Nevada lawmakers agree on education funding, not ESAs

Gov. Brian Sandoval’s final State of the State speech gave lawmakers plenty of places for common ground, from more education funding to a new veterans home in Northern Nevada.

For lawmakers and the state, the speech delivered an upbeat message about the state’s recovery from the Great Recession. Sandoval outlined a proposal to increase the state budget by about 10 percent, pumping more money into a variety of programs, including education and workforce development.

Nevertheless, battle lines are forming. Democrats expressed resistance to Sandoval’s proposal for $60 million for education savings accounts. The school choice program, also called vouchers, allows students to put their state funding toward private education.

Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford, D-Las Vegas, said Senate and Assembly Democratic lawmakers will gather to outline their priorities shortly after the 2017 session starts Feb. 6. The Democrats’ agenda will focus on expanding and protecting the middle class, he said; priorities include access to child care and safe working conditions.

Ford also pointed to places where Democratic lawmakers and Sandoval share common ground, including education and the governor’s proposed investments in job-training programs.

Assembly Minority Leader Paul Anderson issued a statement of support.

“Nevada families are proud of the work Governor Sandoval has done over the past six years,” Anderson, R-Las Vegas, said. “Under Republican leadership, we’ve seen decreasing unemployment with record high weekly wages, new and exciting high-tech companies invest in Nevada, and improvements in our education system.”

One of those companies is Tesla, which is expanding its Gigafactory in Northern Nevada to produce electric motors and gearboxes for the company’s Model 3 sports car. The new project will yield more than $350 million in additional capital investment and add 550 skilled jobs.

“They love Nevada,” Steve Hill, director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, said. “They have found that their original decision to move to Nevada has worked very well for them. I am sure they would tell you they are happy to be here.”

In a statement, Superintendent of Public Instruction Steve Canavero praised the governor’s commitment to K-12 education, pointing to more than $125 million in additional funding for programs that came out during the 2015 session.

“2015 provided investments and appropriate accountability to ensure that every child will access the economic opportunities at home and abroad,” he said. “The governor and Legislature made clear that the system of yesterday did not produce the results our children deserve. We have made investments to build tomorrow’s K12 system and placed an emphasis on what matters – student safety and outcomes.”

Sandoval faces resistance in some quarters in his proposal for $60 million for education savings accounts. The school choice program, also called vouchers, allows students to put their state funding toward private education.

Ford called it the “wrong priority for Nevada’s kids.”

“It is not fair to Nevada families to divert our limited resources towards private schools,” Ford said in a statement. “Any amount of money directed toward a voucher program will result in less money being made available to public schools.”

The Nevada State Education Association called on the money instead going toward programs proven to help students.

The money “could go a long way to better teach students who are English language learners, low-income or have learning disabilities,” Ruben Murillo Jr., the teachers union preisdent, said in a statement.

State Sen. Scott Hammond, R-Las Vegas, who authored the 2015 ESA bill, said he “loved” the ESA proposal.

“Maybe it was a divided house, but I still feel as if there are a lot of Democrats out there in our state who do understand what I am trying to do and do believe this is the direction education is going towards,” he said.

Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3820. Follow @seanw801 on Twitter. Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3820. Follow @BenBotkin1 on Twitter.