28-03-2025
Per-pupil funding going up $2 next year unless something changes in Nevada budget
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Nevada lawmakers continue to work through questions in the state budget for K-12 education. But a lot of unknowns remain as they parse through the details.
Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo's proposed state budget sets per-pupil funding in 2026 at $9,416, just $2 higher than the current funding level. Going higher than that is 'impracticable.'
That prompted a spokesman for the Nevada State Education Association (NSEA) to call Lombardo '$2 Joe.'
'Two dollars will not keep up with increasing costs, especially with the 3.5% PERS increase that's coming in July,' the NSEA's Alexander Marks said. The Clark County Education Association, which represents teachers in Southern Nevada, has not commented.
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A formula in state law dictates that per-pupil funding adjusts depending on economic growth, inflation and enrollment growth. But even with stagnant enrollments, Lombardo's budget sets out spending levels that are less than the formula prescribes, according to officials with the Legislative Counsel Bureau's Fiscal Analysis Division.
Marks calls that 'very unfortunate,' and the union wants to know more.
'The NRS does prescribe it should be going up to $9,942. So, the self-proclaimed education governor can't follow Senate Bill 543 from 2019. We're not sure what the practicality is in this context. We would love some more details on why they found that it wasn't practicable,' Marks said.
Budget decisions don't take place until May, Lombardo said.
He has prioritized making teacher raises permanent, removing the guesswork over one-shot funding that teachers can't count on. Opportunity scholarship tax credits are another priority if funds are available, Lombardo said.
Economic growth figures released in December indicate a 3.4% increase in revenue for the state, and new figures are due out in May. But the three-year average for inflation is at 5.61%, according to officials. Enrollment has actually gone down slightly, but the governor has it as flat in the budget.
A total of 465,927 pupils were in Nevada's public and charter schools in 2024.
Lilliana Camacho-Polkow, a program analyst in the Legislative Counsel Bureau's Fiscal Analysis Division, laid out the budget figures for lawmakers at Thursday's joint committee meeting in Carson City.
'Adjusting the per-pupil amount by the combined rate of inflation and the growth of enrollment over the biennium as practicable required under NRS would result in a statewide base per-pupil amount of $9,942 which is $456 more than the governor's recommended — as amended — statewide base per-pupil amount of $9,486 in fiscal year 2027,' Camacho-Polkow said.
'The governor determined it is not practicable to adjust the statewide base per-pupil amount from the immediately preceding biennium by the combined rate of inflation and the growth of enrollment,' she said.
Analysts calculate that the state would need another $240 million to meet the $9,942 per-pupil funding level.
Law states that if the governor says it's impracticable, legislation must be proposed to come up with the additional funds. That legislation hasn't been introduced yet, 53 days into the 120-day legislative session.
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