NSEA is supportive of the development of Nevada’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports, one of the most important commitments we’ve made as a state to support the whole child. MTSS works by identifying student needs early, providing targeted interventions, and ensuring every student has access to the support they need to succeed.
But frameworks do not serve students. People do.
This is why NSEA has been deeply concerned about recent budget cuts at the local level, including a proposal in the Carson City School District to eliminate half its school social workers and reduce intervention paraprofessionals.
School social workers are essential to MTSS, particularly at the targeted Tier 2 level and intensive Tier 3 level. They provide crisis intervention, counseling, and behavioral support that help maintain safe and stable school environments. They connect students and families to community resources and address the social-emotional barriers that directly impact learning and engagement.
Similarly, intervention paraprofessionals are often the adults working most closely with students who have the greatest needs, helping to ensure both safety and academic progress. When these positions are gutted, so is the infrastructure that makes MTSS effective.
If Nevada is serious about making models like MTSS work, we must fund the people who do the work. As you know, the Commission on School Funding has a plan that would allow school districts to fully implement MTSS. Sadly, they can’t make it work on just $2.
Seriously, Pass the Plan.
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