State of Nevada Archives: on Education
Adam Laxalt:
Empower parents with school choice & charters
I believe that education is the civil rights issue of this time. Too many kids are never given a chance to succeed because they're stuck in schools that are failing them. My vision for education includes four main components:- Strengthening our
public education system by making sure it is properly funded
- Empowering parents with school choices: charters, career and technical education
- Developing our in-state teacher talent by providing incentives
- Demanding more accountability.
Source: 2018 Nevada Gubernatorial website AdamLaxalt.com
Nov 7, 2017
Adam Laxalt:
Supported voucher-style Education Savings Accounts
Q: Increase funding for K-12 education?Adam Laxalt (R): Vows not to reduce funding; will look at budget on possible increase.
Steve Sisolak (D): Restore funding to at least pre-recession levels. Shift money from hotel tax and marijuana tax toward schools.
Q: Provide support to parents to send their children to private schools with public money?
Adam Laxalt (R): Yes. Supported voucher-style Education Savings Accounts. "We're not funding private schools;
we're funding an education for our students."
Steve Sisolak (D): No. "Will always fight against the diversion of funding from public schools into private schools."
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Nevada Governor race
Oct 9, 2018
Danny Tarkanian:
I support vouchers for private school tuition
Our public schools aren't broke. They're broken. If money was the answer, we'd already have the greatest school systems on the planet. We don't.
That's why I support school vouchers, education savings accounts and scholarship programs that parents can use for private school tuition or to assist parents who opt to homeschool their children if they want such assistance.
The community interest is a well-educated child. But that doesn't necessarily mean public schools. One size doesn't fit all.
And it's time to give parents both the right and the means to escape public schools that aren't getting the job done
Source: 2018 Nevada Senate campaign website DannyTarkanian.com
Feb 3, 2018
Bill Richardson:
Create science and math academies with 100,000 new teachers
The key to a good education is a strong teacher. One of the problems we have in this country is we disrespect teachers. We underpay them. I would have a minimum wage for all teachers starting out at $40,000 per year. We need to be bolder with
No Child Left Behind. I would junk it. This is a disaster. It’s got to go. I would have preschool for every child. I would have full-day kindergarten. The US is 29th in science, to the European Union, to Japan.
We need to have science and math academies. Hire 100,000 science and math teachers. Have art in the schools. We need also to have a college education policy that deals with these huge loans that are killing our college students.
What I would do is in exchange for two years of tuition, government pays tuition, one year of national service to this country. Those are the kind of creative solutions we want in this country.
Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov 15, 2007
Brian Sandoval:
Improve education performance measurements
Nevada is diligently working to improve accountability systems and measures throughout the K-12 system and this [new] policy academy will enable us to expand that work through the higher education realm. Nevada has been selected to participate in a
policy academy on strengthening post-secondary accountability systems by focusing on efficiency and effectiveness metrics in their accountability systems and incorporating those metrics into their decision making processes.
Source: Nevada 2011 gubernatorial press release, #4294972467
Oct 17, 2011
Brian Sandoval:
Enhance education data systems in Nevada
The [new] council will help coordinate education efforts in Nevada from the preschool through postsecondary levels and has the authority to address the data information system for public school students.The education initiatives will enhance the
quality of instruction and improve student achievement. The effective use of high-quality education data is integral to the success of these reforms and establishing an effective education data system requires cooperation of all constituents.
Source: Nevada 2011 gubernatorial press release, #4294972273
Oct 7, 2011
Brian Sandoval:
Yes to charter schools statewide
Nevada is now one of only eight states to have a statewide authorizing agency focused on building high quality charter schools.To more fully integrate charter schools into the Nevada education system, SB 212
eliminates the current governing board for charter schools, which is a subcommittee of the State Board of Education and transfers the responsibility for authorizing and overseeing high-quality charter schools in Nevada to the Charter School Authority.
