Sisolak Administration Key Facts: Education
As a product of public schools himself and the father of two daughters who attended public schools, Governor Sisolak has devoted his public service to ensuring all children have equal access to a world class education.
Governor Sisolak knows every child deserves an equal opportunity to succeed and believes our educators and school staff should be treated with the utmost respect. That’s why he signed legislation updating a 50-year old education funding formula, raising teacher pay, and funding education at historic levels.
Further, despite challenges posed by COVID-19, Governor Sisolak is laser focused on ensuring Nevada’s schools remain safely open and our kids stay in the classroom.
In the SOTS on February 23rd, Governor Sisolak made several significant announcements related to education, including:
● Nevada will leverage federal dollars to ensure school districts can provide free lunch for all students across the state next school year.
● Governor Sisolak will direct his Workforce Development Committee to explore ways to make community college or other apprentice and training programs free for more Nevadans by 2025. Building on the state’s “last-dollar” Promise Scholarship, Governor Sisolak is devoted to making community college free for more Nevadans.
During his first term, Governor Sisolak prioritized students, teachers, and school staff.
● Under Governor Sisolak’s leadership, funding per student increased to its highest rate in Nevada’s history.
● Last year, the governor and the legislature worked together to commit $200 million to make sure our kids are on track and ready to get ahead.
● To help ensure that schools could safely reopen, Nevada deployed $1.5 billion in federal funds for masks, testing, ventilation, children’s mental health, student support, and more.
● In 2019, Nevada teachers were given a 3% raise – their first raise in a decade.
● During his tenure as governor, Governor Sisolak has donated every penny of his salary directly to Nevada’s public schools. That’s nearly $300,000 donated to more than 400 different schools across our state.
Additional achievements include:
● Improving mental health resources. Last June, the governor signed into law legislation permitting mental and behavioral health professionals to excuse student absences, and giving every student three mental health days per school year.
While Nevada has come a long way to improve its public education system, Governor Sisolak knows there is more work to do. By leveraging additional funds and supporting our students, parents, and educators, they will only get better.