Policy Analyst Anahit Baghshetsyan’s op-ed for the Las Vegas Review Journal about the New York City Mayor’s race and what it could mean for Nevada.
Read the op-ed here.
Policy Analyst Anahit Baghshetsyan’s op-ed for the Las Vegas Review Journal about the New York City Mayor’s race and what it could mean for Nevada.
Read the op-ed here.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote an article based on Policy Fellow Cameron Belt’s piece about a need for changing regulations in Nevada. Read the article here.
The Reno Gazette interviewed Policy Analyst Anahit Baghshetsyan about the changes to Nevada’s home insurance law. Read the full story here.
The Reno Gazette Journal featured an op-ed by Policy Analyst Anahit Baghshetsyan about film tax credits in Nevada. Read the full article here.
Nevada Policy’s Policy Analyst, Anahit Baghshetsyan, was interviewed by NPR affiliate KUNR about the legislature’s options for the difficult insurance situation in the Silver State. Read the article here.
Nevada Policy President, John Tsarpalas was interviewed on the American Potential Podcast about the grassroots victory over RCV ballot question in the 2024 election. Watch the interview here.
The Las Vegas Review Journal cited Nevada Policy’s research in its article about Governor Lombardo’s vetoes this legislative session.
The Review-Journal’s editorial quotes Research Analyst Anahit Baghshetsyan.
Article written based on Nevada Policy’s 200 Boards report
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For Immediate Release,
Contact Robert Fellner, 702-222-0642
LAS VEGAS — Cashing in unused leave for hundreds of thousands of dollars propelled several Metro police officers into the stratosphere of the state’s highest-compensated list, according to a survey of just-released 2015 salary data from TransparentNevada.com.
A $268,076 unused leave payout boosted retired Metro lieutenant Dennis Flynn’s total compensation package to $500,835 — making him Nevada’s 2nd highest-compensated government worker, behind the $552,011 received by Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority President Rossi Ralenkotter.
The survey draws on over 125,000 records obtained via public records requests made to every state, county and city agency in Nevada, as well as public-school and special districts.
After Ralenkotter and Flynn, the next three highest compensation packages went to:
Metro officials stated that the policies authorizing such inflated unused leave payouts — Flynn’s was more than double his regular salary — have been discontinued and only apply to older employees.
Nevertheless, because the costs of existing and future employees will be borne by taxpayers for many years to come, these examples show why Nevada must embrace transparency in collective bargaining, according to Robert Fellner, director of transparency research at the Nevada Policy Research Institute.
“Enshrouding public bargaining in secrecy gives undue leverage to public unions, at taxpayer expense. Consequently, taxpayers only learn they must pay for these exorbitant perks when it comes time to pick up the tab.”
Overtime payouts more than doubled regular salary
Clark County’s 31.2 percent increase in overtime spending was the highest of any Nevada government, followed by 29.3 and 22.5 percent increases, respectively, in the Reno and Henderson city governments.
The top five largest overtime (OT) payments as a percentage of salary went to:
Benefits push average compensation over $100k
The average compensation for full-time, year-round employees of the three largest Southern Nevada municipalities was:
Fellner noted a key driver behind the average six-figure compensation packages are extraordinarily rich retirement benefits that, shockingly, are entirely funded by taxpayers.
“While the median private employer spends 3 percent of pay on his or her employees’ retirement accounts, Nevada’s safety and non-safety local government workers receive benefits that cost 28 and 40 percent of pay, respectively.
“Nevadans can expect higher taxes or service cuts if they are forced to continue paying for retirement benefits that are nearly ten times richer than what they themselves are likely to receive.
“In 2013 — the most recent year data was available — Nevada’s local governments spent a national-high 9.6 percent of direct general expenditures on retirement costs, nearly quadruple the 2.5 percent national average.”
To view the entire dataset in a searchable and downloadable format, visit TransparentNevada.com.
Compensation is defined as total pay plus the employer-cost of health and retirement benefits. Full-time, year-round employees are defined as those who worked at least 1,720 hours in 2015.
For more information or to schedule an interview with NPRI, please contact Robert Fellner at 702-222-0642 or RF@npri.org.
