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Teachers union pushes dedicated funding source for salaries
When Gov. Steve Sisolak promised educators a 3 percent raise during his state-of-the-state speech, some teachers couldn’t help but wonder: Would that money ever reach their paychecks? Or would the money be diverted elsewhere? It’s happened before. Teachers within Clark County School District are supposed to be able to look toward the salary schedule negotiated by their collective bargaining […]
O’Rourke stresses unity in Nevada campaign swing
Standing atop a folding chair inside a packed living room, Beto O’Rourke painted himself as a bridge-builder who is running for president not just for Democrats but for democracy itself. The former congressman, who rose to national prominence last year by almost defeating Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas, visited a packed Summerlin home Saturday […]
Gillibrand talks immigration policy during first Nevada stop
Four days after its official launch, Kirsten Gillibrand brought her presidential campaign to Las Vegas for a policy discussion with local legal professionals who are on the frontline of the national debate on immigration. The New York senator toured the UNLV Immigration Clinic and held a roundtable discussion with its director and law students. The […]
Bill introduced to abolish Achievement School District
Nevada’s initiative for converting public schools into charter schools may be coming to an end. State Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop on Monday introduced SB 321, a bill to abolish the Achievement School District, which allows low-performing public district schools to be converted into charter schools overseen directly by the Department of Education. The Achievement School […]
Parks introduces public records transparency bill
Sen. David Parks on Friday introduced a bill aimed at increasing government transparency by strengthening the Nevada Public Records Act. First Amendment lawyers and advocates already praise Nevada for having strong open records laws in spirit, but have criticized the lack of punishment for government entities that fail to follow the law. The proposed bill, […]
Education overhaul Nevada needs requires revenue Nevada doesn’t have
What Nevada’s education system needs the most, it won’t be getting this legislative cycle. What advocates have long wanted most is to see significant increases in funding. But despite bold, blue promises made by the eventual victors of the most recent election cycle, education advocates today have tapered expectations on what the 2019 Legislature will […]
Finalists named for top education department, charter authority jobs
The candidate pools for two key education positions in Nevada have been narrowed to six each. A Nevada Department of Education subcommittee on Tuesday finalized the six candidates for the state’s top education job. The State Board of Education will interview the group on March 12 and whittle them down to three candidates, one of […]
Is light rail all that?
Try as officials may to frame the discussion around Maryland Parkway transit improvement as being about three viable options, it has always seemed like light rail’s fight to lose. The extended focus on light rail is not surprising. Introducing an entirely new type of public transit to the state sounds more impressive than improving infrastructure […]
Nevada is a bad place for babies, report says
Economic insecurity and the litany of risk factors associated with it mean Nevada is considered one of the worst states in the country for infants and toddlers. A report titled “The State of Babies,” released Wednesday by the early childhood advocacy group Zero to Three and the nonprofit research organization Child Trends, looked at 60 […]
Democrats ‘blueprint’ highlights priorities but is scant on details
The “Legislative Blueprints” released by Nevada Democrats during the last two sessions essentially amounted to a wishlist and rallying cry for a minority party with only so much room to push their platform forward. This session, with the tide of power in Carson City shifted blue, the 2019 legislative session blueprint has the potential to be […]
Child care reform: Baby steps expected at Legislature
Piecemeal efforts are underway to expand affordable child care options for families with the greatest needs, but the larger conversation about universal daycare hasn’t even begun here in Nevada. This is despite a growing number of voices at the national level, including from one presidential hopeful, calling for Democrats and progressives to place child care […]
Light rail vs. rapid bus: RTC taking input on Maryland Parkway Project
Just under two weeks remain for the public to weigh in on proposals for a high-capacity transit project along Maryland Parkway. The project could bring a long discussed but never realized light rail connecting McCarran International Airport to Downtown Las Vegas. But two less flashy options are also on the table. One is a proposal […]