{"id":46577,"date":"2023-08-02T17:45:03","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T00:45:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/?p=46577"},"modified":"2023-08-03T05:49:02","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T12:49:02","slug":"smashing-the-arguments-against-gov-lombardos-scholarship-rescue-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nevadanewsandviews.com\/smashing-the-arguments-against-gov-lombardos-scholarship-rescue-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Smashing the Arguments Against Gov. Lombardo\u2019s Scholarship Rescue Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

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(Chuck Muth)<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 Democrats hate the idea of kids getting a good education and learning to think for themselves.\u00a0 Because they know that an educated kid is more likely to grow up and be a Republican.
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So in the 2023 Legislature, they cut funding for school choice Opportunity Scholarships for low-income families.
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Of course, Democrat \u201cleaders\u201d are trying to spin that they didn\u2019t.\u00a0 But they did.\u00a0 Even the far-left\u00a0Nevada Independent<\/em>\u00a0confirms that \u201cNevada’s Opportunity Scholarship program (has) less money this year than last year.\u201d
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So the cuts are undeniable.
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They include funding for students through the Injured Police Officers Fund, as well as funding through Silver State Scholarships for students attending the Desert Torah Academy.
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What do Democrats have against law enforcement officers and Jews?
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The cuts by these \u201cGeorge Wallace\u201d Democrats in Carson City threatened to force some 600 students who received Opportunity Scholarships last year back into failing government schools this school year.
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Fortunately, Nevada now has a Republican governor who has proposed using unspent COVID funds from the federal government to restore some $3 million of the money the Democrats cut from the program.
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\u201cRight now, hundreds of Opportunity Scholarship students are at risk of losing their scholarships,\u201d Gov. Joe Lombardo\u00a0said in a statement.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s unacceptable. We\u2019re going to fight for our kids.\u201d
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Unfortunately, the Interim Finance Committee, which can block the move, is controlled by the same Democrats who cut the funding in the first place.\u00a0 Will they screw these kids out of the education of their choice yet again?\u00a0
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Yes, if the Nevada teachers\u2019 union gets it way.
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The Nevada State Education Association (NSEA) is urging Democrats to block the governor\u2019s proposal.\u00a0 As the late teachers union boss Al Shanker is famously quoted as saying\u2026
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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cWhen schoolchildren start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of school children.”<\/em>
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In a tweet on Friday, the NSEA wrote\u2026
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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u201cWhen these federal relief packages were passed, of the many anticipated uses, funding vouchers was not one of them. NSEA urges the Interim Finance Committee to reject the use of federal funds for such a purpose. Keep public money (state and federal) in public schools.\u201d<\/em>
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What a load of crap.
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First, Opportunity Scholarships are\u00a0NOT<\/u>\u00a0vouchers.\u00a0 They are scholarships funded by private companies in Nevada that get a tax credit for donating to the program \u2013 just as you get a tax credit for donating money to the Red Cross or the Salvation Army.
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Secondly, public money should be used for public\u00a0EDUCATION<\/u>, not necessarily public schools.\u00a0 After all, public money is expended to give low-income families food stamps that are used in private grocery stores.
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In addition, public money is already used \u2013 through Pell Grants, the GI bill and Head Start programs \u2013 for students to attend private schools, including religious.\u00a0 So this program isn\u2019t breaking any new ground in that department.
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But what about the objection to using COVID funds to backfill the money the Democrats cut for Opportunity Scholarships?\u00a0 That doesn\u2019t hold water either.
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Under former Democrat Gov. Steve Sisolak, a windfall of almost a\u00a0BILLION<\/u>\u00a0dollars in COVID money went to the \u201cElementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund\u201d (ESSER).\u00a0 And\u00a0according to<\/a>\u00a0the Nevada Department of Education, some $564 million of that money remains unspent.
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So $3 million of that cash is a drop in the bucket.
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And for those who will try to argue that Opportunity Scholarships have nothing to do with COVID, take a look at some examples of what that COVID money has already been used for at the Nevada Department of Education…<\/p>\n