Source: Nevada 2011 gubernatorial press release, #4294971879
Aug 1, 2011
Brian Sandoval:
Business tax credit for opportunity scholarship contribution
I will continue to fight for more school choice. Many students attend schools that are not meeting their needs. We owe them and their parents additional choice as well as individualized instruction.I will introduce an opportunity scholarship
bill giving businesses a tax credit for making contributions to a scholarship fund. These dollars will be distributed, on a means-tested basis, to students at low-performing schools for use in attending the school of their choice.
Source: 2013 State of the State address to Nevada Legislature
Jan 16, 2013
Brian Sandoval:
$20M so every Nevada child can read by Grade Three
To advance the cause of students we must now turn our eye to the classroom. I continue to believe that literacy is the key to long-term success. And so tonight I again ask you to take the necessary steps to ensure that every Nevada child can read by
Grade Three. If children cannot read by third grade, their chances of graduating from high school become remote.For pre-Three students, I will propose increased funding for early education in the state's most at risk schools.
My budget therefore includes an aggressive expansion of all-day kindergarten among the state's most at-risk schools.
Twenty million dollars is allocated over the biennium for this purpose. This means that by 2015, almost half of our elementary
schools would have an all-day kindergarten option. If we expect children to read by Three, we cannot continue to ignore all of the data that tells us all-day kindergarten is a critical foundation for a child's success.
Source: 2013 State of the State address to Nevada Legislature
Jan 16, 2013
Brian Sandoval:
Proposes JAG specialists: Jobs for America's Graduates
One of the most successful programs in the country today is Teach for America--a unique corps of brilliant young leaders from America's top universities, who give their time and talent as teachers in schools that need them most. These teachers help spur
innovation and creativity in instruction that makes the entire system better. But we can do more. I am proposing a new investment in Teach for America to help recruit, train, develop, and place top teacher and leadership talent in Nevada.
I am also asking that Nevada make a firm commitment to another national program with proven results. In the last year, I used available funding to pilot the Jobs for America's Graduates initiative in seven Nevada schools. JAG helps prevent dropouts by
putting a specialist in the school to work with the most at-risk students. The work continues even after the students graduate, and transitions students from high school to college or a career. It works in over 30 states and it has worked here.
Source: 2013 State of the State address to Nevada Legislature
Jan 16, 2013
Brian Sandoval:
Supports Education Savings Accounts and school choice
Catherine Cortez Masto came out against her state's school choice law, which creates Education Savings Accounts that allows families to use public education funds to send their children to private or parochial schools. Asked about how to help children
stuck in low-performing schools, she said she supports investments like the tax package backed by Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval and approved last year.Sandoval is a major supporter of the Education Savings Accounts. "I strongly support school
choice," he said in a statement. Lawsuits holding up the program "potentially deprive parents of the opportunity to determine the educational future of their children."
Nevada's school choice law is a national leader in the options it provides
for students. Parents can have 90% of the funds that would have been spent on their child in their public school deposited into a restricted-use spending account for private-school tuition [and other educational expenses].
Source: Washington Free Beacon on 2016 Nevada Senate race
Aug 11, 2016
Brian Sandoval:
$115 million in new investments for higher education
By 2025, roughly 60% of all jobs in Nevada will require some form of post-secondary degree or other credential. Today, only 30% of Nevadans between the ages of 25 and 34 have completed some level of post-secondary education.My vision for our state is
to put all Nevadans, regardless of age or circumstance, on a career pathway toward success. We can make that vision a reality by investing in higher education, closing the college attainment gap, expanding dual enrollment & growing career opportunities.
While many of these programs have been available for some, they are not yet accessible to all, due to financial barriers or other factors. My workforce agenda proposes removing those barriers, so that every student, in every classroom,
has every opportunity to succeed. Our effort to prepare a modern workforce begins with our post-secondary institutions. My budget includes an increase of $115 million in new investments for higher education.
Source: 2017 State of the State address to Nevada Legislature
Jan 17, 2017
Brian Sandoval:
Vetoed restoring budget cuts for K-12 public education
AB568: Ensures sufficient funding for K-12 public education for the 2011-2013 biennium.Opinion in support by John Oceguera, the incoming speaker of the Nevada Assembly: The governor's budget cuts $668 million in state support for K-12,
a cut of 27%. These proposed cuts, on top of cuts made in the last two years, will likely result in teacher layoffs, even larger classes, fewer career and technical education opportunities and elimination of full-day kindergarten and other programs
proven to help students learn.