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For Immediate Release
Contact Michael Schaus, 702-222-0642
LAS VEGAS — The Nevada Policy Research Institute is proud to announce an event in Reno on March 15th, and another in Carson City on March 16th, designed to give parents, educators and students access to in-depth information about Nevada’s new and innovative educational choice programs.
Representatives from the Nevada Treasurer’s Office, the state Department of Education and NevadaESA.com will be on hand at both events to answer questions about the reforms from the community. A representative from the Attorney General’s Office will also join the event in Carson City.
The two events are an important step in making sure that parents in every corner of the state understand how Education Savings Accounts and Tax Scholarships could seriously benefit their children’s future.
“With Education Savings Accounts still in legal limbo, it is more important than ever that parents have access to informed experts, whether public officials or ESA policy specialists,” said Michael Schaus, communications director for the Nevada Policy Research Institute.
“After all, this isn’t an issue that only impacts a handful of counties. Every student deserves the best opportunities for success, and every parent deserves the right to take control of their children’s education.”
The events will give the Reno and Carson City communities the opportunity to get answers directly from the state agencies in charge of implementing the new reform — and allow parents to easily gather the information they need to take advantage of the most inclusive educational choice program in the nation.
The first event will be held March 15th, at 6:30 p.m. at Brookfield School in Reno. The following event will be hosted by Sierra Lutheran High School in Carson City, also at 6:30 in the evening. Details can be found by visiting NevadaESA.com/events.
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For Immediate Release
Contact Michael Schaus, 702-222-0642
LAS VEGAS — The Nevada Policy Research Institute has announced it will once again offer a $2,500 Professor R.S. Nigam & NPRI Freedom Scholarship to a graduating Clark County high school student who demonstrates a passion for economic liberty and individual freedom.
The scholarship is open to all graduating Clark County high school students — whether they attend a public, private, online or home school — who plan to attend college in the fall of 2016.
This year students interested in applying for the scholarship are asked to write a two-page essay on this topic:
Improving education, by making it unique for the student:
Not every student learns at the same pace, or by the same methods. Unfortunately, K-12 public education in America is usually based on a one-size-fits-all approach to learning. Reflecting on your own experience, how would you provide parents and students with more control over the type of education they receive?
“The Professor R.S. Nigam & NPRI Freedom Scholarship gives up-and-coming thinkers the opportunity to consider free-market solutions to real-world problems,” said Swadeep Nigam, who funds the scholarship program in the name of his father, an advocate of freedom and a professor of business in India and Nevada.
“We live in a marketplace of amazing innovation and creativity,” said Michael Schaus, communications director for the Nevada Policy Research Institute. “This scholarship question gives students the opportunity to reflect on how they would put free-market innovations to work solving real public policy concerns.”
All applicants must have a grade point average of at least 3.2 and complete an application, which includes the above essay question.
To be eligible, a student’s parents must have earned less than $125,000 in income in 2015, and the student must plan to attend a four-year degree program in business, economics, political science, public administration or a related field, at an accredited college or university.
Professor R.S. Nigam was a director of the Delhi School of Economics at the University of Delhi, a visiting professor at the College of Business at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a senior fellow at the University of Wisconsin, in addition to academic engagements in Europe, the West Indies and Asia, including North Korea.
“This scholarship gives us an incredible opportunity to help a Clark County graduate pursue their dreams, while honoring Professor Nigam,” Schaus said.
Essays and applications are due to NPRI by May 1, 2015.
View full details of the scholarship and applicant requirements here 
Scholarship Application 2016-2017.
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For Immediate Release
Contact Michael Schaus, 702-222-0642
LAS VEGAS — At a school choice open-house scheduled for Tuesday, February 9th, 2016, Pastor Ron Thomas of the Reconciliation Apostolic Ministries will proudly announce his support for Nevada’s Education Savings Accounts.
“There’s a lot of misinformation about the program,” Pastor Thomas told the Nevada Policy Research Institute. “And the truth is, there is a lot of opportunity for minority communities with ESAs.”
Thomas has been a pastor for the past 20 years, and is also an officer with the Las Vegas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Although the NAACP has not supported ESAs, Thomas said he personally felt it was important to speak out in support of the reform.
