ENN Newsletters

After thousand of students lose supports and schools lose millions of dollars, the Commission on School Funding will revisit at-risk model

Nevadans need an honest debate around this controversial policy. If you recently came across The Nevada Independent’s article regarding the Trump Administration’s private school voucher policy, you may not have realized you were reading about a highly controversial and divisive federal initiative. The article failed to offer meaningful context around the scheme and often leans on talking points offered by national interest groups and the very private industries that stand to

Nevadans need an honest debate around this controversial policy. If you recently came across The Nevada Independent’s article regarding the Trump Administration’s private school voucher policy, you may not have realized you were reading about a highly controversial and divisive federal initiative. The article failed to offer meaningful context around the scheme and often leans on talking points offered by national interest groups and the very private industries that stand to

With more than a week removed from the Governor’s veto deadline, we take a look back at the good, the bad, and the mostly inconsequential K-12 education legacy of the 83rd Legislative Session. While some efforts were transformative, the session mostly fell short of expectations due to compromises on major issues and the Governor’s eagerness to veto even innocuous and common-sense bills. Though impossible to cover everything here, the following represents some highlights and

Fighting for Adequate Funding, Equity, Safe Facilities, Accountability, and Support for Schools With the 83rd Legislative Session underway, ENN has been actively fighting for Nevada students. Our priorities serve to ensure public schools are able to meet the needs of every student, regardless of their background or zip code. Now, more than ever, lawmakers and our communities must come together to protect and strengthen public education. Our students deserve it.

Interim Finance Committee votes against redirecting $3.2 million in emergency Covid funds for vouchers after granting organizations revealed they have $18 million in reserves. Las Vegas, NV - Last night’s legislative hearing on redirecting Covid relief funds to the Nevada’s Opportunity Scholarship private school voucher program shed light on the program's inaccurate numbers, disorderly reporting requirements, and unaccountable processing system. It also made clear that the

New bill is a more extreme voucher proposal that directly appropriates and quadruples funding for voucher scheme On Friday Governor Joe Lombardo introduced SB508, which makes a direct appropriation of $50 million dollars for private school vouchers. This bill fundamentally alters the current Opportunity Scholarship voucher program in significant and radical ways, managing to be even more extreme than a proposal made earlier this session. As so-called compromises go, it

Bills to Watch and Ways to Get Involved this Legislative Session With the bill introduction deadline behind us, a better picture emerges of what lawmakers hope to accomplish during the 82nd Legislative Session. Aligned with ENN’s legislative priorities, we have detailed some important bills to watch and ways to participate in the process. ENN aims to support bills that provide additional funding and resources for Nevada’s K-12 public schools, work to solve our teacher rec

This most recent defeat completes a clean sweep over all 2022 efforts by a right-wing special interest group to divert public tax dollars to private schools Las Vegas, NV - Beverly Rogers and Rory Reid, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Rogers Foundation, have prevailed again in the Nevada Supreme Court, defeating an appeal by private school voucher proponents of a decision by the lower court that halted a statutory ballot initiative that would send public tax doll

Nevada’s highest court upholds lower court ruling and found constitutional initiative “deceptive and misleading,” rejecting all arguments by pro-voucher PAC Las Vegas, NV - Beverly Rogers and Rory Reid, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Rogers Foundation, are celebrating a Nevada Supreme Court decision that has once again halted a constitutional initiative attempting to establish an extreme and unprecedented school voucher scheme in Nevada. “This is a huge win for s

Press Release This defeat comes on the heels of another recent victory against the voucher initiatives Las Vegas, NV – Beverly Rogers and Rory Reid, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Rogers Foundation, are celebrating yet another legal victory against a controversial school voucher initiative. The decision halted a statutory initiative that would have created an expansive, unaccountable voucher scheme that would have been funded by Nevada taxpayers. This is the sec

Court Rejects Proposed Constitutional Initiative for Private School Voucher Scheme Judge holds constitutional amendment establishing a voucher scheme, by Erin Philips of the Education Freedom For Nevada PAC, legally misleading to Nevada voters and agrees with ALL claims detailed in the legal challenge. Las Vegas, NV – Beverly Rogers and Rory Reid, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Rogers Foundation, are celebrating a legal victory that has halted a constitutional

Beverly Rogers and Rory Reid of The Rogers Foundation sue against efforts that take public funds to support unaccountable private schools that can discriminate against students Las Vegas, NV – Beverly Rogers, Chairman of The Rogers Foundation and Rory Reid, its Chief Executive Officer, have sued to stop another voucher scheme that hurts public schools, promotes discrimination and ignores accountability. Two initiatives, one statutory and the other constitutional, were fil

A few weeks ago a pro-school privatization organization, Institute for Justice, announced a lawsuit against the State of Nevada over the impact of AB 458 to private school vouchers recipients, scholarship granting organizations and businesses receiving tax incentives. Though pro-voucher advocates are framing the suit as “saving vouchers,” in reality, the voucher program did not lose funding. The controversy over some students losing their scholarships is actually the result o

With the coming legislative session and the Governor’s proposed $60 million budget item for ESA vouchers, we must consider whether vouchers are good policy for Nevada families and taxpayers. Much has been said about other important investments, with proven track records of success, that should be funded instead of vouchers. Access to quality pre-K, additional weighted funding for more vulnerable populations, and capital investments to improve our school environments are just

On December 15, 2016, the Las Vegas Review Journal published an op-ed by Las Vegas, public school parent, Electra McGrath-Skrzydlewski, asking the Treasurer to stop wasting time and money promoting the unconstitutional voucher program. The Op-ed states: As a parent plaintiff in the lawsuit, Lopez v. Schwartz, I was relieved and elated when the Nevada Supreme Court decided in September that the state voucher program’s funding mechanism was unconstitutional and the program co

On December 5, 2016, attorneys representing public school parents in the Lopez v. Schwartz lawsuit notified Attorney General Adam Laxalt that the actions of Treasurer Dan Schwartz to continue promoting Education Savings Account (ESA) vouchers violate a court order permanently blocking the ESA program. A copy of the Lopez parents’ letter is posted here . Educate Nevada Now, powered by The Rogers Foundation, supported the parents’ effort to stop this controversial bill. Despi

On July 29, 2016, a large rally gathered outside the Nevada Supreme Court at the Regional Justice Center in downtown Las Vegas to show support for the brave parents who are challenging Nevada’s controversial ESA voucher program. The voucher program would divert millions of taxpayer dollars away from public schools and into private schools and for other private expenditures. A brave group of parents challenged this unconstitutional use of public school dollars in Lopez v. Sc

By Sylvia LazosENN, Policy Director Imagine that public education is a large ship, in which close to 460,000 children labor every day to learn the basic skills of life, on a path to becoming productive adults, civically engaged and ready to lead in our modern society. Imagine in 2008, the ship slams into a huge reef, known as the Great Recession, and that the ship is greatly damaged. Imagine that it takes seven years before the adults make the brave and bold decision to tax t

Opinion Editorial By Stavan Corbett The State Treasurer’s Office is implementing Education Savings Accounts (ESA), and it is clear this program will cause serious harm to the 450,000 children attending Nevada’s district and charter schools. The ESA law, rushed through the Legislature in early June, directs the State Treasurer to transfer public school funding to an ESA for any student who leaves a public school after a minimum enrollment period of 100 days. Those funds can th