Press Release: Red For Revenue - Let Nevadans Vote

“Our message is simple: Let Nevadans vote. Put AJR1** on the ballot and let the people pass it,” said Brian Rippet, President of the Nevada State Education Association. “Emergency assistance from the American Rescue Plan will certainly help our schools address pandemic-related issues, but these funds are a temporary fix to our longstanding and systemic funding problems. We believe our Legislature has the opportunity to advance a package of revenue proposals this Session to take a big and bold step in addressing our funding challenge. No more kicking the can down the road.”

Educators have been calling on our leaders to invest in Nevada for years, and now is the time to take bold steps to meet our state’s needs. NSEA is asking each member of the Nevada Legislature to take an “Education Champion Pledge” during the rally. The pledge consists of two parts:

1. A pledge to champion efforts to move Nevada to the national average in per pupil funding by 2030; and
2. A pledge to support new revenue proposals during this Legislative Session, including AJR1** SB346.

We need our leaders to have the courage to stand up and demand new and progressive revenue to move Nevada up from the bottom of the education funding lists. Ranking near the bottom of states in per-pupil funding, Nevada’s public schools and other vital services deserve new state revenue, not just continued austerity.

The socially distanced event is co-sponsored by Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, For Our Future Nevada, AFSCME 4041 Retired, Educate Nevada Now, Battle Born Progress, Empower Nevada Teachers, State Innovation Exchange, Faith in Action Nevada, One APIA Nevada, Human Resource Network, Nevada Conservation League, AFSCME, and SEIU 1107. We hope educators and those who support public education can join us and wear red to symbolize the financial struggles and deficits educators and our schools face.