Gov. Sandoval's veto message: Were this bill to be enacted into law, insufficient revenue would be available for the Legislature to meets its obligation to prepare a balanced budget encompassing all areas
of state responsibility..
Legislative Outcome: Passed Assembly 26-16-0 on May/10/11; Passed Senate 11-10-0 on May/10/11; Vetoed by Governor Brian Sandoval on May/16/11.
Source: Las Vegas Sun on Nevada legislative voting record AB568
May 16, 2011
Catherine Cortez Masto:
Opposes Education Savings Accounts and school choice
Nevada Democratic Senate candidate Catherine Cortez Masto, who has received the maximum legal contributions from the nation's two largest teachers' unions, came out against her state's school choice law. Masto told reporters that she opposes the law,
which creates Education Savings Accounts, which allows families to use public education funds to send their children to private or parochial schools.The announcement came after the political action committees of the National Education Association
and the American Federation of Teachers each donated $10,000 to Masto's campaign, the maximum legal amount. Teachers unions vehemently oppose school choice, as it redirects tax dollars to schools whose teachers are less likely to be unionized.
Cortez Masto says the program takes money away from public schools. Asked about how to help children stuck in low-performing schools, she said she supports investments like the tax package backed by Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval and approved last year.
Source: Washington Free Beacon on 2016 Nevada Senate race
Aug 11, 2016
Chris Dodd:
Merit pay for poor areas ok; not for better neighborhoods
If you define excelling by teachers who will go into rural or poor urban areas and make a difference, mentor children after school, put in extra time to make a difference, then that sort of merit pay has value. If you’re judging excelling by determining
whether or not that teacher has students who do better because they’re in better neighborhoods or better schools, I’m totally opposed to that. Every other issue we grapple with depends upon our ability to have the best-educated generation we’ve ever
produced. We need to have far more cooperation at the national level. We spend less than 5% of the national budget on elementary and secondary education. That is deplorable. It’s basically Title I. We need to fundamentally reform No Child Left Behind.
No Child Left Behind is a disaster for most schools and most teachers. I started the Children’s Caucus, 26 years ago, with Arlen Specter. I wrote the legislation dealing with after-school programs, infant screening, autism issues, as well.
Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov 15, 2007
Dan Schwartz:
Parents need to have choices in school selections
Our state is consistently at the top of every bad list, and the bottom of every good list in the country. All too many of our public schools are a disgrace, nothing more. This isn't just an education problem, it's an economic problem.
Companies will not relocate to a state whose K-12 education system is at or near the bottom of the barrel. We should allow parents to have more choice in their children's education. Parents not the government are the solution. Period.
Source: 2018 Nevada Gubernatorial campaign website DanForNevada.com
Mar 31, 2018
Danny Tarkanian:
Real choice, not just choice between government schools
In the 1950s the government stood in front of schoolhouse doors and refused to let minority children in. Today the government stands in front of schoolhouse doors and refuses to let minority children out. That must change.I am amazed at the hypocrisy
of liberals who command a woman's "right to choose" when it comes to terminating a pregnancy but denies women the right to choose what school to send their children to.
Parents deserve REAL school choice. They should be allowed to pick their child's
teachers and schools just as they're allowed to choose their child's doctors and hospitals. And no, choosing between one government school or another isn't a real "choice."
While we have an obligation to continue finding ways to improve our public
schools other than dumping more and more taxpayer dollars down the drain, we must also give poor and middle class families the financial assistance they need to exercise the same education choices wealthy families enjoy.
Source: 2018 Nevada Senate campaign website DannyTarkanian.com
Feb 3, 2018
Dean Heller:
Tax savings plan to help parents pay for private schools
Q: Public support for parents sending their children to private schools?Dean Heller (R): Yes.
Backed tax savings plan to help parents pay for private schools.
