Nevada School Choice en Español

¡Todos los niños merecen una educación de calidad!

[Joe Lombardo @JoeLombardoNV]

Proud to have opted Nevada into the Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program, giving parents more choices when it comes to their children’s education.

Parents know what’s best for their kids and they should have the ability to choose which educational environment works best for them.
https://t.co/7Oyuq95w8S

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

The Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC), also known as the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC), launches in January 2027. Funded through a federal tax credit, it will provide scholarships for K-12 education. So far, 31 states have opted in! https://t.co/VB52A13HTR

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

Heartlander News: Michaela Estruth: More than 50 million kids eligible for scholarships – if states join new federal tax credit program

https://t.co/IAQkwiDzoT

More than 90% of K-12 students nationwide will be eligible to receive scholarship funding under the new federal Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC), which takes effect in 2027, a new report finds.

The program has broad potential impact, but whether all states will choose to participate remains to be seen.

The tax credit, passed in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, expands school choice by allowing nonprofit scholarship granting organizations to aggregate contributions of up to $1,700 each into awards for public, private and charter school students. Some homeschool students are also eligible, depending on state rules.

The American Federation for Children, which bills itself as America’s largest school choice advocacy organization, released a report Tuesday detailing the number of children who could benefit from the new program.

“No one has really put out an estimate of how many children could benefit,” AFC Senior Fellow Patrick Graff told Heartlander News in an interview. “And we are the American Federation for Children, after all, so, at the end of the day, we really care about children and families and their ability to access an education that works best for them.”

Graff’s report found an estimated 51.7 million children, or 91.7% of the nation’s K-12 population of 56.4 million, would qualify under the program’s rules, which allow families at or below 300% of their local median income to participate.

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

52 Million U.S. Kids Eligible for New Scholarships, but California Hasn’t Opted In @The74 https://t.co/nEzNAUDggJ

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

.@DallasMayor Eric Johnson:

“Texas is a great state, and people are moving with their feet from places like New York, from places like California… We have wonderful flagship universities. We've got wonderful public schools. We’ve got wonderful private schools. Because of our state legislature this last session, we've got now got school choice in Texas… There are wonderful educational options and people think about all of those things when they're trying to decide to move a family.”

[Nevada School Choice en Español @NVShoolChoice_E]

@JoeLombardoNV 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[Joe Lombardo @JoeLombardoNV]

https://t.co/twaN8WImrW

[Joe Lombardo @JoeLombardoNV]

I was proud to opt Nevada into the federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program, which will expand school choice options for Nevada families.

No child should be trapped in a failing school because of their ZIP code, and as your Governor, I’ll keep delivering opportunities for students to succeed in the environment right for them.

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

SB 460: A Step, Not A Solution #nvleg
https://t.co/JztI1uzSb8
The bill also recodifies the Opportunity Scholarship Program back into Nevada law. While that’s a step back in the right direction, codification without a monetary threshold means the program will remain a political football during every legislative session. For a program that is virtually the only avenue of school choice in the state, this can become a hurdle for growth in the long-run.

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

Dear Friends and Families,

Thank you for your unwavering support in advocating for school choice. Unfortunately, despite your tireless efforts, the Nevada Legislature chose not to allocate additional funding for Opportunity Scholarships or to provide students in failing public schools with the resources needed to pursue alternative educational options.

Both proposals, AB599 and AB584, which could have significantly transformed our educational landscape, failed to pass.

The Opportunity Scholarship program will remain capped at 6.6 million serving about 1,600 low income and minority students but unable to serve more as it is at capacity.

Instead of expanding educational opportunities, the legislature prioritized other education-related initiatives, leaving private school choice off the table.

While we are deeply disappointed that school choice was not prioritized in the session's final hours, I want to assure you that our fight is far from over. We continue to push at the national level to advance school choice and ensure that every student, regardless of zip code, has access to a quality education.

School choice might be coming to every state soon thanks to our federal initiatives, so let’s stay positive!

In Nevada, far too many schools remain classified as failing. While the Legislature did pass open enrollment, giving students the option to transfer to other public schools, the policy's potential is often undermined by district-imposed barriers that restrict access, leaving countless families without meaningful or practical alternatives.

Rest assured, we will not stop fighting. Our commitment remains steadfast: to advocate for meaningful policies that empower families and give every child the opportunity to thrive in the learning environment that best suits their needs.
#nvleg #SchoolChoice

With gratitude,

Valeria Gurr

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

Friday, May 30, 9 p.m.

Here we are and still no funding for school choice. Time is running out.

Only a few days remain.

Nevada’s most vulnerable students deserve real options.

Parents, make your voices heard.

Call your state representatives now.
#nvleg: Pass school choice. Now.

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

Opportunity Scholarship students deserve better.

The current funding cap is far too low. #nvleg give families more choices, not fewer.

📣 Families: Contact your representatives today and demand action. Time is running out!
#SchoolChoice #nvleg

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

Breaking: The Internet cable got cut by mistake right before the hearing of Gov Lombardo's education bill. Thus, #Ab584 got rescheduled, and all the families and students who went to testify couldn’t. #schoolchoice

Families, come back on Thursday. Time is TBD! This time, I need allies, parents, and students to come. We fight back until they listen to us. Thank you, @JosephMLombardo, for fighting alongside us. Yes on #AB584 #nvleg

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

📣 How You Can Help: Testify in Support of AB584

🗓 Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2025
🕗 Time: 4:00 PM. Note: AB584 is the last item on the agenda; the hearing starts at 8:00 AM. The governor's bill will not be discussed until 4 PM.

