Fair & Adequate Funding
POLICY DEVELOPMENT
A Brief History
Leading into the 2019 legislative session, ENN mobilized a statewide coalition of community groups, districts, leaders, unions, and concerned citizens to push for change. Nevada's public schools were funded through an antiquated and complicated school funding formula that had been in place since 1967. The Fund Our Future coalition pushed for a modernized formula that supported the changing demographics of the state and offered transparency and accountability for how the state allocated funding to districts.
These efforts culminated in Nevada lawmakers making the historic step of passing a new K-12 funding formula, the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan, in 2019. This new formula made significant strides by:
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Improving transparency around K-12 funding allocations
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Creating more accountability around revenue and efforts to improve the budget
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Developing weighted funding for students with unique needs
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Forming a Commission on School Funding to monitor the formula's effectiveness
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Mandating the Commission determine optimal funding levels and how to reach them
The Fight has Just Begun
Though the passage of the formula was a huge step, the hard work has just begun. For the formula to be successful, it must be adequately funded. The Commission on School Funding detailed per-pupil funding targets formula that failed to account for the needs of students. As of 2026, Nevada is more than three thousand dollars per pupil below the national average, and even further below what experts deem adequate to meet the needs of students.
Fighting for Equity - Fixing At-Risk Funding
The promise of weighted funding has not been fulfilled. Thousands of economically disadvantaged students were excluded from receiving "at-risk" weighted funding under a controversial and convoluted A.I. model. As a result, vulnerable students can miss out on critical resources, such as tutoring, extended school day, reading centers, and other evidenced-based supports.
Right-Sizing - Using Declining Enrollment to Lower Class Sizes
Like the rest of the country, Nevada has experienced declining enrollment due primarily to falling birthrates. Since our state's funding formula funds students on a per-pupil basis, fewer students mean fewer dollars. In a state with the highest student-to-teacher ratio in the country, funding reductions will require schools to lay-off educators and eliminate programs and services. ENN has proposed a plan to strategically use declining enrollment as an opportunity to address class sizes.