Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Education funding approved by Senate and Assembly committees

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposal to move $63.6 million in new marijuana taxes to public schools was approved by the Senate and Assembly budget committees Saturday in a major move towards legislative adjournment in two weeks.

This completes the working on the budget but there are still numerous money bills to be acted upon.

Still hanging is Sandoval’s $60 million plan for subsidies for parents who sent their children to private or religious schools.

The Senate Finance Committee and the Assembly Ways and Means Committee agreed to a plan to raise the tax on medical marijuana from two percent to 15 percent. The committees also accepted the governor’s recommendation for a 15 percent tax on recreational marijuana. Both start July 1.

And the medical marijuana program will be moved from the state Health Division to the Taxation Department which will also supervise the recreational pot system.

The committees have approved $6.3 billion to support the schools for the coming two years coming from various tax sources. The budget calls for the state’s average per pupil support from $5,744 to $5,900 next school year and $5,967 in fiscal 2019.

The state’s guarantee per student is only part of the money going to the local school’s support of students.

The state’s budget calls for an annual two percent increase for teachers whose average wage is $56,041. And 3.5 percent more is appropriated to cover the rising cost of health insurance and then four percent in 2019.

The committees see the enrollment of students increasing by one percent in the coming school year to 476,338 and then by 1.25 percent to 482,292 in 2019.

Sandoval’s plan to increase by $30 million the money for students with disabilities was approved by the lawmakers. Total funding for this program will be $182.7 million in the coming school year and $199.8 million the following year. The budget book estimates there will be 55,462 students in this category a gain of 3.2 percent next school year and 56,791 the following year.

The committees voted to not approve an additional $30 million for Victory Schools as recommended by Sandoval. Instead, it is directed to other high priority educational programs.

There will be a continued an annual $22.3 million for the program to teach students to read by third grade. Included is $1.7 million in each year to assess how the program is working.

The committees approved the recommendations of the governor for a continued $5 million each year for the college and career readiness program that provides grants to local districts; $2.5 million each year for the turnaround school grant program and $4.4 million to provide additional funding for students that are identified as gifted and talented.

There is $11.2 million for the school districts to hire social and other mental health workers and more than $7 million is set aside for districts to start or continue anti-bullying programs

The committees agreed with the governor’s budget to spend $307.4 million over the next two years to meet the class size reduction project to 17 teachers for each classroom. That compares with $306.3 million this biennium. And 2.5 million is allocated to reimburse teachers who spend their own money for school supplies.

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