Jacky Rosen (D): No. Public money should go to public schools.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Nevada Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Dean Heller:
Counseling on financial aid but no refinancing student loans
Q: Refinance student loans at lower rates, paid for by increasing taxes on high earners (Elizabeth Warren bill).Dean Heller (R): No. Voted against. Cosponsored separate bill supporting counseling about financial aid choices.
Jacky Rosen (D): Wasn't in House during Warren bill. Has supported refinancing if market rates drop. Also supports extending Perkins program and letting student loans be canceled if recipients go bankrupt.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Nevada Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Hillary Clinton:
Get more teachers into hard-to-serve areas
I support school-based merit pay. We need to get more teachers to go into hard-to-serve areas. We've got to get them into underserved urban areas, underserved rural areas. The school is a team, and it's important that we reward that collaboration.
A child who moves from kindergarten to sixth grade in the same school, every one of those teachers is going to affect that child. You need to weed out the teachers not doing a good job. That's the bottom line. They should not be teaching our children.
Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov 15, 2007
Jacky Rosen:
Public money should go to public schools
Q: Public support for parents sending their children to private schools?Dean Heller (R): Yes.
Backed tax savings plan to help parents pay for private schools.
Jacky Rosen (D): No. Public money should go to public schools.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Nevada Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Jacky Rosen:
Lower interest rates on student debt
Jacky supports making higher education more affordable, whether that be advanced skills-training, apprenticeship programs, community college, or a college degree.
She'll work to lower interest rates on student debt, make tuition affordable for working families, and ensure that students have access to the education that will prepare them for the jobs of the future.
Source: 2016 Nevada House campaign website RosenForNevada.com
Nov 8, 2016
Jacky Rosen:
$50K for STEM curriculum grant for UNLV
Congresswoman Jacky Rosen (NV-03) released the following statement emphasizing the need to continue fully funding programs by the National Science Foundation (NSF), which awarded a grant to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) of $50,000 to help
improve STEM curriculum for students in K-12 education:"Instead of making deep cuts to the NSF, the President's budget should instead focus on expanding opportunities for Nevada students by investing in programs that give our children the best
STEM curriculum at a young age. This grant is a smart investment in Nevada's future and will prepare students for our 21st century global economy. That's why I will work hard to ensure our fair share of federal funding."
BACKGROUND:
The NSF awards will help improve STEM curriculum, learning methods, and provide students with the skills to become programmers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and other professionals requiring a certain level of technology sophistication.
Source: 2018 Nevada Senate campaign website rosen.house.gov
May 26, 2017
Jacky Rosen:
Refinance student loans, and cancel if student goes bankrupt
Q: Refinance student loans at lower rates, paid for by increasing taxes on high earners (Elizabeth Warren bill).Dean Heller (R): No. Voted against. Cosponsored separate bill supporting counseling about financial aid choices.
Jacky Rosen (D): Wasn't in House during Warren bill. Has supported refinancing if market rates drop. Also supports extending Perkins program and letting student loans be canceled if recipients go bankrupt.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Nevada Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
James Vandermaas:
Universal pre-K, appropriate compensation of teachers
- Early education for all children.
- Uniformity in the curriculum so that children throughout the US can compete equally for colleges and jobs anywhere in the nation.
- High expectations for teacher qualifications,
but also appropriate compensation for them so that we can retain qualified teachers while creating an attractive environment for recruiting new teachers.
Source: 2022 Nevada Senate campaign website VoteVandermaas.com
Dec 9, 2021
James Vandermaas:
Finance college through Community Service Payback Program
Most of us know that if we pay for something with our own money or labor, we appreciate it so much more. And it's even more rewarding to share what we have learned, giving back to our community to help others. That is the premise of the Community
Service Payback Program--Paying it forward to pay it back. Vocational, community colleges, and four-year colleges and universities would be paid for through reduced tuition expenses from various programs.
Source: 2022 Nevada Senate campaign website VoteVandermaas.com
Dec 9, 2021
Jared Fisher:
Local control is key to education reform
I support local control in schools that will allow principals, teachers, parents and students to shape their curriculum and overall goals to fit their specific needs.
