Three years ago, amidst the worst educator vacancy crisis in recent history, NSEA launched our Time for 20 campaign, calling on the legislature to take bold action. Additional funds for educator pay appropriated in 2023 worked. With many school districts able to increase compensation by 20%, educator vacancies were reduced across the state. NSEA hoped the legislature would build on thisprogress by passing the plan from the Commission on School Funding. Unfortunately, Nevada schools were given just a $2 per-pupil increase instead, and most of the progress made in 2023 will be lost.
After the Legislature adopts the budget and adjourns, NSEA locals negotiate contracts across the state. This year, most of our local affiliates asked for modest increases to help keep pace with the cost of living, now up over 3% from last year. Districts responded that there was no way for them to offer COLAs with no increases from the state. A percentage of teachers in critical needs positions will receive AB398 funding, but most educators across Nevada will get no increases at all. With their last raise coming in 2024 and now in two-year contracts, Nevada educators will go without a raise for 3 years, while costs continue to go up. Over the next two years, we will experience another exodus of Nevada educators.
This is the type of crisis that merits a special session.
Yesterday, NSEA joined a coalition of community, labor, and taxpayer-advocacy organizations who sent a letter to Governor Lombardo asking him not to include the billion-dollar Hollywood handout in next month’s special session. As NSEA testified earlier this year, Nevada should be prioritizing schools over studios. Study after study shows that film tax credits, whether for an existing industry or to lure studios or production to a new location, cost more than they bring in. During the presentation of AB238 last session, the project sponsor’s own economic impact report showed that the State of Nevada would lose over $1.3 billion doing the studio project. That is a proposal that is fiscally irresponsible and politically indefensible.
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