📍 In-Person Locations (Choose the one closest to you):

Las Vegas – Nevada Legislature Hearing Rooms
7120 Amigo Street, Room 2

Carson City – Nevada Legislative Building
401 South Carson Street, Room 7120

📞 Call-In: 86072792434 | ID: 86072792434

Also, if possible, please show your support for AB584 by emailing your written testimony to: [email protected]
Subject line: Testimony in Support of AB584.

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

📣 Cómo puede ayudar: Testifique a favor de la AB584
🗓 Fecha: Martes, 20 de mayo de 2025
🕗 Hora: 4:00 p. m. @followers @highlight
📍 Ubicaciones para las audiencias presenciales (Elija la más cercana):
Las Vegas – Salas de Audiencias de la Legislatura de Nevada
7120 Amigo Street, Sala 2
Carson City – Edificio Legislativo de Nevada
401 South Carson Street, Sala 7120
📞 Llamada: 86072792434 | ID: 86072792434
También, si es posible, demuestre su apoyo a la AB584 enviando su testimonio por escrito a: [email protected]
Asunto: Testimonio a favor de la AB584. #nvleg #SchoolChoice

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

📣 How You Can Help: Testify in Support of AB584

🗓 Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2025
🕗 Time: 4:00 PM. Note: AB584 is the last item on the agenda; the hearing starts at 8:00 AM. The governor's bill will not be discussed until 4 PM.

📍 In-Person Locations (Choose the one closest to you):

Las Vegas – Nevada Legislature Hearing Rooms
7120 Amigo Street, Room 2

Carson City – Nevada Legislative Building
401 South Carson Street, Room 7120

📞 Call-In: 86072792434 | ID: 86072792434

Also, if possible, please show your support for AB584 by emailing your written testimony to: [email protected]
Subject line: Testimony in Support of AB584.

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

SB 460 is a direct challenge to school choice, parental rights in Nevada https://t.co/vwYlqGrZP4 via @rgj

School choice isn’t a fringe idea anymore; it’s a national movement. Over the last four years, more than half the states in the country have passed school choice legislation, propelled by families who are demanding more freedom and more say in how their children are educated and protected. The Educational Choice for Children Act has the potential to bring school choice to every state, including ours. But here in Nevada, Democratic lawmakers are doing everything they can to stop that momentum.

Rather than listen to parents, they’ve chosen to listen to the teachers’ unions. The latest example? Senate Bill 460 — disguised as the Educate Act — is a calculated, top-down attempt to reassert government control over public charter schools, private schools and homeschooling families.

Introduced by Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, SB 460 cloaks itself in the language of reform, but dig deeper and the real agenda becomes clear. The bill allocates $250 million exclusively to school district teacher raises. Public charter schoolteachers, who serve more than 70,000 of Nevada students, are shut out entirely. This is not equity: it’s favoritism for the status quo.

Even more troubling is the bill’s effort to expand state power over educational alternatives. SB 460 would give school districts a greater voice in opposing new public charter schools, effectively allowing entrenched interests to block innovation and competition. This might be good for stakeholders in the current education system, but it’s terrible for students and families.

The bill also imposes standardized testing mandates on Opportunity Scholarship recipients, forcing them to take the same state assessments used in public schools — the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA ) — even though private school students on opportunity scholarships already take nationally recognized norm reference tests that better match their learning environments. This one-size-fits-all approach not only misrepresents student achievement; it undermines the very reason parents sought different education environments in the first place.

But SB 460 doesn’t stop there. It crosses a troubling line by requiring parents to disclose their personal reasons for leaving a school or withdrawing from the scholarship program. Public school families aren’t asked to share private information like this. Why should those who choose alternative educational paths be treated differently? Why don’t they have the same rights to privacy as those who choose the government stakeholders’ preferred option? This is more than bureaucratic overreach; it’s an invasion of privacy and a violation of students’ FERPA rights.

The likely outcome? Private schools may abandon the Opportunity Scholarship program rather than submit to intrusive state mandates. Charter schools could face mounting resistance from district officials wanting to end competition that’s besting them. And homeschooling families may find themselves subject to a growing web of regulations.

Let’s be clear: SB 460 is not about accountability, It’s about control. It’s about reinforcing a system that prioritizes adults over children, bureaucracy over innovation, and politics over parents.

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

Gov. Lombardo announces new education bill focused on accountability and school choice

Kim Keys, a mother of five whose children attend Pinecrest Academy in Henderson, expressed support for the governor's initiative.

"I love that the governor is giving more of those choices and encouraging or assisting in making things like that happen for anybody," Keys said.

For Keys, having options in education has been crucial for her family.

https://t.co/QRcqhXIqiD

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

Thank you, @JosephMLombardo, for unveiling the Nevada Accountability in Education Act. It’s not just policy—it’s a plan for real reform. It enforces accountability, rewards strong educators, and supports families by expanding enrollment options, transportation, and options for students in low-performing schools so every child can access a school that meets their needs.

If a school isn’t working for a child, they should have the opportunity to find a better option.

Governor Lombardo knows education isn’t one-size-fits-all. He’s fighting to make educational excellence the norm, not the exception.

[Valeria Gurr, PhD 🐯 @ValeriaGurr]

Lombardo introduces new education act https://t.co/hDPxfk0CtR