A one-size-fits-all education plan does not work in a state as diverse as Nevada. We need education professionals to craft curriculums that will help the unique challenges faced by students in their local counties.
Source: 2018 Nevada Gubernatorial website FisherForNevada.com
Aug 31, 2017
Jim Gibbons:
Empower local school boards and parents
In early January I unveiled the Gibbons Education Reform plan. My plan calls for parents, teachers and communities to be responsible for their local schools and in control of their children's education. Bureaucrats and politicians in Washington, D.C. and
Carson City, whose ideas of education reform start and end with writing a blank check, have no business dictating how your child is educated. We need to empower local school boards and parents to make decisions which are right for their children.
Source: Nevada 2010 State of the State Address
Feb 8, 2010
Jim Gibbons:
End cookie-cutter approach & end union influence
The cookie cutter, one-size-fits-all approach to public education has had its time and proven that it doesn't work anymore. What works in Las Vegas, may not work in Winnemucca or Tonopah. 23% of our public schools are failing. I WILL NOT accept that.
If 142 of our schools are not making the grade, what we are doing doesn't work. Throwing more money at this system won't change anything. Continuing to allow unions to dictate Nevada's education policy doesn't work. We need true reform.
Source: Nevada 2010 State of the State Address
Feb 8, 2010
Joe Biden:
NCLB needs more resources, but also is fundamentally flawed
Q: What do you plan to do about No Child Left Behind? Do you believe that this issue is simply one of never having provided the resources to carry out the original mission of the program or are there other fundamental flaws inherent in a program with so
much emphasis on teaching to the test? A: Both. I sleep with a teacher every night -- my wife. She taught high school -- had three remedial classes and two advanced classes. Those kids in the remedial class went from sixth grade to
10th grade, and they were still penalized. Those kids in the advanced class, she didn't have to do a thing with. They passed the test. There is something fundamentally wrong with it. And we've underfunded it by about $70 billion. We know the
problem:
- Classrooms are too big; we need smaller classrooms, period.
- A lot of teachers are going to be retiring. We need a program where we attract the best and brightest students coming out of our colleges to be teachers, and pay them.
Source: 2007 AFSCME Democratic primary debate in Carson City Nevada
Feb 21, 2007
Joe Biden:
Laid out a $30 billion plan over five years for education
An excellent teacher should be judged by whether or not that teacher outside of the classroom improves themselves and their teaching skills. My wife got two master's degrees and a doctorate degree. That's merit pay. She went out and she gathered this
additional knowledge, not just being a good teacher. Here's the problem with simple merit pay, based on the principle. Who makes the decision, based on merit pay? There should be teaching excellence. We should demand more of our teachers in continuing
education and participation after school and in school. But you've got to pay them. The idea you start teachers at $28,000, in most states, where, in the countries we're competing with, they start off and they graduate their graduating seniors are
getting the same pay that engineers are getting in those same schools. I've laid out a $30 billion plan over five years to 16 years of education is what our kids need. They need to start two years earlier and be guaranteed two years after school.
Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov 15, 2007
Joe Lombardo:
For charter schools, school choice, opportunity scholarships
Joe supports reforms like read by three that give students a better chance to succeed. He will empower parents by expanding charter schools,
school choice, and opportunity scholarships. Joe believes Nevada needs to focus on job and career training not only for jobs of today but jobs to come.
Source: 2022 Nevada Governor campaign website JoeLombardoForNV.com
Oct 21, 2021
Joe Lombardo:
Would block teaching critical race theory in schools
The 58-year-old U.S. Army veteran offered up plenty of red meat to a crowd of invited supporters, positioning himself as the law and order candidate who would block teaching critical race theory in schools,
establish an "election integrity commission" and defend the Second Amendment.
Source: Reno Gazette Journal on 2022 Nevada Gubernatorial race
Jul 1, 2021
Joe Lombardo:
Our education system is irreparably failing & damaging kids
Instead of choosing to use their limited time and resources to prioritize school safety and education, CCSD is having students role play asking for sex and act out sexually explicit scripts. Our education system is irreparably failing and damaging our
kids, and the parents who are brave enough to speak up are silenced and dismissed by the school board. Enough is enough. We have to take our state back and demand accountability in our education system for the future of our kids.
