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Teachers, students and parents urge lawmakers to preserve and increase K‑12 funding
Summary
During public comment at the subcommittee hearing, multiple teachers, students and callers urged lawmakers to pass the funding plan and avoid cuts to programs such as JROTC/GRTC and CTSOs; witnesses described classroom strain, second jobs, and direct student impacts from program reductions.
Public comment at the end of the subcommittee hearing featured educators, students and union members asking lawmakers to preserve and expand K‑12 funding and opposing program cuts.
Gilbert Lenz, an agricultural welding and mechanics teacher at North Valleys High School, urged lawmakers to simplify and reorient student teaching funding so districts can pay student teachers directly. Lenz said funding mechanisms currently are “convoluted” and that student teachers need direct support while completing field placements. He also asked the committee to remove the restrictive language that prevents districts from using state CTE funds for career and technical student organizations (CTSOs), noting that his students must fundraise to participate in FFA competitions.
Kaylee Krentz, a Washoe County School District choir teacher who holds a master’s degree, described working a second job to make ends meet and asked legislators to “continue funding education” so that educators do not need multiple jobs to survive. Krentz said she borrowed a car and used food‑delivery apps to make extra income while teaching and caring for her family.
Other commenters included Alex Gauvain, a fourth‑grade teacher and building representative for the Washoe Education Association, who said the governor’s proposed budget would amount to a $9 million cut for Washoe County and warned about the effect on Title I schools and intervention services. Dolly Rowan, an early‑childhood teacher in Clark County, recounted large class sizes, medical needs and insufficient staff in self‑contained classrooms and said she sent “an SOS” asking for continued funding.
Students from Silverado High School — Elias Salas, Marciano Soperis and Kiara Bautista Orozco — spoke about proposed cuts to their GRTC/JROTC program, describing leadership and career skills they say they gain from the program and asking lawmakers to preserve it. Callers on the line included Kimberly Shepherd, an adaptive physical education teacher, Philip Kaiser, a long‑time classroom teacher, and Susan Kiser, a retired national‑board certified teacher; each urged the committee to adopt the Commission on School Funding plan and to continue investments that aim to bring Nevada closer to the national average in per‑pupil spending.
No policy or vote resulted directly from public comment; committee members acknowledged the testimony and closed the hearing.
