When the new pupil-centered funding plan was passed in 2019, proponents lauded the transparency and predictability of the formula, claiming General Fund contributions to K-12 education would increase proportionally, ensuring that base funding would remain whole, so growth in other education resources would not supplant the state’s General Fund commitment to public schools.
AB459 rolls back this commitment.
Throughout this session, you’ve heard from a parade of educators about the hardships of working in education with low pay and increasingly stressful working conditions. You’ve heard about how Nevada still ranks 48th in per-pupil funding and how educator vacancies are threatening the basic operation of schools. Meanwhile, we’ve heard speeches from political leaders on both sides of the aisle about the “historic” education funding proposed for next biennium. What we haven’t heard in those speeches is how Nevada’s General Fund commitment to K-12 education is remaining relatively flat, despite record state revenue.
The law requires the Governor to recommend increased General Fund appropriations for the State Education Fund that are proportional to projected increases in the state’s General Fund, unless the Governor finds this impracticable. Calculations made by NDE show this should have meant an additional $121.2M in General Fund dollars for K-12 education over the 2023-25 biennium. However, the Executive Budget did not include this increase, once again shortchanging K-12 education. During budget hearings, the Governor’s office represented these monies were needed for other state priorities. And unfortunately, budget deliberation in the legislature failed to significantly increase General Fund monies to the K-12 budget.
AB459, allows the Governor to recommend using increases in other education revenue to supplant the state’s General Fund commitment. This bill, along with supplanting over $120M in General Fund dollars that was supposed to go to K-12 education, represent yet another broken promise to Nevada schools.