Source: 2022 Nevada Governor campaign website JoeLombardoForNV.com
May 17, 2022
Joe Lombardo:
School choice is part of the answer to education issues
He also advocated for some degree of school choice, noting that there is limited space at schools, and said the state should expand existing resources through programs such as voucher-style education savings accounts and expansions
of charter schools."[School choice] is part of the answer," Lombardo said. "I believe it's a very necessary answer, but not the only answer."
Source: The Nevada Independent on 2022 Nevada Gubernatorial race
Mar 30, 2022
Kenny Guinn:
Sex ed should stress abstinence but also safe sex
Indicate which principles you support regarding education. - Support sex education programs which stress abstinence.
- Support sex education programs which stress safe sexual practices.
-
Require eighth-graders to take entrance exams to qualify for high school.
Source: 1998 Nevada Gubernatorial National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 1998
John Jay Lee:
Restore budget cuts for K-12 public education
AB568: Ensures sufficient funding for K-12 public education for the 2011-2013 biennium.Opinion in support by John Oceguera, the incoming speaker of the Nevada Assembly: The governor's budget cuts $668 million in state support for K-12,
a cut of 27%. These proposed cuts, on top of cuts made in the last two years, will likely result in teacher layoffs, even larger classes, fewer career and technical education opportunities and elimination of full-day kindergarten and other programs
proven to help students learn.
Gov. Sandoval's veto message: Were this bill to be enacted into law, insufficient revenue would be available for the Legislature to meets its obligation to prepare a balanced budget encompassing all areas
of state responsibility..
Legislative Outcome: Passed Assembly 26-16-0 on May/10/11; Passed Senate 11-10-0 on May/10/11; Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford voted YES; Vetoed by Governor Brian Sandoval on May/16/11.
Source: Las Vegas Sun on Nevada legislative voting record AB568
May 10, 2011
Kenny Guinn:
$23M for new teacher's college at Henderson
We must address our growing teacher shortage. I endorse the proposed state college in Henderson. This new institution will enable us to train more teachers than ever before. My budget includes $16 million for capital construction, $1 million in start-up
costs, and another $5.8 million to fund the first year's enrollment, because building a new college takes vision, patience, and financial resources. The state college in Henderson will go a long way toward producing Nevada teachers for Nevada children.
Source: 2001 State of the State Address to the Nevada Legislature
Jan 22, 2001
Kenny Guinn:
$10M for reading teachers; all kids read by 3rd grade
As many of you know, twenty-five years ago I was superintendent of Clark County schools. I am proud of many of the programs we implemented. However, I always considered my greatest accomplishment to be the placement of a
reading specialist in every elementary school. Before it was popular to talk about getting back to the basics, these reading teachers knew that there was nothing more basic or important than the ability to read.
We saw tremendous results with the program, and in fact, the reading improvement teachers are still in our schools today. Tonight, I am going back to the basics just as I did when I was Superintendent. I am establishing a new statewide goal --
that all Nevada children be able to read by the end of the third grade. To start us toward this goal, I am allocating $10 million for a teacher-training program that focuses on reading techniques that have proven successful in early grades.
Source: 2001 State of the State Address to the Nevada Legislature
Jan 22, 2001
Kenny Guinn:
Support charters & private investment in public schools
Indicate which principles you support regarding education. - Encourage private or corporate investment in public school programs.
- Favor charter schools where independent groups receive state authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- Provide incentives for experienced teachers to remain in "at risk" schools.
- Do not support using Nevada's rainy day fund in order to compensate for the state's public school fund shortage
Source: 1998 Nevada Gubernatorial National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 1998
Mark Amodei:
Support national standards and testing
Amodei indicates support for the following educational principles:- Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
-
Support age-appropriate sexual education programs that teach about abstinence, contraceptives and HIV/STD prevention methods.
