In response to Governor Steve Sisolak’s announcement that he intends to reduce funding for the Opportunity Scholarship program, which would rip away scholarships from approximately 950 students just two years after receiving them, Nevada Policy Communications Director Michael Schaus released the following statement:

Our hearts break for the children whose scholarships are now at risk — and we will do everything we can to partner with parents to make sure their voices are heard during the legislative session.

Sisolak’s plan to slash the funding of Opportunity Scholarships means approximately 950 of the roughly 2,500 low-income students who take advantage of these scholarships are going to be forced back into the very schools where they struggled to succeed in the first place. They’ll be forced to leave the new teachers they have found who connect with them, the new friends who encourage them and the new schools that cater to their unique needs.

In short, if these scholarships are not continued, political leadership in Nevada will have told each one of these disadvantaged students that their shot at a good education isn’t nearly as important as protecting the political interests of the public-school system that left them behind in the first place.

Parents need to let Gov. Sisolak and the legislature know that lawmakers should be focused on helping kids get in the classrooms where they can truly succeed — not taking away scholarships that put such classrooms within reach.

Read more about how Opportunity Scholarships benefit students and taxpayers alike, while also reducing overcrowding and increasing available per-pupil funding for public schools: Nevada’s Opportunity Scholarships: A Win for Students and Taxpayers