training, support license-revocation investigations and assist with implementation of a new licensing system.

The subcommittee also approved the governor—s proposed increase to general fund appropriations for the Career and Technical Education budget to meet federal maintenance-of-effort requirements tied to the Carl D. Perkins grant: $1,500,000 in fiscal year 2026 and $1,600,000 in fiscal year 2027, fiscal staff said. During the hearing staff explained the increase brings the administration—s recommendation into compliance with federal administrative-cost limits.

On audits and compliance, the Department Support Services and District Support Services proposals drew debate. The governor had recommended three new auditors for enrollment-count and related audits; after discussion about budget constraints, Assemblymember Backus moved and members recommended to the full committee funding for two new auditor positions (one in Clark County, one in Washoe County) instead of three. Fiscal staff said the Department seeks a 10% sample size for large-district enrollment audits; the department currently audits roughly 3% of larger districts and has moved from annual to quarterly reporting, increasing audit workload.

The subcommittee approved authority for fiscal staff to update indirect cost allocation revenue and to apply updated unrestricted and restricted rates once the U.S. Department of Education issues them; fiscal staff warned that recommended unrestricted rates (24.5% in the presentation) produce significant increases in indirect-cost charges to contributing NDE budget accounts and that reserve balances in the Department Support Services account are higher under the recommendation.

Members also approved a management analyst 3 position for contract oversight in the department support services budget (funded by reserve reductions of $191,153 over the biennium) and passed multiple technical adjustments and other closing items across programs including GEAR UP, literacy, continuing education and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act program.

Public commenters in Carson City and via remote lines urged stronger, sustained investments in K-12. Drew Franklin of the Washoe Education Association said, "We don't have enough teachers, and we don't have enough mental health personnel to help our students." Justin Jervinis, a special education teacher, said, "If you want improvement in education, increase the per-pupil funding to $700 per student." Multiple teachers and school counselors described large caseloads, unfilled special-education positions and limited elective and CTE capacity at their schools.

Next steps: the subcommittee—s recommendations are advisory; fiscal closures approved by the subcommittee will be considered by the full money committees at later closings. Items the subcommittee deferred or adjusted—notably the unclassified deputy administrator post and the number of new auditors—will be carried into those fuller deliberations.

Votes at a glance

- Office of the Superintendent: approve 1 new budget analyst and associated operating costs (motion moved by Assemblymember Backus; seconded by Sen. Cannizzaro). Outcome: approved by voice vote. (Staff recommended.)

- Personnel/HR positions: approve 1 new personnel technician position, continuation of agency HR services, and authority to fund positions via cost allocation in Department Support Services (moved by Assemblymember Backus; seconded by Sen. Cannizzaro). Outcome: approved by voice vote.

- Unclassified deputy administrator (IT/facilities): no motion taken; Chair requested additional information and deferred to full committee.

- Website migration/hosting: approve general fund appropriations for website migration and maintenance as adjusted (moved by Assemblymember Backus; seconded by Sen. Cannizzaro). Outcome: approved by voice vote.

- Educator licensure: approve reserve reductions of $210,051 for one new program officer position and operating expenses (moved by Assemblymember Backus; seconded by Sen. Cannizzaro). Outcome: approved by voice vote.

- Career and Technical Education: approve general fund appropriations of $1,500,000 (FY26) and $1,600,000 (FY27) as recommended by the Governor to meet Perkins maintenance-of-effort (moved by Assemblymember Backus; seconded by Sen. Cannizzaro). Outcome: approved by voice vote.

- District Support Services (audits): recommend to full committee funding for two new auditor positions (moved by Assemblymember Backus; seconded by Sen. Cannizzaro). Outcome: approved by voice vote; recommended to full committee (reduced from the governor's three-position request).

- Department Support Services: grant fiscal staff authority to update indirect cost allocation revenue per approved expenditures and U.S. Department of Education rate updates (moved as stated by staff). Outcome: approved by voice vote.

- Management analyst 3 position for contract oversight: approve reserve reductions of $191,153 for one new position (moved as stated by staff). Outcome: approved by voice vote.

Notes: Most votes were voice votes; the subcommittee—s approvals are recommendations to the full money committees. Where the transcript recorded only a voice vote without a roll-call tally, the subcommittee recorded motions, seconders and a voice outcome but no member-by-member roll call in the record.

Sources and provenance

This article is based on the subcommittee budget-closing hearing and public comment recorded in the meeting transcript. Topic-related transcript excerpts begin with the committee call to order and the staff presentation of the Department of Education budgets and conclude with adjournment. Selected evidence spans include the staff presentation of the Office of the Superintendent budgets and the Chair—s deferral of the deputy administrator request.