Source: Nevada Congressional 2002 National Political Awareness Test
Nov 1, 2002
Mike Gravel:
US schools fail because we're yoked by military
Stop and think [about American ] education -- it's a joke. Thirty percent of American children do not graduate from high school. That's an embarrassment. How is it that Finland, Sweden, Denmark, can take a child from down here all the way up to PhD, and
everything's paid for by the government? Why can't we do that? Is something wrong with us? We're too busy carrying the yoke of the military-industrial complex, that's what's going on. We Americans have been drugged with fear, and we got to stop!
Source: 2007 AFSCME Democratic primary debate in Carson City Nevada
Feb 21, 2007
Ruben Kihuen:
Don't divert funding to private schools through vouchers
As a young immigrant, the education I received from the Clark County School District is the reason I am here today. I deeply believe in public education and believe we have an obligation to ensure all students, regardless of the color of their skin
or the income of their parents, receive a top-notch education.In the 2015 legislative session, I helped lead the way toward a solution to fully-fund K-12 education in Nevada by passing the largest investment in our state's history.
I fought to include funding for full day kindergarten, English language learner programs and zoom schools.
In Congress, I will:- Continue the fight to fully-fund early childhood education through the Head Start Program.
-
Oppose any effort to put profits over people by diverting public school funding to private schools through vouchers.
- Ensure teachers have the proper training and tools they need to give our children the best education.
Source: 2016 Nevada House campaign website RubenForCongress.com
Nov 8, 2016
Ruben Kihuen:
Let students borrow money near 0% interest, like big banks
It's time we make debt-free college a national priority and ensure the next generation can lead our economy forward free of the burden of tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt.In Congress, I will:-
Sponsor legislation to end the U.S. Government's practice of profiting from student loans. If the big banks can borrow money at or near 0% interest, so too should our students.
-
Fight to make public colleges, universities and community colleges 100% free for all those who wish to attend.
-
Work with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Congressional investigators to hold companies like Navient, the student loan servicing company, accountable when they take advantage of students in debt to bolster their profits.
Source: 2016 Nevada House campaign website RubenForCongress.com
Nov 8, 2016
Ruben Kihuen:
Restore budget cuts for K-12 public education
AB568: Ensures sufficient funding for K-12 public education for the 2011-2013 biennium.Opinion in support by John Oceguera, the incoming speaker of the Nevada Assembly: The governor's budget cuts $668 million in state support for K-12,
a cut of 27%. These proposed cuts, on top of cuts made in the last two years, will likely result in teacher layoffs, even larger classes, fewer career and technical education opportunities and elimination of full-day kindergarten and other programs
proven to help students learn.
Gov. Sandoval's veto message: Were this bill to be enacted into law, insufficient revenue would be available for the Legislature to meets its obligation to prepare a balanced budget encompassing all areas
of state responsibility..
Legislative Outcome: Passed Assembly 26-16-0 on May/10/11; Passed Senate 11-10-0 on May/10/11; Senator Ruben Kihuen voted YES; Vetoed by Governor Brian Sandoval on May/16/11.
Source: Las Vegas Sun on Nevada legislative voting record AB568
May 10, 2011
Steve Sisolak:
Against tax dollars diverted to private schools
Steve is himself a product of public schools, and his own daughters attended Nevada public high schools.
As Governor, he will restore funding to at least pre-recession levels and prioritize class size reduction. And Steve will always fight against the diversion of funding from public schools into private schools.
Source: 2018 Nevada Governor website SteveSisolak.com
Aug 17, 2017
Steve Sisolak:
Don't divert funds from public schools to private schools
Q: Increase funding for K-12 education?Adam Laxalt (R): Vows not to reduce funding; will look at budget on possible increase.
Steve Sisolak (D): Restore funding to at least pre-recession levels. Shift money from hotel tax and marijuana tax toward schools.
Q: Provide support to parents to send their children to private schools with public money?
Adam Laxalt (R): Yes. Supported voucher-style Education Savings Accounts. "We're not funding private schools;
we're funding an education for our students."
Steve Sisolak (D): No. "Will always fight against the diversion of funding from public schools into private schools."
