NSEA Public Comment: Joint Meeting of the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means and Senate Committee on Finance

By: Nevada State Education Association, The Voice of Nevada Educators for Over 120 Years

Published: May 4, 2021 Last Updated: May 5, 2021

Yesterday’s meeting of the Economic Forum brought significant good news for Nevada’s budget — a total of $910M more in better-than-projected state revenue for this fiscal year and the upcoming biennium. NSEA hopes you are able to backfill proposed cuts to K12 education and other important state services, including $156M to class size reduction and $32M in early literacy supports related to the Read by Grade 3 program.

While the Economic Forum confirmed an improving economic picture, economic recovery alone won’t fix the issue of chronic underfunding of public education, and the influx of federal funds are only one- time.

As we mentioned yesterday in the K12 Budget Subcommittee, in lieu of new funding, SB543 created the Commission on School Funding charged with recommending funding targets and identifying revenues to fully fund the associated cost. The Commission recently published their Preliminary Recommendations. We hope all decision-makers become familiar with this document. The Commission proposed reaching “adequate” funding by increasing education investment by $2B over the next 10 years. That works out to $400M enhancements to education funding in each biennium, starting this session.

In their revenue plan, the Funding Commission focused on property tax and expanding the base of the sales tax. As a key education stakeholder, NSEA has participated in every meeting of the Commission on School Funding, both in person and by submitting comment remotely. We’ve heightened attention on the chronic underfunding of public education, including organizing four major rallies in Carson City in the last 2 years. And we have supported every serious revenue proposal discussed at the Legislature for as long as we can remember, leading on several major revenue campaigns like IP1.

On the other hand, SB543 was developed behind closed doors, wasn’t introduced until the 99th day of the session, and had but a single public hearing with the bill passing minutes before Sine Die. This bill created the Commission on School Funding, which includes no active educator voice. But the process you put into motion with the passage of SB543 recommends funding targets and a revenue plan to meet these targets over the course of 10 years. It’s now up to you. Economic growth is not enough to meet the needs in public education and other state services.

Without serious efforts to pass new revenue to meet funding targets would indicate forces behind SB543 never actually intended to deliver a funding plan to benefit all Nevada students.

While wrestling with the ongoing issue of education underfunding, NSEA continues to call on you to fix our other policy concerns with SB543 in three simple steps: 1) grandfather existing Zoom and Victory Schools; 2) ensure hold harmless provisions actually do no harm to school districts; and, 3) eliminate anti-union ending fund balance provisions.

May 4, 2021 Comments

Since the introduction of SB543 two years ago, NSEA has expressed numerous policy concerns with the new funding plan, including the fact it contained no new revenue.

In lieu of new funding, SB543 created the Commission on School Funding charged with recommending funding targets and identifying revenues to fully fund the associated cost. On April 23rd, 2021 the Commission published their Preliminary Recommendations. While NSEA opposed SB543, we largely agree with the Commission’s funding targets. The Commission proposed reaching “adequate” funding by increasing education investment by $2B over the next 10 years. That’s $400M each biennium starting this Session.

In their revenue plan, the Funding Commission focused on property tax and expanding the base of the sales tax. NSEA has been supportive of numerous proposals to address Nevada’s property tax, including SJR14 in 2017. However, in this session even simple property tax reform bills, like SB10 and SB64, failed to clear the first bill deadline in the Senate.

NSEA has consistently raised concerns related to SB543 since the bill’s committee hearing. During the interim, NSEA participated in every meeting of the Commission on School Funding. We called attention to the chronic underfunding of public education, including organizing four major rallies in Carson City in the last 2 years. Two of these rallies happened during a global pandemic, with hundreds of educators wearing red to signify the financial hardships of educators and public education. Further, NSEA has supported every serious revenue proposal discussed at the Legislature for as long as we can remember, leading on several major revenue campaigns like IP1.

Meanwhile, SB543 was developed behind closed doors, wasn’t introduced until the 99th day of the session, and had but a single public hearing with the bill passing minutes before Sine Die. This bill created the Commission on School Funding, again shutting out active educator voice, which has recommended funding targets and a revenue plan to meet these targets over the course of 10 years. It is now incumbent on you to implement the plan you set in motion. Not doing so would show the weakness of SB543 as a transformational proposal and the folly of all who have seriously engaged it.

Without a serious effort to pass new revenue to meet funding targets would indicate backers of SB543 never actually intended to deliver a funding plan to benefit all Nevada students.