Legislative Subcommittee approves Dems’ education budget

CARSON CITY, Nev. (KOLO) - The Subcommittee K-12/Higher Education/CIP for the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, and the Senate Finance Committee approved Nevada Democrat’s education budget proposal on Tuesday.

Their proposal would increase state public education funding by 26% over the previous 2021-2023 budget. The plan includes more money for public education than was proposed by Governor Joe Lombardo, including more money for special education.

Legislative Democrats voted to approve the following:

More than $11 billion invested in Nevada’s students and their future for the 2023-25 biennium – a 26.2% increase from the approved education budget from the 2021 legislative session.
The addition of $319 million more than the Governor’s recommended budget for public education, including a $25 million increase for Special Education Funding.
An Increase of the Education Stabilization Account cap from 15% to 20% to ensure the maintenance of education funding in the event of future economic downturns.

“In 2019, Democrats began the work of modernizing Nevada’s public education funding formula, and today we passed a budget that realizes those goals with an historic 26% increase in funding for public schools,” said Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro. “With this budget, a victory for the people of Nevada, we are delivering for students, staff, and teachers, and remain committed to ensuring every classroom has a qualified teacher.”