Let’s face facts, Education in Nevada is abysmal. According to the NEA (https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/2022-04/2022%20Rankings%20and%20Estimates%20Report.pdf), this state ranks 50th in the 2020-2021 school year, which is the same rank it had last year.
Nevada spends $9,607.63 per student which is just over half of the national average. In terms of teacher pay, we rank last in the nation. Our starting salary for teachers is $36,737 which is nearly $12,000 less than the national average.
After speaking to teachers in the Nye County School District, it is clear why we can’t retain quality staff. Many are leaving because they aren’t allowed to teach but have to follow CRT or SEL standards even though the public is told they aren’t teaching such things. The school district is also not providing enough support to those who are teaching. In some cases, there is only one teacher for an entire grade level. The counselors are overworked and unable to provide adequate support for students or staff. If it is happening in a conservative county it is much worse across the state.
The result? I’ll give you an example: The Gold Star Report came out towards the end of last year which is a five-star ranking system for school districts across the country. To meet minimum standards of education you need three stars. Over half of the schools in the NCSD failed to meet the minimum standard. Only one school in the entire county received five stars.
This is unacceptable. And it isn’t just Nye County, all of Nevada’s schools are failing our students. What makes this even worse is that Governor Sisolak has done nothing to correct the situation.
Over the last four years, Steve Sisolak has cut and gutted essential programs, like Read by Grade Three, class size reduction efforts, and the Knowledge Fund. Because of this, education continues to decline under his watch.
For far too long this state has received a failing grade. We need leaders who will fight for our students and give them the education they deserve.
