School choice bill clears Senate with debate and drama

CARSON CITY -- Following heated debate, a bill to let parents choose what public school their children attend squeaked out of the Nevada Senate on a 13-8 vote.

SB41 now goes to the Assembly for final approval.

Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks, authored SB41, which would allow school choice on the basis of academics, athletics or other interests.

School districts could set requirements for incoming students, such as grades and behavior, and there would have to be room in classrooms for transfers.

Many states allow a choice in public schools and the idea isn't a new one, Washington added.

But Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, blasted the bill as a convenience for wealthy parents and a way to increasingly segregate Nevada's schools.

"I'm opposed to any bill that comes through here that utilizes the public school system to give privileges to the wealthy and those who can drive their children across town to other schools until we can take care of this situation," Neal said.

Washington angrily defended his bill, saying he understood the problems of segregation in the past, but times had changed and this issue isn't about race.

"Don't tell me because of the '60s I'm relegated to a certain standard and school," he yelled during the Senate floor debate.

"This is about allowing children to do something better with their lives instead of sitting in dilapidated schools with no textbooks," he continued. "You want to keep a people enslaved, keep them uneducated."

Sen. Valerie Wiener, D-Las Vegas, also opposed the bill because it would create a tiered system of school choice.

"No matter how much parents without the means to provide transportation for their children want to, they will not be able to take advantage of this policy," she said.

Most school districts already have policies that allow school officials to grant such transfers when they deem them necessary, so there's no need for a law, Wiener added.

In a committee hearing, the Nevada PTA also opposed the bill, saying students with special needs could be left out. Lining up in favor of the bill were conservative groups including Nevada Eagle Forum, Nevada Christian Coalition and Nevada Concerned Citizens.

The vote followed party lines, with Sen. Ray Shaffer of North Las Vegas the only Democrat voting in favor of the measure.

archive