Picture this: Your neighbor keeps asking to borrow money. You give them $2 billion. Then they come back asking for more, saying what you gave them was just “little dollars.”
That’s exactly what’s happening with Nevada’s public schools right now.
The Big Ask Gets Bigger
Clark County School District Superintendent Jhone Ebert is already planning her next funding request for 2027. This comes just two years after Governor Joe Lombardo signed the largest education budget in Nevada history – a whopping $12 billion over two years.
Even with that infusion of more than $2 billion in 2023 (a 26 percent increase over the previous budget cycle), Nevada’s per-pupil funding of about $13,000 a year remains $4,000 behind the national average.
But here’s the kicker. Ebert called this historic investment “The little dollars that we receive.”
Little dollars? We’re talking about $2 billion here. That’s more money than most states see in their entire budgets.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Let’s be honest about where Nevada stands. Despite years of throwing money at the problem, our schools still rank near the bottom nationally. Nevada ranks 49th in education, barely edging out last-place Oklahoma.
The analysis concludes: Nevada ranks 49th in educational attainment, 42nd in school quality, 46th in best school systems in America, 47th in numeracy rate and literacy rate, 49th in drop out rate, 48th in master degrees, and last in the share of doctorate degrees in the nation.
Even with the 2024 test scores, Nevada ranks tied for 49th in education quality alongside Oklahoma and Arizona.
Reading scores tell an even more troubling story. The percentage of students achieving reading proficiency is 44%. The percentage of students achieving math proficiency in Nevada is 30%.
Historic Investment, Same Results
Governor Lombardo delivered on his promise. The historic budget allocates over $12 billion in funding for K-12 education over the next biennium. Total funding in FY24 is $6,061,963,572 and in FY25 $6,306,205,084.
The governor’s office says this budget makes a historic investment in K-12 education, increasing per-pupil funding by $2,500 next year, a 25% increase.
That’s real money going to real classrooms. So what do we have to show for it?
Not much. Teacher vacancies did drop, which is good news. But test scores? Academic achievement? Nevada is still scraping the bottom of the barrel.
The Money Pit Problem
This isn’t the first time Nevada has tried to spend its way to better schools. The largest tax increase in Nevada state history–$1.1 billion to reform K-12 education and signed into law by Republican Governor Sandoval in 2015, apparently wasn’t enough to fund the needs for education.
In 2018, the largest school district in Nevada, the Clark County School District (CCSD) budget was $2.4 billion. The district ranked 35th in the nation in education. In 2019, with a similar budget, the district ranked 50th.
See the pattern? More money, worse results.
The Taxpayer Perspective
For families struggling with inflation and high housing costs, hearing school officials call $2 billion “little dollars” feels like a slap in the face. Working parents are cutting back on groceries and gas while being told their tax dollars still aren’t enough.
“We do know that the economy here, housing is out of control for our families, for our teachers, for our support staff,” she said.
If housing costs are out of control, maybe that’s because property taxes keep going up to fund schools that aren’t improving. It’s a vicious cycle that hurts the very families schools are supposed to serve.
What Comes Next
Ebert says she wants even more money in 2027. She’s hoping that slight improvements in teacher retention will convince Lombardo to open the checkbook again.
But here’s the real question: Should taxpayers keep writing bigger checks to a system that consistently fails to deliver results?
At some point, Nevada needs to admit that the problem isn’t money. It’s how schools operate. Other states with similar funding levels get much better results. The difference isn’t cash – it’s accountability, choice, and focusing on what actually works.
Taking Action
Nevada taxpayers need to draw a line in the sand. No more blank checks for failing schools.
Here’s how to fight back:
Demand school choice. Competition forces improvement. When parents can choose better schools, bad ones either shape up or shut down.
Show up at school board meetings. These local officials control spending in your district. Make them explain why they need more money when kids still can’t read.
Support candidates who will cut education bloat. Vote out anyone who thinks the solution to school failure is higher taxes.
Nevada’s kids deserve better than this rigged system. It’s time to stop rewarding failure with bigger budgets.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