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Nevada Governor race
Oct 9, 2018
Steve Sisolak:
Raise teacher's pay; cover cost of supplies
Our educators deserve a raise. It has been over a decade since the state has funded a raise. I am asking you to stand with me and stand with our educators by including them in the 3% pay raise for state employees for the first time in 12 years.
Too many teachers have been forced to dig into their own pockets to make sure their students have basic supplies. I am proposing additional funding to reimburse teachers for supplies they need raising the total from $100 to $180 per teacher.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Nevada legislature
Jan 16, 2019
Steve Sisolak:
Dollars follow students, not districts nor schools
Two years ago, in the 2019 Legislative Session we began the process of modernizing Nevada's 53-year-old education funding formula. We took a significant step in the right direction with the creation of the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan.
Education funding should be allocated to meet each student's learning needs. The dollars should follow the students, rather than being connected to districts or schools.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Nevada legislature
Jan 19, 2021
Steven Horsford:
Restore budget cuts for K-12 public education
AB568: Ensures sufficient funding for K-12 public education for the 2011-2013 biennium.Opinion in support by John Oceguera, the incoming speaker of the Nevada Assembly: The governor's budget cuts $668 million in state support for K-12,
a cut of 27%. These proposed cuts, on top of cuts made in the last two years, will likely result in teacher layoffs, even larger classes, fewer career and technical education opportunities and elimination of full-day kindergarten and other programs
proven to help students learn.
Gov. Sandoval's veto message: Were this bill to be enacted into law, insufficient revenue would be available for the Legislature to meets its obligation to prepare a balanced budget encompassing all areas
of state responsibility..
Legislative Outcome: Passed Assembly 26-16-0 on May/10/11; Passed Senate 11-10-0 on May/10/11; Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford voted YES; Vetoed by Governor Brian Sandoval on May/16/11.
Source: Las Vegas Sun on Nevada legislative voting record AB568
May 10, 2011
Susie Lee:
Student loan crisis is crippling young people
The student loan crisis in this country is crippling young people from being able to get on their feet. And many students are being taken advantage of by not only predatory lenders, but predatory for profit schools. And many of them would have been
better off not even going to school in the first place. We need to focus on the student debt crisis, bringing down the cost of higher ed and making sure that we're expanding Pell Grants and expanding access to higher education.
Source: The Nevada Independent on 2019 NV-3 House incumbent
Sep 9, 2019
Susie Lee:
Against vouchers, for choice for parents
Nevada has something similar to that voucher program -- the Education Savings Accounts program -- although the Legislature has not funded it. Lee said she doesn't support ESAs, which generally are opposed by
Democrats. "Obviously offering choice to parents that's really what I stand for and that's what I'll work to make sure we have here in Nevada," she said.
Source: The Nevada Independent on 2018 NV-3 House race
Sep 15, 2017
Susie Lee:
For expanding early childhood education
While progressives have proposed free and universal early childhood education programs, Lee didn't commit to such a dramatic plan. But "I have always been a proponent of expanding early childhood education,"
she said. "Early childhood education is one of the most effective interventions to help kids, especially kids living in poverty, prepare to succeed," she said. "Obviously I am passionate about that issue."
Source: The Nevada Independent on 2018 NV-3 House race
Sep 15, 2017
Joe Lombardo:
$2 billion in new K-12 funding, and I expect results
I'm proposing the single largest investment in K-12 education and raising the bar on expectations and accountability to a level not yet seen. My budget contains $2 billion dollars in new funding for our students. That's an increase of more than 22%
from what was appropriated in the current biennium. Along with this funding, I expect results. If we don't begin seeing results, I'll be standing here in two years calling for systematic changes to the governance and leadership in K-12 education.
Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the Nevada legislature
Jan 23, 2023
Joe Lombardo:
Will create the Office of School Choice for every option
Traditional public schools are not--and should not--be the only option. I will be submitting legislation to create the Office of School Choice to ensure students and their parents have the information they need to evaluate every available option and
that ALL education providers are held to similar standards. Nevada's Pupil Centered Funding Plan is built on the idea that education dollars should consider the needs of students and should follow them no matter what school they attend.
Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the Nevada legislature
Jan 23, 2023
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023