Sen. Scott Hammond, the author of SB302, will be featured, as will be a number of parents who have already enrolled in ESAs. According to Thomas, the evening open-house was conceived as a way to bring information about ESAs directly to parents, without any buffers.
Hosting an event to highlight the value of school choice is only the beginning for Thomas, who says he’s prepared to come out in full support of ESAs — despite the political forces pressuring him to remain silent.
“There are just a lot of special interests that have a lot of power in the community,” Thomas said. “But I refuse to have — and I believe I can say it this way — an unholy political alliance with anyone. When it comes to the education of our children, it should be focused on the children.”
“ESAs are about giving students opportunity. It’s not about politics,” Thomas said.
The Reconciliation Apostolic Ministries is partnering with the Conservative Alliance and the Nevada Policy Research Institute to bring information regarding school choice to communities that are especially poised to benefit from the reform.
The event, scheduled for 6:00pm Tuesday Evening, will be the first of many opportunities for the community to ask questions, and learn about the details of ESAs.
“The truth is, every parent deserves the chance to take control of their children’s education,” explained NPRI Communications Director, Michael Schaus. “A child’s education shouldn’t be determined by their zip-code, or their parent’s tax bracket. That’s why ESAs are so important to communities throughout Nevada.”
The event is open to the public, and will be located at 911 G Street, Las Vegas, 89106.
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For Immediate Release
Contact Michael Schaus, 702-222-0642
January 27, 2016
LAS VEGAS — More than 2,000 students, parents and educators arrived at the Cashman Center in Las Vegas for the state’s largest school choice rally on Tuesday morning, showing overwhelming public support for the preservation of Nevada’s Education Savings Accounts.
Despite the current injunction against ESAs — which is temporarily pausing the implementation of the nation’s most inclusive school choice reform — public support for the program is as strong as ever, according to Nevada Policy Research Institute Communication Director Michael Schaus
Following the rally, Schaus released the following statement about the importance of preserving school choice:
At their core, ESAs are about empowering individuals — parents, students and teachers — rather than the special interests that feed upon the government monopoly of one-size-fits-all education.
The status quo isn’t working. It is letting down too many students, and too many families. School choice is about giving parents, regardless of their background, opportunities that were previously only accessible to a select few.
In short, school choice programs — such as Nevada’s ESAs — democratizes quality education. ESAs allow parents, who otherwise don’t have the resources, the opportunity to take control of their child’s future.
And as we saw by the crowds that rallied on Tuesday morning, parents are hungry for that opportunity.
A diverse group of Nevada individuals and organizations worked together to organize Tuesday’s event, which celebrated all forms of school choice.
RISE Resource Center, Nevada Homeschool Network, Nevada Policy Research Institute, NevadaESA.com, Academica Nevada, and The LIBRE Institute were all represented as partners of the event.
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For Immediate Release
Contact Michael Schaus, 702-222-0642
January 21, 2016
LAS VEGAS — Thousands of students, parents, and teachers are expected to gather in Las Vegas on Tuesday, January 26 to show support for National School Choice Week.
The rally, which will be the largest of its kind in Southern Nevada, will take place at 10:00 a.m. at the Las Vegas Cashman Center. The celebration is timed to coincide with National School Choice Week (January 24-30, 2016), which will be America’s largest-ever celebration of opportunity in education with more than 16,000 events being planned nationwide.
Speakers at the event will include public officials, educators and even parents who are trying to take advantage of Nevada’s various school choice options.
“My daughter was struggling in her public school, and we were just looking for an alternative we could afford,” said Rita Colon, a single mother who applied for an Education Savings Account and a Tax Scholarship.
“You should always have a choice in your child’s education,” she told the Nevada Policy Research Institute.
The goal of the event is to show the overwhelming support for educational reform and school choice in the Silver State.
A diverse group of Nevada individuals and organizations have worked together to plan this event, including: RISE Resource Center, Nevada Homeschool Network, Nevada Policy Research Institute, NevadaESA.com, Academica Nevada, and The LIBRE Initiative.
Held every January, National School Choice Week is an independent public awareness effort designed to shine a positive spotlight on effective education options for every child.
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