NSEA Public Comment: Interim Finance Committee

The Nevada State Education Association has been the voice of Nevada educators for over 120 years. In our history, there have been few more challenging times than the one we find ourselves in right now with the COVID-19 pandemic.

NSEA supports the approval of the federal ESSER funds passed in the CARES Act, and also implores the legislature to continue the work to address structural state underfunding of public education.

Last summer, NSEA supported the work of the Department of Education to develop “Nevada’s Path Forward: A Framework for a Safe, Efficient, and Equitable Return to School Buildings”. We felt this was the proper framework, along with consultation with local health districts, to safely reopen and operate school buildings this school year. Educators, as much as anyone else, appreciate the importance of returning to school for in-person learning. However, educators have also been very concerned about their health and the health and well-being of students. NSEA has consistently raised concerns since last summer that districts lack the resources needed to follow the recommendations to safely open and operate school buildings during this pandemic.

Faced with additional state cuts to education, as well as a corresponding educator morale and retention problems, the $477 million in federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds will be of critical importance to provide emergency financial relief to school districts to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to safely operate and open school buildings over the next year and a half. NSEA applauds the work of Nevada’s congressional delegation along with our parent, the National Education Association, for their work to help secure these funds to assist with learning loss, technology, and critical infrastructure needs.

At the same time, we know these funds will only serve as a temporary patch. Uses of funds are restricted, so they can’t be used to backfill proposed cuts. Also, before the pandemic, Nevada ranked near the bottom of states in most education metrics. In the 2020 Quality Counts report from Education Week, Nevada ranked 47th in School Finance and 50th in their overall “Chance for Success” index. And we all know Nevada has the largest class sizes in the county, as the legislature must deliberate a new proposal to cut $156M from class size reduction in the next biennium.